It is a phrase well known within American media conversations and satire, “The call is from inside the house.” It’s become a comical phrase used in a variety of memes and anecdotes and spoofed in many a media venture since the 1979 movie When a Stranger Calls. I found myself dwelling on the phrase from a writing perspective the past few days and thought I’d muse a bit on it here.
The phrase, and the haunting realization that follows, can serve to capture the essence of one of my favorite horror tropes. A trope that, for me, breaks off into two divergent possibilities for the external or the internal. Is there someone or something hidden within your sanctuary? Is it all in my mind?
The terror is tightened one twist at a time as we read, or watch, the character question their surroundings and circumstances in both the external and internal applications of this trope. When applied with a truly deft hand I find myself wondering what is real right alongside the lead character.
There’s a connection to Ernst Jentsch and Freud’s exploration of the uncanny, the conveyance of uncertainty and imbalance, and it’s a part of why I love this trope so much. It keeps me on edge, keeps me questioning, keeps me reading.
There is something about the not knowing. Not knowing if the monster is living within the walls, if the monster is actually someone living with you, or if it is actually all in your head.
I connect with such stories on a deeper level, thanks to my own past. I take comfort from characters battling similar situations, even if only slightly and tangentially, to what I’ve experienced.