Author Phobia: Difference between revisions

Authors are people just like us, with likes and dislikes... and ''fears''. Sometimes a creator draws upon their personal [[Nightmare Fuel]] in an attempt to make their villains more fearsome and intimidating. For instance, if the author as a child was bitten by a venomous spider and nearly died, as [[JRRJ. TolkienR. (Creator)R. Tolkien|JRR Tolkien]] was, they might make the [[Big Bad]] of their story a hideous [[Giant Spider]].

* [[Peter Jackson]] actually used his own phobia of spiders to measure the effectiveness of Shelob's design and animations for the ''[[The Lord of the Rings (Filmfilm)|Lord of the Rings]]'' [[The Lord of the Rings (Filmfilm)|films]].

* [[James Cameron]] wrote ''[[The Terminator]]'' based on a nightmare he had of a robot emerging from a fiery explosion and coming after him. It's even referenced on the main [[Nightmare Fuel]] page quote. "From the director's nightmares to yours." However, Cameron was sued because the idea bore a resemblance to two [[Harlan Ellison (Creator)|Harlan Ellison]]-written ''[[The Outer Limits (TV)|The Outer Limits]]'' episodes, "Soldier" and "Demon with a Glass Hand". As part of the settlement, the credits of the movie now include the phrase "Acknowledgement to the works of Harlan Ellison."

* [[HRH. R. Giger]] is known to have incorporated his nightmares into his creations. Apparently, he often worked through his sleeplessness.

* [[Mel Gibson (Creator)|Mel Gibson]]'s films are heavily criticized in England and elsewhere for perceived Anglophobia - for instance, the [[Historical Villain Upgrade|historical villain upgrades]] given to Banastre Tarleton in ''[[The Patriot]]'' and Edward I in ''[[Braveheart]]'' (his record is far more mixed than Gibson suggests). Then there is his butchery of Gallipoli in the film of the same name, specifically the idea that the British drank tea on the beach whilst the Australians died for them. [[Rule of Cautious Editing Judgement|We will not mention his treatment of another group in]] ''[[The Passion of the Christ (Film)|another]]'' [[The Passion of the Christ (Film)|film...]]

* ''[[A Nightmare Onon Elm Street]]'': [[Wes Craven]] named Fred Krueger after a bully who harassed him and based his appearance on a disfigured hobo who scared him as a child.

* [[JRRJ. TolkienR. (Creator)R. Tolkien|JRR Tolkien]] was bitten by a poisonous spider in his youth in South Africa and narrowly escaped death. [[Creator Thumbprint|Many of his works]] feature [[Giant Spider|giant, malevolent arachnids]], including [[The Hobbit (novel)|the spiders of Mirkwood]], [[The Lord of the Rings|Shelob]], and [[The Silmarillion|Ungoliant]].

* Much of what [[H.P. Lovecraft (Creator)|HP Lovecraft]] wrote was motivated by his own nightmares and personal phobias. Among the ones less likely to evoke similar feelings in readers nowadays were his fears of [[Values Dissonance|non-white Anglo-Saxon people and miscegenation]]. [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|And fish]]. He also had a lifelong fear of cold temperatures, encouraged by his [[Ill Boy|frail constitution]]. This is partly why the oppressive atmosphere of ''[[At the Mountains of Madness (Literature)|At the Mountains of Madness]]'' is so effective.

* [[Super Mario Bros 3 (Video Game)|Chain Chomps]] came from an experience [[Shigeru Miyamoto]] had as a child, when a dog chased after him as he approached but stopped just inches from him because the dog was tied to a stake.

* A particularly well-known example shows up in [[EarthboundEarthBound]], particularly in the form of the final boss, [[Eldritch Abomination|Giygas]]. According to [[Shigesato Itoi]], the dialogue Giygas says is based off a childhood memory of him [http://earthboundcentral.com/2008/02/shigesato-itoi-giygas-and-boobies/ watching what he interpreted to be a rape scene (actually a sex followed by murder scene) in a movie].

* [[Played for Laughs]] in ''[[Xkcd (Webcomic)|Xkcdxkcd]]'' by creator Randall Munroe, who apparently has a morbid fear of [[StockRaptor DinosaursAttack|raptors]].

* Amber Williams of ''[[Dan and MabsMab's Furry Adventures]]'' is afraid of horses, which is why Kria and Dark Pegasus are both demonic horses.

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