I remember being very young and watching a Friday the 13th film that had a pet dog character.  My brother and I, very wise at ages ten and eleven, were certain the dog was safe – until he got macheted.  The horror films I had watched until then had always kept the kitties and puppies safe.  I was  pissed in my ten-year-old heart, but it was a milestone in my horrorful education: no one is safe.

No one is safe in horror, not humans, and not their pwecious fuzzy wuzzykins.  Even wild animals, an additional and sometimes magnificent threat to the beleaguered human, are not safe.  However, if the animal is aligned with the supernatural, rather than nature or domesticity, you can be pretty sure it’s gonna make it through (think of the cat in Cat’s Eye or the talking fox in Antichrist). Continue Reading →