[TheBigB]

The "villains" were presented as people you'd see anywhere, young people in their early 20's, and the situations were all played straight.

One of the most insightful comments about horror in films was made by...well, I can't recall who. But he said that to truly horrify, there must be an element of the familiar (I supose to make the viewer more able to see himself/herself in the same position).

As an example, he said to imagine coming face to face with a bearded, red-eyed, fanged monster in your kitchen eating your dog alive.

Now imagine putting your Mom in place of the monster, doing the same thing.

Eeyuck.

[Long Cut]

" Now imagine putting your Mom in place of the monster, doing the same thing..."

That IS a great description! Peter Jackson, of LOTR fame, thought so too. He had an almost identical scene in his early zombie movie, Dead Alive.