Mystery: A Seduction, A Strategy, A Solution

The irony is that the research suggests that the effortless processing might lead to less attention and retention. Easy in, easy out.

“There’s something ironic about our style becoming so popular,” Dan says. “We did it because we had to, because we had no money and we didn’t think scary movies were scary anymore. But what we unlearned is now its own tradition.” Such is the destiny of successful art: it gets copied until it becomes a cliché.

It’s not the outcome that’s uncertain—it’s the process, the means of production. He shows us what’s inside the box. We just have no idea how it got there.

We want surprise and suspense, but we also crave order and closure. The artistry of the mystery box is in the balance: give away too much and we’re bored, give away too little and we’re lost.

Poe’s insight was that the audience didn’t care about the murder. That was just the setup, the inciting incident. What they really cared about was the mystery.