Walking through the underground passage of Predeal Train Station, I was struck by a peculiar sense of déjà vu—something about its dimly lit, abandoned atmosphere reminded me of a scene from Harry Potter, which I’ve included below. This unsettling feeling, however, is not unique to Predeal. It’s the state of many train stations, platforms, and annexes across the country: neglected, decaying, and imbued with an eerie silence that makes them feel like something out of a horror film.
People pass through these spaces daily, gradually developing an extraordinary resilience to their eerie surroundings. In a way, living in such urban landscapes numbs the senses to cinematic horror. The dilapidation, the flickering neon lights, the echoing footsteps in empty halls—all these elements, so carefully crafted in film to evoke fear, are simply mundane in real life.
Perhaps there is room for protest, but not among those who have grown accustomed to this dystopian aesthetic. They no longer react; they no longer feel the intended thrill of horror movies. When your everyday environment already mirrors a ghost town or an abandoned asylum, how can fiction compete?
Photos & text: Alex Iacob
Mie mi-a ramas in minte crocodilul … https://goo.gl/9UV7VW