Horror is a genre of fiction created to intentionally induce fear and shock within an audience. These are emotions that humans do not normally relish, and yet the genre has found great success since its inception with the Gothic novel in the 18th century. Doctor of philosophy John Morreall posits that the control viewers have over fictional experiences is what allows them to enjoy horror, and even on some level, the negative emotions associated with it. The element of fiction allows an audience to experience terrifying environments and situations without actually living through the consequences. As a fictional horror world that is parallel to our own, "These Days" turns the very enjoyment of horror on its head as it tells the story of a town suffering widespread damage from an unseen beast. Eerily similar to the real life consequences we face now as a result of the global pandemic, it provokes the unsettling realization that this may be one horror story we can’t escape.