You know, I never thought of it in that light. It makes sense, though being in a controlled and safe environment to face your fears.
That is a good question to pose. What sort of things did they see out there that made us, as a whole, scared of such things. I am of the opinion that it probably did just have to do with decaying bodies, but it's still interesting to think about.
When you say that about the dark eyes I can't help but to think of the story of the black eyed children.