Horror movies have always mystified me. I have never understood why someone would want to be scared out of their minds for entertainment. Maybe it’s the adrenaline rush that accompanies it or the ability to experience the fear and turn off the TV after, but to me, it’s torture.
The first horror movie I ever watched was Insidious. My friends told me it “wasn’t even that scary” and “you’ll be fine,” but that was not the case. Although I watched it in the middle of the day and half the time my eyes were closed, the effects of the movie were dire. I could not sleep for a month and every mention of the movie ended with me being consumed with fear once again. This began my hate of horror movies. Whether the movie is a thriller, gore-filled or suspenseful, I will not watch it.
Due to my absolute hate of scary movies and my friends’ constant obsession with them, I’ve picked up a few skills over the years to deal with the fear that you may feel with these movies. The easiest but most obvious trick is to close your eyes. If you’re trying to keep your phobia hidden, this skill probably isn’t the best, but it is the most effective. A less obvious way to use this same skill is to not look at the screen but instead to look at your friends faces while they’re watching the movie. Though you may look creepy, the faces they will make are priceless and much more enjoyable to see while you’re not experiencing the same fear they are.
Another tip for handling your fear is how you handle yourself after you watch a scary movie. You can watch the scariest movie in the world but not be phased by doing just this: always watch them in the middle of the day. For some reason the dark makes everything so much worse, so the time of day you watch is important. The main problem with scary movies is that you can’t get those horrifying images out of your head. I find myself thinking about what I saw for days after I watched and it’s torture. A way to reduce the constant cycle of thinking about the movie is immediately after you watch it, watch a light-hearted comedy. Anything to take your mind of what you just saw works, but for me comedies are the best way to take your mind off the fear. Finally, if you can’t stop seeing the murderer or ghost from the movie at the foot of your bed when you sleep, a good strategy to combat this is to watch another movie with that same character in it playing a completely different role.
Many horror movies fall under the horror movie category but don’t leave you being afraid of the dark. Movies like Scream, Scary Movie and Haunted House are all examples of movies that take a funny spin on horror and incorporates cliche plots and bad acting which is always fun to watch.
Horror movies have been around for a long time and will continue to be. Though the concept of being completely freaked out for entertainment makes no sense, the culture will continue to persevere. The main trick is to keep in mind that none of it is real. Although this may be hard, this is crucial to keep your sanity.
