‘How can you watch that stuff?’ Almost every horror movie fan has been asked that question at some point. The thing with horror movies is that you either really love them, or avoid them at all costs. In the ‘normal’ sense, we should be running away from anything that induces fear, however, these movies have a way of drawing people in, making horror a very popular genre. 

‘It’s just a movie,’ some fans will say. ‘We like watching horror films simply because it’s entertaining. It acts as a means to fend off boredom.’

But does this genre have an actual impact on viewers? Are there any psychological risks? What do horror fans have to say?

Preferences 

Juliete Mukabaranga, a single mother of one, enjoys watching horror movies when she has some spare time. She usually keeps her five-year-old son occupied with cartoons as she watches.

Last year, as she enjoyed a new release, her son glanced at the screen to see what she was watching.

Of course, like any curious child, he started asking questions. "Why is that man sucking blood out of his friend’s neck?” Before the mother could think of a response, another character in the movie pulled out another’s heart, and started feasting on it.

The little boy covered his face in fear. At Sunday School they encourage love, not to hurt one another, he told her — and the movie was depicting something else. 

The movie was so terrifying that Mukabaranga had to first pose it to help her son who had started screaming to calm down. 

Considering this happened at night, her son didn’t want to sleep in his bedroom alone as he thought the man he saw in the movie would come for him in the night. 

"A study published in the Journal of Media Psychology found that people watch scary movies for three main reasons: tension, relevance, and unrealism. For some, watching scary movies can be an entire experience due to the mystery and the shock. Others who are drawn to it due to "relevance,” find elements in the movie that they can relate to. Those who like horror due to its "unrealism” enjoy it because they know for a fact that it’s all fake anyway. For them, it’s just pure entertainment and fun,” writes Kristine Fellizer in her article "The Psychological Reason Scary Movies Are Sometimes Oddly Comforting”. 

"Some people enjoy the gore, some people like being startled, and some people love the sheer escapism it offers.

"Everyone experiences things differently. If you’re more sensitive and you feel things very deeply, watching scary movies may be a little too much for you. But if you’re not, they can be really fun and sometimes even comforting,” Fellizer writes. 

Weighing the risks

According to Healthline, horror movies comprise of psychological guiles that create illusions of suspense and danger through the manipulation of images, sound, and story. Although the brain is aware that the threats aren’t real, the body simultaneously registers them as if they are.

Celestin Mutuyimana, a clinical psychologist in Kigali notes that the reason as to why some people watch scary movies is because they help them release their anxiety and fears deep inside their conscious.

Mutiyimana says that one of the visible effects of scary films on youngsters and adults is anxiety. Heart rate, blood pressure, and the production of adrenaline (a substance that is released in the body of a person who is feeling a strong emotion) may increase by watching horror movies. But then an individual may feel excited after completing the tension.

Mutiyimana adds that watching horror movies might cause the inability to sleep through the night for a few days, or even months. This can be through the imaginations of the scary characters of the horror movie — a situation that may disturb and leading to sleepless nights.

"A viewer may become afraid of the dark, cry or scream if the horror film has really scared them. It also causes fear of losing control and terror of dying,” the clinical psychologist says. 

Experts say that such movies cause physiological reactions that are temporary but they may be permanent and require medical interventions. For instance, heart rate, respiration rate and change in nervous system due to the secretion of adrenaline which provokes the fear.

It should be noted that researches indicate that horror movies are more dangerous for children under eight years of age. This is because they do not have the ability to understand what is real and what is not. When a scary movie monster can temporarily scare an adult or older child, such images may linger in younger minds of children.

Viewing

Know your limits, for example, the kind of things that can provoke fear in you, whether gore, paranormal, and so forth, then choose the movie accordingly.

It is recommended to watch with others so that it becomes less traumatic.  

If it gets too scary, you can just cover your ears, put your hands in front of your eyes, ease the tension with an amusing quip, or turn to your phone for comfort.

Also, don’t watch in the dark unless you are sure you can handle it. 

Try to have a break. Energise your mind by relaxation techniques after watching horror movies.