Any GOOD horror movies?

[dreamer]

An anime about a school and zombies :)

Gakkougurashi!
School-Live!

Yuki Takeya loves her school so much that she does not want to ever leave! Megurigaoka High School is a unique and lively place where Yuki enjoys her carefree life as a third-year high school student and member of the School Living Club. The club, consisting of the president Yuuri Wakasa, the athletic Kurumi Ebisuzawa, the mature junior Miki Naoki, the supervising teacher Megumi Sakura, and the club dog Taroumaru, prides itself on making the most of life at school. However, this illusion of endless bliss is just a bubble waiting to be burst because Yuki is unable to perceive what is truly happening around her. In reality, all is not as it seems—the real purpose of the School Living Club is to escape from the shocking and disturbing truth: the girls are in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and have barricaded themselves inside the school as the sole survivors.

Based on the manga by Kaihou Norimitsu, Gakkougurashi! follows a group of girls who are forced to adapt to a post-apocalyptic life all by themselves. They have no means of contact with the outside world and are surrounded by hostile undead waiting to devour them. The girls must not only contend with the challenge of survival; they must also strive to maintain a false appearance of normality in Yuki's presence.

Openings:

 

[SevenFeathers]

"The Mist" is scary without too much gore, but also thought provoking. People in a small town grocery store are trapped inside when when a GOVERNMENT EXPERIMENT GONE WRONG opens another dimension. Great example of how people react differently when confronted with an unknown threat.

This came to mind again because we are currently in the midst of a government experiment gone wrong.

 

[dreamer]

Cloverfield

Cloverfield - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Nathancat7]

I see all these theads are old, but one movie I saw that could perhaps be called horror is District 9.
It has an incredible lead performance and references the short story "metamorphosis".
Very karma like in that the director becomes the thing he looks down on.
Because of the presence of a giant ufo it has a questionable message about who the good guys are; because a giant ufo, even if presented as good in the movie, has very scary symbolic imagery. Plus there's a dark message to the movie's humor.; Like humanity is being mocked and laughed at by dark elete.
The movie is high satire though. The ufo is broken down, and all the worker prawns, yes prawns, are living in a junkyard. And prawns are nasty, at least to me.
The movie ends with the lead, transformed into a prawn, making flowers out of crap. He is hoping against hope to be reunited with his true love. This can only occur after the ufo returns, as promised,
To transform him back into a human. I found that sweet.

 

[Nathancat7]

I see all these theads are old, but one movie I saw that could perhaps be called horror is District 9.
It has an incredible lead performance and references the short story "metamorphosis".
Very karma like in that the director becomes the thing he looks down on.
Because of the presence of a giant ufo it has a questionable message about who the good guys are; because a giant ufo, even if presented as good in the movie, has very scary symbolic imagery. Plus there's a dark message to the movie's humor.; Like humanity is being mocked and laughed at by dark elete.
The movie is high satire though. The ufo is broken down, and all the worker prawns, yes prawns, are living in a junkyard. And prawns are nasty, at least to me.
The movie ends with the lead, transformed into a prawn, making flowers out of crap. He is hoping against hope to be reunited with his true love. This can only occur after the ufo returns, as promised,
To transform him back into a human. Ya right. (As the guy says in the movie 'ya ok boss) I found that sweet though, his humanity. Also I posted this again with slight edit because the edit window timed out. So apologies.

 

[Mari]

I haven´t watched a real horror movie in a long, loooong time....
I watched them when I was a kid and during my teenage years mostly with my father, but then I´ve figured out that I actually don´t like this kind of movies.
I remember watching i.e. Poltergeist (1982), all sequels of A Nightmare on Elm Street, and so on, but the thing that gave me the creeps was 1960 The Time Machine: I remember I was a kid and I saw those morlocks´ eyes everywhere in the night.....

Last year (or was it 2 years ago.... ) I did encounter one semi-horror series and started watching it because of all the old-school characters (vampires, witches, werewolves,....), and in the end - I did watch the series to the end. It was scary to me, on more occasions, especially parts with this medium woman.....

Series is named "Penny Dreadful" and I recommend it for ones who like vintage characters/monsters/stories.

Penny Dreadful (TV Series 2014–2016) ⭐ 8.2 | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

1h | TV-MA

www.imdb.com

Explorer Sir Malcolm Murray, American gunslinger Ethan Chandler, scientist Victor Frankenstein and medium Vanessa Ives unite to combat supernatural threats in Victorian London.

Penny Dreadful

Synopsis:Some of literature's most terrifying characters, including Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, and iconic figures from the novel Dracula are lurking in the darkest corners of Victorian London. Penny Dreadful is a frightening psychological thriller that weaves together these classic horror...

www.rottentomatoes.com

Some of literature's most terrifying characters, including Dr. Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, and iconic figures from the novel Dracula are lurking in the darkest corners of Victorian London. Penny Dreadful is a frightening psychological thriller that weaves together these classic horror origin stories into a new adult drama.

I won´t put trailers here due to explicit scenes in them, but when one opens the IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes links above, the trailers can be seen there.

 

[IronFloyd]

The truth, is that in relation to horror movies, it seems to me that perhaps, happened something very similar to what, according to the C's, happened with music since certain decade on, that is, that "regressive forces" began to take the minds of some directors, and well, always considering great exceptions such as Dracula by Francis Ford Coppola from 1991, with a deep content and that rescues the esoteric essence of Bram Stocker's book of 1897, and even in my opinion, more than some of the first versions of the character, becoming a more romantic audiovisual proposal than terrifies.

But in general, definetly to me, that horror movies since the mid-60s and 70s forwards, begin to give a feeling of negative sadness, more than anything else.

Instead the old ones movies starring by actors like Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi, Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, etc, that's to say, decades 30, 40 or 50 or those of "hammer horror" that Laura mentioned, have another very different aura; of teaching, with a lot of symbolism and "information" that showing us the dark side of reality (that most mainstream or mass cinema refused to show for many years), and with certain touches of humor and even romance, and that leave a feeling of strange joy and enthusiasm.

The truth is that I declare myself an absolute lover of this kind of films, which far from "lowering" the frequency, on the contrary, leaves a feeling of contribution to the spirit... underrated jewels "B movies" for those that have eyes and ears for appreciate them in that way.

In this difficult time worldwide, I believe that these types of films help a lot to balance and cope with the negative charge out there, because it teaches us about the predatory nature that is "out there", and at the same time they teach us that we can overcome them, with love and humor, especially with humor!

This classic for example from Victor Halperin called "White Zombie", and that is about to turn 90 (1932) starring by John Harron, Madeleine Short, Robert Frazer and Bela Lugosi who plays the role of a "black magician" in charge of zombie slaves, that through hypnosis and spells, make works in his sugar factory. A movie to watch even alone, or at night, without that negative feeling that characterizes the most modern films of the genre.

 

[Marcos]

I have not seen a good horror movie in years. Gore flicks and jump scares don't fit the bill. Or rather they don't anymore, complete lack of depth and dreadfully boring. Horror is suposed to be at least scary and stay with you for awhile. It's the season for it why oh why can't I find any? The last one I saw was Twixt. It is honestly a cool atmospheric true gothic horror. No gore or BS. I do recommend it. But nothing on xfinity, netflix or hulu that is worthwhile. Have any of you found anything good?

The trailer for Twixt:

I did find the Dusk Maiden of Amnesia cool for anime horror ... better if you don't watch the Ferris Beuler ending of it (after the credits). But, well it is anime and comes with certain things that you would expect.

A sinister sect: colonia dignidad. (Netflix)
Plot: Post-World War II, German preacher Paul Schäfer establishes a youth home but is soon accused of abuse. He flees to Chile, where he starts a new colony.
A Sinister Sect: Colonia Dignidad, the horrors of a German Christian colony established in Chile in 1961 are brought to light. The story has been told in films likeColonia, but in this docuseries, we hear from survivors and experts alike. Led by abusive, manipulative German fugitive Paul Schäfer, the group tortured its members, and left lifelong scars on the children it claimed to be helping.
A colony of German Christians with a charismatic and manipulative leader becomes instrumental to the 1973 coup d’etat. The crimes are many, and the sect endures.
You will recognize the modus operandi.
A must see.

 

[loreta]

Scare for scare you can see "Vacancy" (2007) directed by Nimród Antal. It is a really, really, really, a very scary movie. Here is a little information about the story:

A married couple becomes stranded at an isolated motel ...

That's it. I don't want to say anymore because you need to feel the surprise when you start to see the movie. So my advice is do not read anything, ANYTHING, about this movie. just look the movie and feel scared. I was unable to see all the movie, I was too scare. I ask to my husband the end of the movie. I think this is one of the last terror movies I saw, after that I decided that this genre is too much for my heart.

My advice is also not to look at any preview of the movie. Previews are bad, in general, they give you all the movie in short, no surprise at all when you see the movie. In terror and horror movies the surprise is the elixir that you need to take, drop by drop, like the tic tac of a bomb or the toc toc of your heart.

 

[Mayb]

Shutter, but original Thai movie, I am the fan of horror and this one was true gem. The best horror movies deftly balance the scares and story. They elicit severe chills yet keep us engaged with fleshed-out characters and narrative.

 

[iamthatis]

I just watched this, and it was incredible. Best movie I've watched in quite a while. The horror in it is not purely physical or gore-based, but rather the mind-bending spiritual psychology of Initiation. Plus it's based on a 13th Century poem that links directly to the Grail myths. So this film is also 'in tune' with some of the stuff we've learned in SHOTW.

Edit: there's some hilarious woke doctrine in the casting... but if you can look past an actor from the Indian subcontinent playing Gawain, I find that the storyline is well worth it.

 

[thorbiorn]

Does "Dracula: Dead and loving it" counts as a horror movie? Otherwise the best is "Alien" (the first one).

The first one, since there are many
How to Watch the “Alien” Movies in Chronological Order: A Guide to the Iconic Sci-Fi Franchise

The Xenomorph has terrorized audiences since its first appearance in Alien (1979), a film that remains one of the most influential sci-fi horror movies of all time.

Xenomorph is this character.

The Wiki for the movie Alien has about the background:

While studying cinema at the University of Southern California, Dan O'Bannon had made a science-fiction comedy film, Dark Star, with director John Carpenter and concept artist Ron Cobb, with production beginning in late 1970.[29] The film featured an alien (created by spray-painting a beach ball and adding rubber "claws"), which was played for the comedic effect. The experience left O'Bannon "really wanting to do an alien that looked real."[29][30] A "couple of years" later he began work on a similar story that would focus more on horror. "I knew I wanted to do a scary movie on a spaceship with a small number of astronauts", he later recalled, "Dark Star as a horror movie instead of a comedy."[29] Ronald Shusett, meanwhile, was working on an early version of what would eventually become Total Recall.[29][30] Impressed by Dark Star, he contacted O'Bannon and the two agreed to collaborate on their projects, choosing to work on O'Bannon's film first, as they believed it would be less costly to produce.[29][30]

O'Bannon had written 29 pages of a script titled Memory, containing what would become the opening scenes of Alien: a crew of astronauts awakens to find that their voyage has been interrupted because they are receiving a signal from a mysterious planetoid. They investigate and their ship breaks down on the surface.[26][30] He did not yet have a clear idea as to what the alien antagonist of the story would be.[29]

O'Bannon soon accepted an offer to work on Alejandro Jodorowsky's adaptation of Dune, a project that took him to Paris for six months.[29][31] Though the project ultimately fell through, it introduced him to several artists whose work gave him ideas for his science-fiction story including Chris Foss, H. R. Giger, and Jean "Moebius" Giraud.[26] O'Bannon was impressed by Foss's covers for science-fiction books, while he found Giger's work "disturbing":[29] "His paintings had a profound effect on me. I had never seen anything that was quite as horrible and at the same time as beautiful as his work. And so I ended up writing a script about a Giger monster."[26] After the Dune project collapsed, O'Bannon found himself homeless and broke, and returned to Los Angeles where he would borrow Shusett's couch. In need of money he decided to write a spec script the studios would buy,[32] and the two revived his Memory script. Shusett suggested that O'Bannon use one of his other film ideas, about gremlins infiltrating a B-17 bomber during World War II, and set it on the spaceship as the second half of the story.[26][31] The working title of the project was now Star Beast, but O'Bannon disliked this and changed it to Alien after noting the number of times that the word appeared in the script. O'Bannon and Shusett liked the new title's simplicity and its double meaning as both a noun and an adjective.[26][29][33] Shusett came up with the idea that one of the crew members could be implanted with an alien embryo that would burst out of him; he thought this would be an interesting plot device by which the alien could board the ship.[29][31]

Giger made several conceptual paintings of the adult alien before settling on the final version. He sculpted the body using plasticine, incorporating pieces such as vertebrae from snakes and cooling tubes from a Rolls-Royce.[15][24] The head was manufactured separately by Carlo Rambaldi, who had worked on the aliens in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.[79] Rambaldi followed Giger's designs closely, making some modifications to incorporate the moving parts that would animate the jaw and inner mouth.[24] A system of hinges and cables was used to operate the rigid tongue, which protruded from the mouth and featured a second mouth at its tip with its own set of movable teeth.[24] The final head had about 900 moving parts and points of articulation.[24] Part of a human skull was used as the "face", and was hidden under the smooth, translucent cover of the head.[15] Rambaldi's original alien jaw is now on display in the Smithsonian Institution.[60] In April 2007, the original alien suit was sold at auction.[80] Copious amounts of K-Y Jelly were used to simulate saliva and give the alien a slimy appearance.[24][71] The alien vocalizations were provided by Percy Edwards, a voice artist who had provided bird sounds for British television throughout the 1960s and 1970s and the whale sounds for Orca: Killer Whale (1977).[64][81]

In most scenes, the alien was portrayed by Bolaji Badejo. A latex costume was made to fit Badejo's slender 6-foot-10-inch (208 cm) frame by taking a full-body plaster cast.[24][26] Scott later said that the alien "takes on elements of the host – in this case, a man".[46]
[...]
The alien has been referred to as "one of the most iconic movie monsters", and its biomechanical appearance and sexual overtones have been frequently noted.[82] Roger Ebert wrote that "Alien uses a tricky device to keep the alien fresh throughout the movie: it evolves the nature and appearance of the creature, so we never know quite what it looks like or what it can do... The first time we get a good look at the alien, as it bursts from the chest of poor Kane (John Hurt). It is unmistakably phallic in shape, and the critic Tim Dirks mentions its 'open, dripping vaginal mouth'."[54]

Where might Giger get his inspiration from?
That is not an easy question, but there might be some clues in this interview stored on Web.achive.org

Shadowplay Pagan Webzine - Seattle WA - Interview with Giger

In a quiet residential street in Zurich something amazing is taking place inside the home of fantasy artist, H. R. Giger. Giger is best known for his dramatic visual effects in the science-fiction film Alien, and for the haunting, nightmarish paintings which have been reproduced in his books Necronomicon and N.Y. City.

Giger himself is quietly spoken, gentle, and even shy - but from within his mind a torrent of dark images calls forth to be released onto canvas. Visiting Giger's house, and seeing the large surreal panels which adorn its walls, is like experiencing an exorcism.

Giger says that he does not understand the processes which underlie his painting but that he makes use, essentially, of the mediumistic or 'automatic' style adopted by several surrealists - including Max Ernst, Oscar Dominguez and Wofgang Paalen. Giger maintains that he opens the door to his unconscious mind by confronting his blank canvas and suspending conscious thought. Then, as the spontaneous images start to build before his eyes, he adds details and texture with him airbrush. He says he likes the airbrush because of its 'tremendous directness'. "It enables me", he says, "to project my visions directly onto the pictorial surface, freezing them immediately."

There is no doubt that, in terms of his art, Giger is very much a magician - conjuring dramatic visionary compositions which take us straight into the darker recesses of human consciousness. His work has been praised by the distinguished surrealists Ernst Fuchs and Salvador Dali, and he has been called a genius by psychedelic researchers Timothy Leary and Stanislav Grof. And his work, unquestionably has an authentic magical calibre rarely seen in modern art, which links him in spirit with such tortured masters of the visionary as Hieronymus Bosch and Lucas Cranach.

Image by Giger
Giger lives an unobtrusive existence in a double-storey terrace house just a few minutes drive from Zurich's busy international airport. His living room downstairs is dominated by the remarkable paintings which first earned him international recognition, and which feature Mudusa-like women with ghostly-pale skin, snakes in their hair and strange shapes and forms writhing around them.

Claws, needles, machine-guns and barbs also feature strongly in his compositions and his works, for most people, are distinctly disturbing - and fascinating at the same time.

They also have an extraordinary three-dimensional quality which lifts them beyond the plane of the wall so that they become part of the living ambience of the room.

In the center of the long table which occupies this room is an engraved pentagram, and also surreal candlesticks whose flames case an eerie light on the paintings nearby. A tall row of shelves in one corner of the room reveals a row of skulls and authentic shrunken heads from a cannibal tribe. It is here that Giger has placed his Oscar, won for Alien - a tribute to his bizarre imagination.

Upstairs Giger has his studio. At one end it is total chaos - a litter of splattered paint, brushes and discarded works of art. Here he experiments with his airbrush techniques, spraying patterns through metal grids and exploring different textures of light and shade.

At the other end of the long, open room, is a large black table with bulbous legs and an extraordinary mirror sheen on its pristine surface. Fashioned substantially from heavy moulded plastic, it is accompanied by several tall chairs surmounted with skulls and shaped to give the impression of distorted vertebrae. An ashen-grey version of these chairs - seemingly fashioned from bone itself - has pride of place at the head of the table. And gracing the long wall above, is another large panel - this time depicting a horned devil, a silver pentagram and dark, hostile serpents.

Giger has little real explanation for these remarkable manifestations. "I try to come close to my imagination" he says in his broken English, "I have something in my head and I try to work it out - like a kind of exorcism..." Giger recognizes the adverse effect his work has on many of the people who see it - including his respectable and conservative mother - but he is keen to point out that if his work seems dark, he is not this way himself. "My childhood was very happy" he says almost apologetically, "and my parents have been very nice to me". He ponders a while and then adds: "I think most of the images in my paintings are evil, but you can't say that I'm evil. It's just that evil is much, much more interesting than paradise...".

Giger was born in 1940 in the small Swiss town of Chur, an "unbearable" place of "high mountains... and pretty bourgeois attitudes". Growing up there, he had nightmares in his parents house and would imagine "gigantic bottomless shafts bathing in a pale yellow light". In his Necronomicon he writes that "On the walls, steep and treacherous wooden stairways without bannisters led down into the yawning abyss" and the cellar in the house gave rise to the image of "a monstrous labyrinth, where all kinds of dangers lay in wait for me." This feeling is certainly conveyed in his paintings for, time and again, the figures seem trapped and tormented in gruesome, tortuous tunnels and there is no apparent path of escape.

As a child, Giger built skeletons of cardboard, wire and plaster, and he recalls that he also had an "overwhelming disgust of worms and snakes" - a loathing which still manifests in his paintings today. He also had a fascination for pistols and guns of all sorts, and while drafted for military service was nearly shot dead accidentally, on more than one occasion.

If Giger is haunted by images from his past this is quite understandable, for there have been many crises in his life. One of the most traumatic involved the beautiful actress, Li Tobler.

Giger met Li in 1966 when she was eighteen and living with another man. However Giger moved into her attic apartment and in due course they became lovers. Giger recalls that Li "has enormous vitality and a great appetite for life". She also wanted her life to be "short but intense".

Li is the prototype for the many ethereal women in his paintings who peer forth from the torment of snakes, needles and stifling bone prisons - to a world beyond. Giger painted Li's body several times with an airbrush and there are several photographs of her posing naked - like a woman of mystery struggling to emerge from the nightmare that has possessed her soul.

Around this time Giger inherited his present house as a legacy from his uncle, and Li moved in. But the idyll, says Giger, "was all too short". Li had a hectic schedule for her theatrical performances around the country, was irresistibly drawn to numerous other lovers as well, and was beginning to experience the pressures of life in the fast land. On Whit Monday 1975 she shot herself with a revolver.

It may be too simplistic to say that Li haunts Giger still, for his life is full of beautiful and exotic women who are fascinated by his art and by his bohemian lifestyle. But there is no doubting that the simultaneous agony and joy of life with Li Tobler established the dynamic of fear and transcendence which is present in many of his paintings.

Giger maintains that although he has studied occult literature, he is not a magician in the orthodox sense for he does not perform rituals, engage in invocations or summon spirits. But one could hardly find a better temple of the black arts than Giger's main living room, and the beings which inhabit his paintings are themselves like a pantheon of demons. For Giger, in a very real way, makes magic spontaneously. When the thin veil across his psyche is drawn aside just a little, remarkable and tempestuous visions come forth. It is as if the dark gods are emerging once again from the nightmares of his past.

How is the art concept spread around?
The Wiki for H. R. Giger has:

Giger's art has greatly influenced tattooists and fetishists worldwide. Under a licensing deal Ibanez guitars released an H. R. Giger signature series: the Ibanez ICHRG2, an Ibanez Iceman, features "NY City VI", the Ibanez RGTHRG1 has "NY City XI" printed on it, the S Series SHRG1Z has a metal-coated engraving of "Biomechanical Matrix" on it, and a 4-string SRX bass, SRXHRG1, has "N.Y. City X" on it.[2]

And would that factor into this phenomenon?
Session 15 October 2016

Q: (L)[...] Is it possible, as we have speculated, that tattoos can anchor attachments?

A: Yes!

His Wiki has a list of other works, where one can see the images he has created for the artists:

Films​

• Alien (designed, among other things, the Alien creature, "The Derelict" and the "Space Jockey")
• Aliens (credited for the creation of the creature only)
• Alien 3 (designed the dog-like Alien bodyshape, plus a number of unused concepts, many mentioned on the special features disc of Alien 3, despite not being credited in the theatrical version)
• Alien Resurrection (credited for the creation of the creature only)
• Alien vs. Predator (credited for the creation of the creature only)
• Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (credited for the creation of the creature only)
• Poltergeist II: The Other Side
• Killer Condom (creative consultant, set design)
• Species (designed Sil, and the Ghost Train in a dream sequence)
• Species II (the film includes Eve, based on creature Sil from the first Species film)
• Future-Kill (designed artwork for the movie poster)
• Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis (creature designs)
• Prometheus (The 2012 film includes "The Derelict" spacecraft and the "Space Jockey" designs from the first Alien film, as well as a "Temple" design from the failed Jodorowsky Dune project and original extraterrestrial murals created exclusively for Prometheus, based in conceptual art from Alien. Unlike Alien Resurrection, the Prometheus film credited H. R. Giger with the original designs.)
• Alien: Covenant (the 2017 film includes the Alien creature, "The Derelict" spacecraft and the "Space Jockey" designs from the first Alien film. It also showcases the Proto Bloodburster / Neomorph in David's lab, which was designed but unused for Prometheus.)

Work for recording artists​

• Celtic Frost: To Mega Therion
• Magma: Attahk
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Brain Salad Surgery
• Floh de Cologne: Mumien
• Steve Stevens' Atomic Playboys
• Deborah Harry, portraits for KooKoo album cover and videos "Backfired" and "Now I Know You Know"
• hide: Hide Your Face
• Carcass: Heartwork
• Danzig: Danzig III: How the Gods Kill
• Dead Kennedys' album Frankenchrist, Poster insert of Landscape XX (which led to an obscenity trial)
• Atrocity – Hallucinations
• Korn's Jonathan Davis commissioned Giger to design and sculpt a microphone stand, with the requirement that it be biomechanical, erotic, and movable. The contract allowed for five aluminium microphone stands to be made, but Davis purchased only two of the three to which he was entitled. The design of the microphone stand was later adapted to Giger's Nubian Queen, transforming it into a fine art sculpture.
• Helped to design the first professional video clip of "Böhse Onkelz" called "Dunkler Ort" (dark location) from their album Ein böses Märchen ... aus tausend finsteren Nächten, which was released in 2000.
• Ibanez Guitars released a series of H. R. Giger Signature Models with artwork on the body.
• Triptykon: Eparistera Daimones
• Triptykon: Melana Chasmata

To be continued...

 

[thorbiorn]

Returning to movies, and in a more general way, I was wondering if the "artificial" fear some viewers experience would induce suggestibility and create possibly entry for mind control programming? I don't have a definitive answer, and it may be a ridiculous proposition to some people.
Indeed only some 10 % are highly hypnotizable according to this study. They also explain:

Brain activity and connectivity
Spiegel and his colleagues discovered three hallmarks of the brain under hypnosis. Each change was seen only in the highly hypnotizable group and only while they were undergoing hypnosis.

First, they saw a decrease in activity in an area called the dorsal anterior cingulate, part of the brain's salience network. "In hypnosis, you're so absorbed that you're not worrying about anything else," Spiegel explained.

It's a very powerful means of changing the way we use our minds to control perception and our bodies.

Secondly, they saw an increase in connections between two other areas of the brain - the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the insula. He described this as a brain-body connection that helps the brain process and control what's going on in the body.

Finally, Spiegel's team also observed reduced connections between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the default mode network, which includes the medial prefrontal and the posterior cingulate cortex. This decrease in functional connectivity likely represents a disconnect between someone's actions and their awareness of their actions, Spiegel said. "When you're really engaged in something, you don't really think about doing it - you just do it," he said. During hypnosis, this kind of disassociation between action and reflection allows the person to engage in activities either suggested by a clinician or self-suggested without devoting mental resources to being self-conscious about the activity.

What if some of the reaction that takes place from watching a movie, is a triggered response of previous, but perhaps forgotten traumatic situation? It is well known, that some people become filled with fear, sometimes even paralyzing when a phobia is activated even if the object that triggers the response is objectively harmless, a movies harms even less than say an ordinary spider or a cold slimy frog, and there is no paralysis as such, but what happen in the mind of some viewers?

There is an article Origins and Techniques of Monarch Mind Control which lists some of the means people are traumatized when prepared for this kind of programming, many of the methods have been around for years in violent movies, so nothing new there. The same article with some visuals is found here. To be fair, several if not many of the examples in the article seem over the top, and ignores that movies can also tell a story that is more significant than the details that tend to throw Fundies off.

While some viewers can become scared, while maintaining afterwards that is was a lot of fun because it was so scary, do moviegoers and watchers care much about what happens behind the scenes and behind their own eyes, as long as they are "enter-tained"? Indeed what is the etymology of entertained? Etymologyworld.com has:

Etymology:

Derivatives of the word "entertain" include:

• Old French: entartenir ("to hold someone by conversation", "to amuse")
• Latin: tenere ("to hold") with in ("in" or "into") with inter ("at intervals")

Meaning:

To provide amusement or pleasure to (someone) by engaging them in interesting conversation, activities, or performances.

Origin:

The word "entertain" emerged in the 13th century in Middle English, derived from the Old French word "entartenir", which meant "to hold someone by conversation". The Latin roots of "tenere" ("to hold"), "in" ("in" or "into"), and "inter" ("at intervals") indicate the notion of keeping someone engaged or occupied.

The word originally referred to the act of holding someone's attention, whether through conversation or other means. Over time, it evolved to encompass the broader sense of providing amusement or enjoyment.

Today, "entertain" is used in a wide range of contexts, from informal gatherings to large-scale performances, to describe the act of giving pleasure or interest to others through various forms of entertainment.

When it comes to GOOD horror movies, why is it that some actors also can become scared of what they are involved in?
Is it a result of method acting?

Method acting, known as the Method, is a range of rehearsal techniques, as formulated by a number of different theatre practitioners, that seeks to encourage sincere and expressive performances through identifying with, understanding, and experiencing a character's inner motivation and emotions. These techniques are built on Stanislavski's system, developed by the Russian actor and director Konstantin Stanislavski and captured in his books An Actor Prepares, Building a Character, and Creating a Role.

Among those who have contributed to the development of the Method, three teachers are associated with "having set the standard of its success", each emphasizing different aspects of the approach: Lee Strasberg (the psychological aspects), Stella Adler (the sociological aspects), and Sanford Meisner (the behavioral aspects). The approach was first developed when they worked together at the Group Theatre in New York and later at the Actors Studio.

In authentic appearing acting, can it happen that a lot of psychic energy is mobilized and used? Do some directors create circumstances for the actors to act real for the effect to be real? It would seem so. There was an article in the Independent:

16 horror movies so scary they traumatised the actors making them

Horror movies are supposed to scare audiences, not actors. Greg Evans looks at 16 movies that became too real for the people starring in them
Tuesday 29 October 2024 17:10 GMT
Horror movies have the ability to scare and exhilarate us in equal measure. Whether it’s a jump scare that leaves your heart pounding or the sight of something so disturbing it’ll give you sleepless nights, horror’s ability to present us with the most depraved aspects of humanity is what makes the genre so captivating.

However, no matter how traumatic the things we are seeing on screen, we can rest easy in the knowledge that no one in these movies is actually being harmed or in distress. Or so we’d like to think...

Throughout the history of cinema, filmmakers and actors have attempted to push themselves to the absolute limit in order to realise their vision. When it comes to horror, that can often mean raising the bar too far, leaving cast members emotionally devastated and struggling in their lives away from cameras.

Here are 16 horror movies so scary that even the actors in them were traumatised.

Psycho (1960)
Speaking to The New York Times in 1996, Janet Leigh admitted that she “stopped taking showers” after being left disturbed by the iconic scene where her character is stabbed to death in the Bates Motel. She resorted to more drastic measures when staying somewhere that only had a shower. Leigh explained: “I make sure the doors and windows of the house are locked, and I leave the bathroom door open and shower curtain open. I’m always facing the door, watching, no matter where the shower head is.”

1996, that was 36 years after the movie was released! Anyway, it was a good business, the Wiki states
Budget $806,947[6]
Box office $50 million[7]

Midsommar (2019)
At least three members of the cast of Midsommar, Ari Aster’s Scandinavian pagan horror, have admitted to struggling psychologically after making the film. Lead star, Florence Pugh, who played Dani, told the Off Menu podcast in 2023 that she would put herself in “really s*** situations that other actors maybe don’t need to”, to play out the trauma that her character was going through. “I was putting things in my head that were just getting worse and more bleak. I think by the end, I had probably – most definitely – abused my own self in order to get that performance,” Pugh added.

Even supporting actors felt the brunt of the movie. Jack Reynor told Collider that he had to work on his mental health throughout the entire shoot. In addition, Will Poulter told Empire that he had, “terrible, terrible, full-on nightmares” when making the film, which caught him “massively off guard”.

It is as if the people were invited to a "fictional" ritual that they were not aware of. Was somebody else? What is the effect on the viewers of such a great performance? Who cares, people liked it and it was a good business. The Wiki has:
Budget $9 million
Box office $48 million

Halloween (1978)

Kyle Richards was only nine years old when she starred in Halloween. Although making the film didn’t scare her, seeing the film as a youngster left a profound impact. Richards told the Hollywood Daily News in 2013: “I had no idea what I was in for. Seeing it for the first time all pieced together was a very, very different movie. It was just really scary, and I really did sleep with my mom until I was 15 years old after that. I was terrified.”

That was just the effect on the child actress from watching the movie, and fortunately it did not happen while she was making it, but why was the trauma from watching it so deep. How did that come about?
Again, a very good business indeed:
Budget $300,000–325,000
Box office $70 million

Possession (1981)

According to director Andrzej Żuławski, Isabelle Adjani, who won Best Actress at Cannes for her feverish performance in his intense Lovecraftian breakup movie, tried to kill herself after seeing the final cut. Speaking in a 2000 documentary about his career, the Polish director said: “I think I was responsible for that. I was the one to blame. If somebody plays in my film and then is going through something like that, that means I didn’t notice something.”

In 2023, while speaking to Interview magazine, Adjani said: “I remember – if you’ll allow me to offer a comparison from my own career and some situations with [the director] Andrzej Żuławski – there was something of great violence that I agreed to take on. But I’ve realised over the years that it’s something I could never accept again, and it’s part of everything that my subconscious has been swallowing and incubating.”

The Wiki shows it was a failure, at least financially:
Budget $2.4 million
Box office $1.1 million (US only)

There was another comment in the Wiki about the making of the movie;

Sam Neill has also commented on the rigours of filming: "I call it the most extreme film I've ever made, in every possible respect, and he asked of us things I wouldn't and couldn't go to now. And I think I only just escaped that film with my sanity barely intact."

Next:
The Birds (1963)

Tippi Hedren claims that she was tortured by actual birds that were trained to peck her in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic after the mechanical birds on set stopped working. Speaking to Vogue in 2016, she said: “I was never frightened, I was just overwhelmed and in some form of shock, and I just kept saying to myself over and over again, ‘I won’t let him break me.’” After Hitchcock finally called “cut”, Hedren admitted: “I just sat there on the floor, unable to move, and began sobbing from sheer exhaustion. Minutes passed before I looked up to discover that everyone had just left me there in the middle of that vast, silent soundstage, completely spent, empty, and alone.”

Apparently some of these stories only come out long after; between 1963 and 2016 there are 53 years!
Budget $3.3 million
Box office $11.4 million

Hereditary (2018)

Director Ari Aster has a history of leaving his actors emotionally devastated after completing one of his films. Before Midsommar, he released Hereditary in 2018, which lead actor Alex Wolff believed left him with a type of PTSD. Speaking to Vice, he explained: “It’s hard to describe eloquently. It’s just a feeling. I don’t think you can go through something like this and not have some sort of PTSD afterwards. When I started talking about it, all these flashes with all this disturbing s*** I went through sorta came back in a flood. It kept me up at night to where I got into a habit of emotional masochism at that point of just trying to take in every negative feeling I could draw from.”

Budget $10 million
Box office $87.8 million

Director Ari Aster has then both instructed Midsommar and Hereditary, - very successful director.

His films have been noted for their unsettling combination of horror, dark comedy, and depictions of graphic violence.

He has an interesting background too:

Aster was born into a Jewish family in New York City on July 15, 1986, the son of a poet mother and jazz musician father.[1][2] He has a younger brother.[3] He recalled seeing his first film, Dick Tracy (1990), when he was four years old; the film featured a scene where Warren Beatty's titular protagonist fired a Tommy gun in front of a wall of fire, allegedly causing Aster to jump from his seat and run "six New York City blocks" while his mother tried to catch him.[4]

Given how he was horrified from watching a movie as a child, why was it later that:

Aster originally aspired to become an author and became interested in filmmaking through screenwriting; although he would not begin actually making films until college, he had written six feature-length screenplays during his high school years.[8] As a child, he became obsessed with horror films and frequently rented them from local video stores: "I just exhausted the horror section of every video store I could find. I didn't know how to assemble people who would cooperate on something like that. I found myself just writing screenplays."[4]

The Shining (1980)

Stanley Kubrick’s notorious treatment of Shelley Duvall on the set of The Shining heightened her hysterical performance, especially after being made to reshoot one scene a record 127 times. It caused severe side effects and reportedly left her dehydrated due to the amount of crying she was doing, and losing clumps of her hair. In the 2000 book The Complete Kubrick, Duvall says: “From May until October, I was really in and out of ill health because the stress of the role was so great. Stanley pushed me and prodded me further than I’ve ever been pushed before. It’s the most difficult role I’ve ever had to play.”

The Wiki mentions it was a financial success, at least nothing to complain about:
Budget $19 million
Box office $47.3 million

It Chapter Two (2019)

After starring in the sequel to the 2017 film, James McAvoy admitted that Bill Skarsgård’s performance as Pennywise was so scary it left him suffering from nightmares. The Scottish actor told PA: “The only one I can really remember is, I’m lying on my side in the bed and he was in bed with me. And he’s stroking my back gently and saying, ‘Wake up, James, wake up.’ And I was just terrified, pretending to be asleep. I just thought, I’ve got to pretend to be asleep, I’ve got to pretend to be asleep. I had lots of nightmares about Pennywise, but that’s the one specific one I can remember.”

And the business:
Budget $79 million
Box office $473.1 million

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster both won Oscars for their performances in The Silence of the Lambs but the latter has since admitted that she was “petrified” of Hopkins’s turn as Hannibal Lecter. Speaking on The Graham Norton Show in 2016, Foster said: “The first day we had a reading [...] and by the end of it I never wanted to talk to him again. I was petrified. We got to the end of the movie and really had never had a conversation. I avoided him, as best as I could.”

However, it would appear that the feeling was mutual, with Foster adding: “It was the last day and he came up to me. I sort of had a tear in my eye, I was like, ‘I was really scared of you,’ and he said, ‘I was scared of you!’”

The above does not seem to have lasted much beyond the filming.
The business:
Budget $19 million
Box office $272.7 million

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Despite The Texas Chainsaw Massacre being perceived as a gory film, the scariest moment in it actually involves no violence at all. Talking to Esquire in 2021, Gunnar Hansen, who played Leatherface, said that the dinner table scene, where Marilyn Burns is tormented by the film’s sadistic family, is “burned” into his memory.

He explained: “I think just because of the misery of it. At that point, we were really just on the verge of mental collapse. And Marilyn told me about how awful it was for her because she was terrified... just being tied to a chair and then having these men looming over her constantly, she said it was really unnerving. I think that whole scene was certainly the most intense part of the movie, and I think all of us were slightly insane by then.”

This one has was worth the investment:
Budget $80,000–140,000
Box office $30.9 million

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Most of what made The Blair Witch Project one of the most successful films of 1999 was the genuine panic and sense of hopelessness that the actors managed to convey. According to the directors, Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez, most of the actors’ fear was genuine. Apart from actually getting lost in the woods, the stars were also stalked by Myrick and Sánchez, who even went so far as to rattle their tents at night. In one scene, Heather Donahue is heard yelling “What the f*** is that?” at something off-camera. Unbeknown to her, this was art director Ricardo Moreno, running alongside the actors wearing white long johns, white stockings, and white pantyhose over his head.

The Wiki indicates this movie was better than gold digging.
Budget $200,000–750,000
Box office $248.6 million


Alien (1979)

To have genuine reactions, Ridley Scott chose to keep the cast of Alien in the dark about what was about to transpire in the legendary scene where an alien bursts out of the chest of John Hurt. One of the realest responses came from Veronica Cartwright, who according to writer Ronald Shusett, “passed out” when being splattered with blood. Cartwright told Empire in 2009: “They have four cameras going. You see this thing start to come out, so we all get sucked in, we lean forward to check it out. They shout, ‘Cut!’ They cut John’s T-shirt a little more because it wasn’t going to burst through. Then they said, ‘Let’s start again.’ We all start leaning forward again and all of a sudden it comes out. I tell you, none of us expected it.”

Almost like a practical joke, and the audience probably understands that, or?
The Wiki:
Budget $8.4–14 million
Box office $188 million

Suspiria (2018)

Dakota Johnson has one way of dealing with the trauma of starring in horror films: therapy. After starring in Luca Guadagnino’s remake of Dario Argento’s 1977 classic, about a covenant of witches who run a ballet school, she told Entertainment Weekly: “When you’re working sometimes with dark subject matter, it can stay with you, and then to talk to somebody really nice about it afterwards is a really nice way to move on from the project.”

The Wiki has about the business:
Budget $20 million
Box office $7.9 million

Martyrs (2008)

Martyrs is a depraved and brutally violent French revenge movie that prompted walkouts when it premiered at Cannes. Speaking to Total Film in 2009, one of the film’s stars Mylène Jampanoï said the intensity of the film caused her to go back to her room every night and cry, “because I was so physically and psychologically tired”. She added: “All my scenes are violent. When I chose this movie, my agent told me maybe it was not a good choice as an actress. You should maybe start with a comedy! But the script was amazing, really amazing. I knew this would be a film that people would either love or hate.”

The Wiki:
Budget €2.8 million
Box office $1.1 million

Poltergeist (1982)

The Steven Spielberg-produced film is potentially one of the most cursed productions ever, with off-camera murders and deaths creating stories far scarier than anything seen on screen. The uneasy tension on set contributed to JoBeth Williams, who plays the mother in the haunted house film, even managing to get spooked in her own home. During a Reddit AMA session in 2014, Williams explained: “Because we were supposed to be scared so much, I think everybody’s nerves were hypersensitive. I didn’t live in LA then, so I was in a rented apartment, and I began to notice that every night when I would come home from shooting, exhausted, fried, the pictures on the walls would be crooked. And I would straighten them.

“And the next day, I would come in, and the pictures would be crooked again. So that always made me feel a little nervous about the place I was staying. But I finally realised it was when I slammed the door closed to leave, that the pictures would shift because I slammed the door!”

It was profitable:
Budget $10.7 million
Box office $121.7 million

To be continued, since there are a couple of articles about the positives and negatives of horror movie watching.

 

[thorbiorn]

Positive and negative effects of watching horror movies
Some of the above movies discussed in the last post are not too horrible, as far as the effects on the actors goes. And we don't know if some of the negative effects on the actors were because they previously had some problem. On the other hand, were some negative impacts an effect of working with and producing this kind of material?

I tried to look up "psychological trauma from watching horror movies" thinking that if some actors had adverse effects what about the audience?

Here are the results in Google, Yandex, Bing

A few positive
A magazine called Bloodknife.com, dedicated to sci-fi, horror and capitalism, has an article:

How Horror Helps Manage Depression, Anxiety and Trauma

Horror media can be a powerful tool for living with trauma​

by Mel Ashford

As a sensitive and easily frightened person, I was surprised to find myself drawn to horror as a means of dealing with assault.

The first thing that drew me in was revenge—more precisely, the ability to get vicarious revenge through characters like the heroines of Carrie (2013) and Teeth (2007). I found catharsis and solidarity in watching these abused women take down the people that had abused them, especially as both these characters used something they already had within them—Carrie’s telekinetic powers and Dawn’s vagina dentata—to get revenge.

I’m not alone in turning to horror as a way of coping. A study from 2018 found that a key part of the appeal of horror movies is the ability to feel in control of your fears. Making it through a film about a serial killer can, in some sense, give you the experience of conquering those same fears, even as you know you were never really in danger. A scary movie can become a sort of psychological play acting, boosting confidence and easing anxiety.

[...]

The study referred to above with the abstact is:
Horror, personality, and threat simulation: A survey on the psychology of scary media.

Journal Article Database: APA Psyc Articles

Clasen, Mathias Kjeldgaard-Christiansen, Jens Johnson, John A.
Citation
Clasen, M., Kjeldgaard-Christiansen, J., & Johnson, J. A. (2020). Horror, personality, and threat simulation: A survey on the psychology of scary media. Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences, 14(3), 213–230. APA PsycNet
Abstract
Horror entertainment is a thriving and paradoxical industry. Who are the consumers of horror, and why do they seek out frightening media? We provide support for the threat simulation theory of horror, according to which horror media provides a form of benign masochism that offers negative emotional stimulation through simulation of threat scenarios. Through an online survey of genre use and preference as well as personality traits and paranormal beliefs (n = 1,070), we find that sensation seeking and the fifth of the Big Five factors, intellect/imagination, predict liking of horror and frequency of use. Gender, educational level, and age are also correlated with horror liking and frequency of use (males show higher liking and more frequent use, whereas liking and use frequency are negatively correlated with educational level and age). People with stronger beliefs in the paranormal tend to seek out horror media with supernatural content, whereas those with weaker beliefs in the paranormal gravitate toward horror media with natural content, suggesting that people seek out horror media with threatening stimuli that they perceive to be plausible. While frightening media may be initially aversive, people high in sensation seeking and intellect/imagination, in particular, like intellectual stimulation and challenge and expect not just negative but also positive emotions from horror consumption. They brave the initially aversive response to simulate threats and so enter a positive feedback loop by which they attain adaptive mastery through coping with virtual simulated danger. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Impact Statement
Public Significance Statement: The horror genre is paradoxically popular: Why do people willingly seek out negative emotional stimulation from such entertainment? One way to get a handle on this question is to ask what type of person seeks out horror media, so we conduct a survey of personality traits, paranormal beliefs, and horror preference and usage patterns. Our findings support the hypothesis that horror can function as adaptive threat simulation, which may be particularly attractive to individuals who desire emotional and intellectual stimulation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Boston University also published an article about the benefits of horror movies, including the above paper as a reference:

Using Horror as a Therapeutic Tool for Trauma and Trauma Disorders by Danielle Rousseau, August 9 2024

In the field of trauma and crisis intervention, innovative approaches to therapy are constantly being explored to enhance treatment outcomes. One emerging and somewhat unconventional method involves the use of horror—through movies, video games, and thrill attractions—as a therapeutic tool for individuals dealing with trauma and trauma-related disorders. While this approach may seem counterintuitive, the potential benefits of engaging with horror media in a controlled environment offer intriguing possibilities for trauma recovery.

The Psychology of Horror: Facing Fears in a Safe Space

Horror media, whether it’s a spine-chilling movie, a tension-filled video game, or an adrenaline-pumping haunted house, taps into deep-seated fears and anxieties. For many, these experiences are thrilling and even enjoyable, providing a way to confront and process fear in a controlled setting. This concept aligns with the therapeutic principle of exposure therapy, which involves gradually and safely exposing individuals to anxiety-provoking stimuli to reduce fear responses over time (Foa & Kozak, 1986).

Exposure Therapy in a Different Light

Exposure therapy has long been a cornerstone in treating anxiety disorders and PTSD. The underlying principle is that repeated, controlled exposure to the source of fear or trauma can help desensitize individuals and reduce avoidance behaviors. Horror media can serve a similar function by allowing individuals to confront fear in a context where they know they are not in actual danger. This controlled exposure can help trauma survivors regain a sense of agency and control, which is often lost after traumatic experiences (Pittman & Karle, 2015).

The Therapeutic Potential of Horror Media

Emotional Processing and Catharsis

Horror movies and video games often evoke strong emotional responses, ranging from fear and anxiety to relief and exhilaration. This emotional rollercoaster can serve as a form of catharsis, helping individuals process complex emotions associated with their trauma. Research suggests that horror fans may use this genre as a way to confront their fears and anxieties in a safe, manageable way, which can lead to a sense of mastery over these emotions (Clasen, 2017).

Re-experiencing and Reclaiming Narrative

For trauma survivors, horror media can provide a unique opportunity to re-experience fear and terror within a narrative framework. Unlike real-life trauma, where individuals often feel helpless, engaging with horror media allows for a controlled re-experiencing of fear, where the individual can pause, stop, or disengage at any time. This can empower trauma survivors to reclaim their narrative and develop a new relationship with fear (Scrivner et al., 2021).

Social Connection and Shared Experience

Horror is often a shared experience, whether watching a scary movie with friends or discussing a horror game online. This shared experience can foster social connection, reducing feelings of isolation that often accompany trauma. Group therapy sessions incorporating horror media could potentially strengthen group cohesion and provide a shared platform for discussing fears and coping strategies (Scrivner, 2020).

Clinical Considerations and Ethical Implications

While the use of horror media as a therapeutic tool is intriguing, it is essential to consider the clinical and ethical implications. Not all individuals may benefit from this approach; for some, horror media could exacerbate symptoms or trigger distressing memories. Therefore, careful screening and individualized treatment planning are crucial. Clinicians should also be trained to handle potential negative reactions and provide appropriate support.

Moreover, this approach should be seen as a complementary tool rather than a standalone treatment. Integrating horror media into a broader therapeutic framework that includes established methods like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) may offer the best outcomes for trauma survivors (Shapiro, 2017).

The use of horror as a therapeutic tool for trauma and trauma-related disorders is a novel approach that challenges conventional treatment paradigms. By leveraging the psychological mechanisms of exposure, emotional processing, and narrative control, horror media has the potential to help trauma survivors confront and master their fears in a safe, controlled environment. While more research is needed to establish the efficacy of this approach, it offers a fascinating avenue for expanding the therapeutic toolbox in trauma and crisis intervention.

There is also this article:
What It Might Mean If You Love (Or Hate) Scary Movies, From A Clinical Psychologist Oct 27, 2021
Next:

Possible negative effects:
The following has more focus on the negative effect and discusses what to do if they are present. There are many of these articles, but this was the most comprehensive and still fairly short.

How Horror Movies Can Potentially Cause Trauma: Exploring The Psychological Effects​

Last updated Apr 19, 2024 Posted by Anna Werrett Category Trauma

Horror movies have a notorious reputation for scaring viewers out of their wits, but can they actually leave a lasting impact on our psychological well-being? This intriguing question delves into the potential trauma that horror movies can induce in susceptible individuals. From the spine-tingling suspense to gory visual effects, horror films have the power to haunt us long after the credits roll, leaving some questioning the fine line between entertainment and psychological harm. In this article, we will explore the fascinating topic of whether horror movies can truly cause trauma and delve into the underlying factors that contribute to this chilling phenomenon.

This article goes into some details and may be of use to gauge the effect a horror movie has on viewers:

What You'll Learn​

• Definition and Types of Trauma Related to Horror Movies
• Psychological Effects of Horror Movies on Viewers
• Potential Long-Term Impact of Trauma Caused by Horror Movies
• Coping Strategies for Dealing with Horror Movie-Induced Trauma

Definition and Types of Trauma Related to Horror Movies​

When it comes to horror movies, there is an ongoing debate about whether they can cause trauma. While some argue that these movies can be incredibly disturbing and can potentially lead to long-term psychological effects, others believe that they are simply a form of entertainment and do not have any lasting impact.

To better understand the potential trauma related to horror movies, it is important to first define what trauma is. Trauma refers to the emotional and psychological response to a distressing or disturbing event. It can be caused by a variety of experiences, including accidents, natural disasters, violence, and even horror movies.

In the context of horror movies, trauma can be classified into two main types: direct trauma and indirect trauma.

1) Direct trauma: This type of trauma occurs when an individual experiences an intense emotional response while watching a horror movie. These movies are designed to invoke fear and suspense, and they often contain graphic and disturbing scenes. People who are more sensitive to these stimuli may experience elevated heart rate, increased blood pressure, and a sense of helplessness or terror. In some cases, these reactions can be so severe that they result in panic attacks or a loss of control.

2) Indirect trauma: This type of trauma occurs when an individual is indirectly affected by horror movies. For example, a person may be exposed to a horror movie through media coverage, conversations with friends, or even witnessing someone else's reaction to a horror movie. Indirect trauma can be just as distressing as direct trauma, as it can trigger feelings of fear, anxiety, and distress.
It is also important to note that not everyone will respond to horror movies in the same way. Some individuals may be more resilient and able to differentiate fiction from reality, while others may be more susceptible to the psychological effects of horror movies. Factors such as a person's previous experiences, mental health history, and overall well-being can all influence how they respond to these movies.

If you are concerned about the potential trauma related to horror movies, it is important to take steps to protect yourself. Consider setting limits on the types of movies you watch and the amount of exposure you have to disturbing content. It can also be helpful to engage in self-care practices, such as deep breathing exercises or mindfulness, before and after watching a horror movie.

In conclusion, while horror movies can have a profound impact on our emotions and psychological well-being, not everyone will experience trauma as a result. It is important to be mindful of your own boundaries and take steps to protect yourself if you are concerned about the potential psychological effects of these movies.

Psychological Effects of Horror Movies on Viewers​

Horror movies have been captivating audiences for decades, providing a unique thrill that can be both terrifying and exhilarating. From classics like "Psycho" and "The Shining" to more recent hits like "Get Out" and "Hereditary," these films have the power to transport us to a world of fear and suspense. However, while horror movies can be entertaining, they also have the potential to leave a lasting impact on viewers' psychological well-being. In this article, we will explore the psychological effects of horror movies on viewers and how to navigate potential negative consequences.

Fear and Anxiety:

Watching a horror movie can induce intense fear and anxiety in viewers. The suspenseful atmosphere, jump scares, and graphic scenes can trigger the fight-or-flight response, leading to increased heart rate, sweaty palms, and a feeling of uneasiness. While this feeling is usually temporary and dissipates after the movie ends, some individuals may experience lingering anxiety, particularly if they have a predisposition to anxiety disorders. It is important to be aware of your emotional state and take breaks from horror movies if you find yourself excessively anxious.

Nightmares and Sleep Disturbance:

Horror movies often invoke vivid and disturbing imagery, which can seep into viewers' subconscious mind and manifest as nightmares. These nightmares can disrupt sleep patterns, leading to reduced quality of sleep and daytime fatigue. If you frequently experience nightmares after watching horror movies, it may be helpful to establish a relaxing bedtime routine, avoid watching scary movies close to bedtime, and engage in stress-reducing activities before sleep.

Desensitization and Emotional Numbing:

Regular exposure to violent or frightening content can lead to desensitization, a phenomenon where individuals become less responsive to emotional stimuli over time. This desensitization can extend beyond the movie theater, affecting the way individuals respond to real-life situations. As a result, some viewers may find themselves less empathetic towards others' pain or suffering. It is crucial to maintain a healthy balance in the types of media consumed and to be mindful of the potential desensitizing effects of horror movies.

Traumatic Reactions:

While horror movies are fictional and designed to be thrilling, they can trigger traumatic reactions in some individuals. People who have experienced trauma in their lives, such as abuse, assault, or accidents, may find certain elements of horror movies triggering, reawakening painful memories or emotions. If you have a history of trauma, it is important to exercise caution when choosing which movies to watch and to seek support from a mental health professional if necessary.

Cathartic Release and Empowerment:

Despite the potential negative consequences, horror movies can also provide individuals with a sense of cathartic release and empowerment. The experience of safely facing fears and surviving through the characters on screen can cultivate feelings of strength and resilience. Additionally, some studies suggest that horror movies can act as a way for individuals to confront their own anxieties, serving as a form of exposure therapy. It is important to recognize and acknowledge the positive aspects of horror movies, as long as they are enjoyed in moderation and with awareness of personal limits.

In conclusion, horror movies have the potential to affect viewers' psychological well-being, both positively and negatively. While the fear and anxiety induced by these films are usually temporary, individuals with pre-existing anxiety disorders or trauma history should be cautious. It is essential to strike a balance between engaging in the thrilling experience of horror movies and ensuring one's mental health remains a priority. As always, self-awareness and moderation are key when it comes to consuming any form of media.

Potential Long-Term Impact of Trauma Caused by Horror Movies​

We all love a good scare, and horror movies provide the perfect opportunity to experience the thrill of fear in a controlled environment. However, it's important to understand that horror movies have the potential to cause trauma, especially in individuals who are already vulnerable to anxiety or have a history of trauma. In this blog post, we will explore the potential long-term impact of trauma caused by horror movies and discuss ways to mitigate these effects.

Firstly, let's understand what trauma is. Trauma is the emotional and psychological response to a distressing or disturbing event. While horror movies may not depict real-life events, they can still trigger our fight-or-flight response and create a sense of fear and helplessness. For some individuals, this can be traumatic, especially if they have experienced similar situations in real life or have a heightened sensitivity to fear.

So, how can horror movies cause trauma? Watching a horror movie can lead to symptoms such as nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, and sleep disturbances, similar to those experienced by individuals who have gone through a traumatic event. These symptoms can persist long after watching the movie, affecting an individual's daily life and overall well-being.

Furthermore, horror movies can also desensitize us to violence and gruesome imagery. Constant exposure to violent and disturbing scenes can normalize these behaviors and desensitize our emotional responses. This desensitization not only affects our perception of violence but also increases the likelihood of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) later in life.

So, what can we do to mitigate the potential long-term impact of trauma caused by horror movies? Here are a few strategies:

1) Know your limits: Understand your personal tolerance for fear and gore. If you know that certain themes or images are likely to trigger distress or anxiety, it's best to avoid movies that contain those elements.

2) Choose movies wisely: Before watching a horror movie, do your research. Read reviews, watch trailers, and determine if the movie aligns with your comfort level. It's crucial to choose movies that cater to your preferences and avoid those that might be too intense or triggering.

3) Watch with trusted company: Watching a horror movie with friends or family members can provide a sense of security and support. Having someone by your side can help you process the emotions and handle any potential distress more effectively.

4) Practice self-care: After watching a horror movie, engage in activities that promote relaxation and self-care. This can include listening to calming music, practicing deep breathing exercises, or engaging in activities that bring you joy and comfort.

5) Seek support if needed: If you find that you are experiencing extensive distress or difficulty managing the emotional impact of a horror movie, it may be beneficial to seek professional help. A therapist or counselor can provide guidance and support in navigating your emotions and helping you recover from any trauma.

Ultimately, it's important to recognize that horror movies have the potential to cause trauma, especially in vulnerable individuals. By being mindful of our boundaries, making informed choices, and taking steps to prioritize our emotional well-being, we can enjoy the thrills of horror movies while minimizing the potential long-term impact on our mental health.

Coping Strategies for Dealing with Horror Movie-Induced Trauma​

Horror movies can be a thrilling way to get an adrenaline rush and experience a temporary escape from reality. However, for some individuals, watching horror movies can result in trauma and have a long-lasting impact on their mental health. If you find yourself struggling with horror movie-induced trauma, here are some coping strategies to help you deal with it.

1) Understand and validate your feelings: It's essential to acknowledge that your feelings are valid and that horror movie-induced trauma is a real thing. Sometimes, people may dismiss your feelings by saying it's just a movie or that you shouldn't be affected by it. Remember that each person's experience is unique, and it's okay to feel scared or disturbed by what you've watched.

2) Limit exposure to triggers: One of the most effective ways to cope with horror movie-induced trauma is to limit your exposure to triggers. Avoid movies or television shows that contain similar elements to the one that traumatized you. If you come across any disturbing content accidentally, quickly switch channels or change the topic of conversation. It's important to protect yourself from further exposure and allow yourself time to heal.

3) Seek support from loved ones: Talking about your experience is crucial for processing and healing from trauma. Share your feelings with trusted friends or family members who can provide you with support and understanding. Sometimes, just talking about it with someone who cares can bring a great deal of relief. If your trauma is severe, consider reaching out to a mental health professional who specializes in trauma therapy.

4) Practice relaxation techniques: Horror movies can leave you feeling tense and anxious. Engaging in relaxation techniques can help you manage these feelings. Deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, and meditation can help calm your mind and body. Try incorporating these techniques into your daily routine to create a sense of calm and reduce anxiety.

5) Engage in positive distractions: When you find yourself dwelling on the traumatic scenes or the fear they evoke, it's essential to redirect your attention to more positive activities. Engage in activities that you enjoy and that bring you happiness. This can include hobbies, spending time with loved ones, reading uplifting books, listening to music, or watching light-hearted movies. Filling your time with positive distractions can help shift your focus away from the trauma.

6) Gradual exposure therapy: If you feel ready to confront your fears and move towards healing, gradual exposure therapy may be helpful. This therapy involves slowly exposing yourself to the elements that trigger your trauma, starting with less intense versions and gradually working your way up. This approach allows your mind to adjust and can help reduce anxiety and fear over time. It's important to consult with a mental health professional to guide you through this process.

7) Self-care: Taking care of yourself is essential during the healing process. Focus on self-care activities that promote relaxation, such as regular exercise, getting enough sleep, maintaining a healthy diet, and practicing good hygiene. Engage in activities that bring you joy and make you feel good about yourself. By prioritizing self-care, you can create a foundation for your healing journey.

Remember, coping with horror movie-induced trauma may take time, and everyone heals at their own pace. Be patient and gentle with yourself as you navigate through your emotions. If your symptoms persist or worsen over time, it's important to seek professional help. With the right strategies and support, you can overcome trauma and regain a sense of peace and well-being.

Watching horror movies, also so-called GOOD horror movies, does not seem to be for everyone.

 

[Yupo]

Jacob's Ladder:
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The Green Man:
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Ghost Story:
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The Witch:
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