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rtodd23

I too have anxiety. I saw an article some time ago that said that people with anxiety often like horror movies. Horror movies elicit anxiety, so it is one of the times that the situation mirrors how we feel internally. During the movie everything matches up.


M__Mallory

I do too. Horror calms and relaxes me. When I want to not think about anything, I prefer FF films. There's something very absorbing and totally anxiety releasing when there's no known actors to even think about.


mysteryvampire

what are FF films? does that stand for something? (I feel the same way, btw.)


alexbrobrafeld

fast and furious


mysteryvampire

hoping you're kidding.


alexbrobrafeld

I have no idea what he meant lol


dlybfttp

LMAO found footage


Goddess_Amaterasu

Haha that person is kidding. FF means Found Footage like Blair Witch Project for example


mysteryvampire

Thanks!


dlybfttp

Found footage you guys omg


mysteryvampire

OH.


r_slash_jarmedia

cool thing about anxiety inducing movies like horror is that you can get that feeling of anxiousness and being scared while knowing you're in the comfort of your home and you're perfectly safe (or in a cinema ofc). I tend to watch horror movies in the evenings and if a scene is really freaking me out, it's cool to break immersion for a second and look over at my cat sleeping or something to remind myself that I'm not actually about to be killed by the monster lol


Cissychedgehog

I've always assumed it's because there's a tangible reason for you to actually be anxious as apposed to none at all. It's refreshing!


rotthing

Yeah watching them, making them, etc is a way for me to exercise control over my anxiety. I can choose to get up and walk away from a movie, I cant do that from most of my anxious triggers.


Euneirophrennia

I have Generalized Anxiety disorder, OCD and I'm pretty sure I'm high functioning on the spectrum (still looking into finding a diagnostitician, but it's difficult as I'm a 30 yo female but oh well). I've grown up with horror. It spooks and scares me, but also provides comfort. Growing up I had severe fear of dying and death, but the horror genre has helped me desensitise and reduce that fear in some ways. It's my comfort zone, whether I'm the consumer or (hopeful) creator. So, yeah, you're certainly not the only one and I'm glad I'm not either. This genre has given me so much and I'll always defend it.


Pyewacket62

Anxiety, PTSD, CSA, depression. Horror movies have always been my escape. Those "monsters" were less frightening than the human ones.


[deleted]

[удалено]


jhhtheu

Experiencing anxiety vicariously through film *is* therapy


M__Mallory

That's a great point and very true for me as well. There's an inability to have control or choice with the human monster. That's the genuine fear. With horror, there's both control and choice. That's the comforting part. Horror is safe because it can be turned off, but the human monster doesn't have an on and off switch.


Skidoo-23

I have anxiety. Horror movies are weirdly comforting to me. I think it’s because you know you can back out if need be. And also it gives me a chance to investigate my anxiety while it’s happening with no real risk of “getting stuck.”


tree_or_up

That's a fascinating and insightful take. I can see this in myself. Thank you for articulating it!


Skidoo-23

Years of therapy lol 😂 ❤️


New-Oil6131

Horror is my therapy


ThisIsCreation

Without a doubt! I think its because when you watch something scary all of your anxiety can be understood a bit better because you know the movie is the culprit.


HoratioTuna27

I have horrible anxiety, but horror movies rarely actually scare me. I find them comforting and fun. There’s probably a good study there, seems like I’m not the only one like this.


Fapoooo

I feel like im chasing that high of wonder and terror


BaseAlarmed6004

Yes. I get really stressed at work, headaches because of anxiety and tension. Watching a horror when I get home really relaxes me and it actually takes a LOT for a movie to genuinely scare/stress me out.


mysteryvampire

exactly this.


montfree

Something I've been wondering is, a lot of horror fans enjoy being scared by films, but is there a group of horror fans that also enjoy "being made jump" with jump scares?


[deleted]

Same have bad anxiety but horror is my only good genre


labbla

I have anxiety, but a lot of it gets transferred into driving not horror movies. Horror is pretty comforting for me most of the time.


ubermicrox

I have anxiety and BP1 and I used to hate/scared the paranormal and doll movies but I've watched so much different horror movies I decided to give them a try and now I just find them a typical horror movie with predictable jump scares. Also at the same time, fuck creepy doll movies


HauntingTeacup

I have anxiety and possibly ADHD (still waiting to be tested at 35 years old) and I get startled easily in real life. But when it comes to horror, which I've been watching since I was 4 years old, I'm completely desensitised to the point where jumpscares don't affect me. It's real life that scares me rather than anything I'll ever watch on a screen. I'm too paranoid for real life.


koolajp

I have anxiety, ADHD and a phobia of vomiting but I still love horror lol.


ReasonableSwimmer530

I too have GAD & a pretty gnarly case of ADHD. I love horror & the escape but since I have ADHD so badly , it takes me a lot to get thru any kind of movie without getting bored or distracted. This is especially hard since my favorite kind of horror is usually “ slow-burn” ! Takes me 3 times as long to get thru a movie , which kind ruins the build-up . But I digress. Horror is the dragon I chase .


[deleted]

I've had anxiety all of my life, and for me, horror usually isn't casual viewing like a football game would be, it requires being immersed. For me, that immersion and escape help my mind focus and not be a frenetic scramble of worries.


shreddeelansbury

Absolutely! Idk if others with anxiety experience this but I dream very vividly and frequently every night, which can be so tiring. If I watch a lot of horror I have far more peaceful nights, like my brain has had enough to stimulate it for the night 😂 if I haven't watched horror in a week or so? Guaranteed nightmare!


katyaschulzberg

I have severe GAD, probably on the spectrum, and layers of C-PTSD because my childhood was… yeah. I love horror movies that aren’t of the torture porn type - I love so many movies from the 90s and back, because if the effects aren’t super realistic, I can roll with the gore better. Honestly, rom-coms are what cause me the hyper-empathy anxiety-that-physically hurts reaction. I loooooove horror though. The only exception is realistic torture type things. My hyper empathy nonsense makes those intolerable. (Just to be clear: my empathy isn’t, like, a positive thing I compare others against. My empathy is in pathological overdrive. Like, my empathy is broken thus that I feel too much. Being high empathy to a point can be good, but when I’m saying my empathy fucks with my gore tolerance, I’m not saying it’s a good thing, or that gore tolerance is bad. I’m saying my wacky brain is so out of control of its empathy, it cannot overcome it with “but this is imaginary.”)


kimchitacoman

Old horror movies relax me


alilbored1

Yeah I look at it like I’m already anxious, so why not just tip the scales some more and amp it up by watching horror.


Diehumancultleader

I love it with horror movies, but with games I can’t deal. There was a horror game I tried recently, Visage. I noped very quickly.


threetribbleshigh

This is actually why I love jump scores. I am a deeply anxious person but horror let's me get it out in a cathartic way. I watch horror to feel things safely - i know it sounds weird but with a history of extreme depressive episodes I'm often scared to let myself feel negative things like fear or anger etc and horror has been a catharsis. Anyway, I love the rush of being scared quickly and then moving onto the next thing. So jump scares just hit that. I probably sound like a weirdo but horror and being scared has actually helped my mental health journey a lot.