The Horror Movies Downfall

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School of Communication at Purdue University, calls these intensified emotions the excitation transfer process” (Silvers). This process is said to make the bad thoughts and images worse because the are constantly roaming around in the back of your head. From personal experiences I believe that these intensified emotions are the main cause of the stress. After watching my first horror movie I became so scared that I began to think that I saw these images during broad daylight, showing a perfect example of the excitation transfer process.

Aggression and violence also come into play when an intensified fear from a horrifying subject sets in. A scary movie might cause a repeated replay of a violent scenario in the mind of the viewer (Tucker).When becoming scared a human’s natural response is to fight and defend themselves or to run from the situation. Depending on your level of dominance you may become violent and fend for yourself. In the article “Effects Of Watching Horror Movies”, the author explains that “sometimes people go on to believe that violence can sometimes resolve a conflict”. In saying this I believe that horror films could make someone become aggressive. Depending on how frightened you have become and whether the images have mentally affected a person, they could have repetitive flashbacks that could trigger an aggressive response. As a child, I always wanted to watch horror films because all of the kids at school did the same. My family and I had taken a trip to the beach. While at the beach we decided to watch the movie Jaws. After the movie I became absolutely terrified to go back into the murky waters of Myrtle Beach. While standing in the hot sand, my brother thought it would be a hilarious joke to grab my and throw me into the water. I instantly panicked and began to jump, hit, thrash, and do anything to not step foot in the water. This comes to show that aggression and violence can take over when the body becomes scared. It has been found that when become frightened your adrenal gland increases the output of adrenaline as well as an increased heart rate (Silvers). Although this more of a mental illness, I believe that your body could still activate parts of the brain causing actual physical aggression. Although most cases have been post film aggression, it seems as though there could be incidents during the film. Being scared while watching a horror movie can “cause a spike in adrenaline and cortisol levels” (Braff). Braff states in her article that this spike in levels can trigger memories of traumatic events that have been experienced in the past. In my opinion I think that a triggered response could cause someone to lose their grip.

While constantly watching horror films could positively desensitize you to most horrifying scenes, they could still become dangerous for some unstable people. Can handle the generated amount of fear, anxiety, sleeplessness, phobia, and mental trauma while others become more frightened than before they had seen the movie. The scare from the movie could interrupt ones daily life by dramatically reducing the amount of sleep. Behavioral changes can also come into effect causing the person to become constantly frightened or dangerously violent. Horror films have also been known to cause a great amount of stress causing the viewer to be depressed or constantly worried. Though many people enjoy the frightening flicks of entertainment, know the signs of caution to prevent any type of interruption in your daily life.