Like the author Luna Shyr of this entry on the National Geographic blog, I too “shun creepy films.” Suspenseful or gory films have quite a negative physiological impact on me. Paradoxically two of my favorite guilty pleasure films: Blade 2 (yes, specifically the sequel) and Aliens versus Predator.
Anyway, I’m going to try to apply some of these lessons the author receives from NYU psychology and neuroscience professor Liz Phelps on how to overcome the “the classic fear response: accelerated heart rate and breathing along with tense muscles,” a sensation that I typically experience during suspenseful scenes in movies.
Fortunately there are ways, short of fleeing the theater, to counter this genetic programming. Phelps wisely notes that fear makes people avoid the things they’re afraid of, e.g., fear of creepy movies = avoidance of creepy movies. So treating phobias often involves incremental exposure to the object of fear—say, subjecting an acrophobe to increasing degrees of height. Another option is to learn to regulate emotions. “You reappraise the situation to make it more positive, like seeing the glass half full,” says Phelps
Anyone wanna go check out The Crazies?
