Effects Of Watching Horror Movies

It is a proven fact that people love to be scared by horror movies. Some of the most horrified faces are portrayed in the best horror films of Hollywood, which are much liked by people. They simply love to watch the repulsive aliens and the blood dripping down the horrifying face. Watching such scary flicks, just for entertainment, is quiet acceptable, provided you do not empathize the situations depicted in what you have watched. This is a sign of caution, as you will never know when you start developing fear for almost everything around you. There are plenty of cases in which the violent scenes in horror movies had an impact on the physical and psychological stability of people. It generates fear, anxiety, sleeplessness, phobia and mental trauma while frequent viewing also helps people to desensitize with anxiety and fear. Check out the effects of watching horror movies in the following lines that are mentioned below.

A visible effect of horror movies on both children and adults is anxiety. It is characterized as a long-term effect on children, which may even linger into their adulthood.

An immediate psychological effect of scary movies on the minds of people is lack of sleep. The person may be unable to sleep through the night for few days, even months after watching the movie. He/she may need to use a nightlight while sleeping. The thoughts of the horrifying characters of the horror movie and the situations may haunt him/her, leading to sleepless nights. This condition last for a week to even a year. People tend to develop Insomnia and nightmares; though insomnia might be harmless, repeated occurrence of nightmares might lead to chronic insomnia which in turn affects the mental and physical health. 

The hangover of horror movie is largely characterized by a fear. The person may become afraid of the darkness, or cling to the companion while sleeping. He/she may cry, scream, tremble, shake or even nauseate, if the horror film has really scared him/her. Fear of losing control, fear of dying are also associated with the horror movies.

As a result of watching the situations portrayed in the horror movie, the person may develop a phobia towards animals such as mammals, insects, reptiles, fire, flood, water, blood/injection/injury or height and enclosed spaces. He/she may get disturbed by loud noises or horrible faces.

People generally tend to develop a mental trauma after viewing some of the disturbing images. Post-traumatic stress disorders are very common among people though experts argue that these people undergo sufferings from real life events. The problem is that if a person develops post-traumatic stress disorder after watching a movie, they are not able to draw a fine line between reality and fiction. Horror movie buffs should frame their minds in such a way that their mind is mentally stable. Otherwise, this might lead to a state of depression.

People who watch a horror movie which includes bloody scenes in it have the chances of getting affected by the violence and horror of the movie which in turn transforms the behavior of the person. They go on to believe that violence can sometimes be used to resolve a conflict. It also makes a negative impact to the reflex changes of a person. Such people get shocked when faced with such a situation.

Watching a horror movie has some advantages too. Watching them on a regular basis tends to desensitize a person to violence which creates an impact on the behavior of the person. They become less startled when they face tough situations in real life as they are used to such anxious situations. These movies also become an effective tool to treat fears and phobias. While therapists search for a way to desensitize a person from fears and anxieties, this can be a perfect platform for such treatments.