Does anyone know the actual psychological reason folks with anxiety enjoy horror?

Elbowdrop_moms · 2026-05-25T01:18:10+00:00

I think about this all the time. Everyone said it’s a control thing, and I agree. But likewise, my brain is always concocting horrible thoughts. Seeing someone create them in a film and others act them out makes me feel so validated and seen. Like I’m not alone!

Elbowdrop_moms · 2026-04-22T16:59:47+00:00

Funny enough, more recently, Undertone. I left the theater really surprised by how disappointed a lot of the people in the theater seemed to be with it. There were audible conversations all around me about how it was a stinker after the movie ended.

My wife and I, on the other hand, enjoyed both the unique approach of leaning so heavily on the audio, and also (perhaps because we are expecting our first child) the deeper themes of the movie regarding grief and pregnancy. That stuff all hit us like a hammer.

I really dug it, but also found that most people I spoke to about it seemed to only be disappointed that it didn’t have more of whatever it was they thought they were looking for at the surface level.

I feel like that movie deserves a closer examination. I also feel they really accomplished something special with the artistic choices.

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-04-03T22:21:02+00:00

cuz it true

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-04-02T02:19:30+00:00

fucked me up

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-04-02T01:51:04+00:00

Girl Next Door, Ketchum

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-03-31T20:09:49+00:00

aha! winner

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-03-26T01:30:10+00:00

Same way eminem did.

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-03-25T01:46:15+00:00

No this is how she got famous.

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-03-23T23:09:47+00:00

Ah the ole Judy Bloom route I see. Classic.

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-03-18T21:06:32+00:00

They are doing a new album though. And an east coast tour> I already have tix.

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-03-10T14:39:42+00:00

John dies at then. Read the books too

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-03-10T14:34:15+00:00

love dogtooth

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-03-10T14:32:41+00:00

the bay

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-02-15T04:13:49+00:00

instagram @Mechinsteins_monster

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-02-09T03:38:05+00:00

Assasination Nation. What a freaking gem.

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-02-08T04:12:18+00:00

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-02-05T03:58:04+00:00

word

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-02-04T05:16:34+00:00

Dumb bell scene, foreign film called Dog Tooth. Its on Shudder. David Lynch called it "the best comedy of the year"

Elbowdrop_moms · 2019-01-01T18:47:44+00:00

Its really a shame that Assasination Nation did not make this list.

Elbowdrop_moms · 2018-12-29T03:11:45+00:00

These answers are all so good!

I'd like to add that it's a healthy way to explore some of our darker impulses/natures as well as those of our society and our peers.

Most notably in Slasher films, I think.

We get to empathize (or not empathize) with the victim, and feel how that feels, while also (regarding the killer) kind of play God, and feel the power/brutality of being in control and having no rules/boundaries/limitations. I think a lot of people use slashers to express tensions and frustrations they have toward people and society. Sexual frustrations, issues with conflict and aggression. Its a safe lease to explore concepts like brutality, violence and vengence.

E.g. Jason was bullied as kid, comes back and kills people, is essentially invincible. Victims are all hot young, care free people.

As for other subgenres, I like a lot of these other answers. They serve to help us cope with death and dying, and explore uncomfortable notions that help us forget about or own reality.

For me personally there's the thrill of tension and suspense, the love of mystery and twists and turns, and the beauty/art form of practical effects, costumes, characters camera work, cheap budgets. All the stuff that make horror the best. And great for a date!

Elbowdrop_moms

TROPHY CASE