Horror Movies Can Be Good for Anxiety
There’s a science-backed reason why horror can calm people down
Laura Turner was on a road trip in Iceland with her brother when she found an unconventional method to manage her anxiety: watching horror movies. “It Follows and The Thing provided a really great distraction from the reality of having just had a miscarriage; I could totally forget about my anxiety for a while because the movies were just so completely immersive,” she says.
While the intensity of the films distracts her mentally, Turner, 34, says watching horror movies also has a physical impact. She notices her body bracing to manage the anxiety she knows is coming. “I slow my breath down, especially during the scary parts, almost practicing a sort of meditation so I can be prepared for whatever jump scare is about to hit,” she says. “My eyes are laser focused on the screen, and all my other senses are either dimmed or directed toward the movie.”
It may seem counterintuitive to watch a scary show or movie when you’re struggling with fear or anxiety, but some viewers, like Turner, find horror oddly comforting. And experts think there may be something to the unconventional approach of immersing yourself in fear for fun.
Mathias Clasen, a Denmark-based researcher who studies horror entertainment, says…
