Saturday, October 20, 2018

Scary Movies are ...


I can hardly believe that it is already October 20th and I am buying Halloween candy at the grocery store.  In the car today, my husband was listening to a pod cast about the Halloween movie series.  Halloween, Friday the 13th, Saw, The Exorcist, Psycho and all the other favorites of this genre of media were a huge topic of conversation at our house this weekend.

Personally, I do not enjoy horror movies and I tend to avoid them at all costs.  However, I know that I am definitely in the minority and most teenagers love these movies.  So I thought it would be fun to understand how your body and brain reacts to horror movies.

https://psychology-spot.com/horror-movies-affect-brain/

http://time.com/4995896/scary-movies-burn-calories/

https://online.csp.edu/blog/psychology/psychology-of-fear

https://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2017/10/07/what-happens-to-your-body-when-you-watch-a-scary-movie/

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/carolinekee/horror-movies-heart-rate-body-health

This week I want you to look through these articles and write a scholarly paragraph with your response.  What camp do you belong to?  Do you love horror movies or avoid them?  Have your middle three sentences be about at least three different ways that your body and brain react to horror movies.  Then in your conclusion statement I would like you to give a recommendation about your favorite scary movies.

68 comments:

  1. I have always tried to avoid horror movies because I don’t really like them. I don’t like that feeling that something scary is going to happen in the movie. Scary movies can have many effects on your body. One effect is that your heart rate can rise to a level of mild or moderate exercise, which can cause you to start sweating. Another effect is that your muscles contract and tense up because they are posing for a reaction. A third effect is that your body releases adrenaline and dopamine which could cause someone to faint or have a panic attack. I haven’t seen many horror movies because I try to avoid them, but I have seen The Twilight Zone episodes and I think those are scary.

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  2. I absolutely love horror movies. From the articles, I found that when you watch a scary movie, your heart beats faster and you start to sweat. I thought it was interesting that fear also makes your muscles tense because that is the bodies natural reaction to what is perceived as a threat even though you are fully aware you are in no danger. After the scene is over, the muscles are then able to relax again. My favorite horror movie is probably Nightmare on Elm Street because it's such a classic and that was probably one of the first horror movies I can remember watching. You have probably already seen it but if not, it's definitely a must watch.

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    1. I like your summary of the article and I like the Nightmare on Elm Street as well!

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  3. Im not one of those kids that enjoy watching horror movies when I think of them it makes me shiver and become scared.

    While I think or watch scary movies my body respond different and i do anything to get me out of it. And if I don't my heart starts racing and I want to leave the room.
    Also when I watch scary movies my heart rate usually increases my muscles techs up and i had my head in the blank and cover my ears.
    Also when watching scary movies i become very feared and want to see nothing going on this is become your hormones cause you to change your attitude and how you feel.
    Overall, I dont enjoy watching horor movies so I dont have any recommdations because I have never watched any horor movies. It changes my mood and makes me want to see nothing and hear nothing and I dont think I will ever enjoy watching horor movies.

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  4. Personally, I've always had lots of love for horror movies. Even though I get easily frightened throughout the film, I enjoy the rush and suspense that comes along with the experience. While reading through the first article from psychology-spot.com, the article actually stated why some people watch horror movies, even though they're not the most enjoyable. And that's because of the arousal transfer theory, which gives our brains the feeling of being on an emotional roller coaster. Scary movies often initiate our physiological response of "fight or flight," which is when our brains are able to respond or retreat to danger quickly. While watching a horror movie, you might not be thinking of all that is occurring inside your body and brain. But when in fear, our bodies alert the amygdala; this is the part in our brain that deals with emotional response. Amygdala will then send a message to the hypothalamus. This alerts our body to release adrenaline and causes the sympathetic nervous system to increase our heart rate, blood pressure and blood flow to muscles. Surprisingly, the increase in heart rate from a scary movie is equivalent to a mild/moderate exercise without actually moving. Scary movies can also cause our muscles to tense up and contract. I've noticed for me, I clutch my blanket or sweater so hard during a horror movie, that my knuckles turn white. That happens because our body is getting ready for a shock. One last thing I found very fascinating was there is a new study of our brain; it's entitled "neurocinema." This is the study of a movies' influence on our brains, and for most, scary movies can often be a good form of stress. The brief burst of stress can potentially be linked to improve immune function and activation. If you haven't seen "Get Out," I highly recommend. Super creepy, super suspenseful, and an all around great movie with a sprinkle of comedy.

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    1. I love love love Get Out, the plot twist was so unexpected!

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  5. I personally don't mind most scary movies. However, there are some movies I would rather not see. During these movies your heart rate is very active. Meaning it will increase, and the risk of a heart attack becomes more prominent. Another reaction your body will have is muscle contractions. When your brain senses a treat and the response is to contract your legs and arms. That is why you might feel tense. On top of that, you may start to sweat. Studies show that when you are afraid you sweat, so if you can't handle scary movies then you will most likely do this. I wouldn't have known these reactions beforehand because I haven't seen a scary movie in a long time. I couldn't recommend one because I don't watch them anymore. If I do watch a movie it would be a funny one. Instead of increasing your risk of a heart attack, watch a funny movie and laugh a little.

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  6. Now that Halloween is right around the corner, horror films and commercials are being released left and right. Personally I’m not a fan of horror of any kind, and am easily scared by anything and everything. However, some people enjoy the thrill that scary things give, this is the human brain and body in action. One way our brains react to horror is by giving us a rush of adrenaline, this is created by the brain receiving messages of stress and thusly triggering our fight or flight response. Another way our minds react to scary things is by improving our mood, it seems contradicting for some, but it is true. When a large portion of negative stimuli are released in our brain the after effects show that our mood is raised significantly. Finally, some physical elements of experiencing horror are that , your heart rate increases, you start to sweat, and your muscles contract. Since I don’t really find horror enjoyable, I don’t have any recommendations for movies to watch.

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    1. I agree with you when you said that you get scared by everything.

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    2. Emma you should try broadening your horizons and start watching movies that are not super spooky i'm here to support you!http://peacefullivingwellness.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Scaredy-Chicken-232x300.jpg

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  7. Personally, I love scary movies. They are interesting and get me emotionally involved, plus they are great to see with friends. One way they affect your body is by increasing your heart rate; one study showed a 14 beat per minute increase among a group of young people. Another way it affects your body is your muscles contract, this is because your “brain sends your body into ‘alarm reaction’, a simultaneous response of mind and body to a sudden and unexpected stimulus that leads to contraction of the muscles of arms and legs”. A third way is is triggers the flight-or-fight response. This leads to a boost in adrenaline, endorphins, and dopamine. If you want to experience your body doing all of this, a great way is to watch the movie Get out. It is not much of a “horror”, but it is intense and scary, and will have you at the edge of your seat.

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    1. This is a great summary of all the ways scary movies effect our bodies. Good job.

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    2. Im the opposite I don't like horror movies, and I do not think they are interesting either. They are just too scary!

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  8. I have never watched a horror movie and never will because I don’t want to be paranoid for the next week. I avoid scary movies at all cost. One reaction of watching a horror movie is that it increases your heart rate by 14 beats per minute. Another thing that occurs when you watch a horror movie is that your brain sends an alarm signal which activates the autonomic nervous system by increasing the production of cortisol and adrenaline, two neurotransmitters. You also start to sweat from watching horror movies because when you are afraid you sweat. Since I’ve never watched a scary movie I have no recommendations for you.

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    1. I can relate about being paranoid and its interesting how when were afraid we sweat.

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  9. I personally love Halloween and can’t wait to watch as many scary films as I can, but questions begin to rise as we wander to what happens to our bodies that we are so scared of something that is so obviously fake. The answer is that our brains are naturally programmed to believe that everything we see is reality so it sends out a panic alarm to the rest of our body. The result of this is our bodies respond with a higher heart rate, sweat, and our muscles tighten. We continue to watch these because scary films can actually improve anxiety levels, make people less frustrated, and make them happier. We also can have elevated moods for we also sometimes feel a sense of accomplishment, as weird as it sounds, when we finish watching because we just experienced a scary rush of adrenaline. A good scare is strangely very beneficial to our bodies in many ways and and another note is a great way to enjoy Halloween as a whole. I love many horror movies, but some of my favorites are IT and Jaws. These films never fail to make me laugh and at the same time jump in my seat.

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    1. I like the way you summarized but I don't know about the horror movies

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  10. In all honesty, I high dislike horror movies.Ever since I was little, and I saw a horror movie trailer or commercial I would have nightmares about it for a long time. ( I had nightmares about this one movie for almost 2 years). Continuing back to the topic, some effects that horror movies have is first it raises your heart rate, 14 bpm to be exact. Another one is muscle contract. This is due to our "primitive brain”detecting a threat and giving a “alarm signal” which is difficult to stop. Even more so when the bone-chilling soundtrack plays along.( As I’m writing this my brother is play the Michael Myers theme song from the movie Halloween on the piano). Finally for another effect is that watching a scary movie has actually been proven to burn as many calories as a 40 minute walk. Although, I don't know if I could watch a horror movie instead.
    I am on team No horror movies please. However I did kind of enjoy watching a suspenseful movie when I was with my friends. One recommendation for a "Horror Movie”(It's more a thriller movie) is A Quiet Place. Admittingly I did jump in some parts due more to the jump scares but that’s really the only one that I have seen.

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    1. I love how you included the primitive brain stuff. Super interesting and I love the movie A Quiet Place too!!

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  11. I personally love watching horror movies, especially during the Halloween season. I love the adrenaline rush and the anticipation. One thing that happens when you watch scary movies is your heart rate increases. Horror movies can even affect your risk of a heart attack. Another thing that happens is you start to sweat due to the fear. Dopamine and adrenaline are released while watching horror movies. This can trigger panic attacks or fainting. Overall, I love horror movies and will continue to watch them even though they pose some threats. Some of my favorites include, The Shining, The Conjuring, Scream, and Halloween.

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  12. I personally avoid horror movies at all cost, and so far have succeeded, with the scariest movie I’ve seen being the first jurassic park movie. The one with animatronics before the time of realistic looking t-rexes. I don’t have really any experience with how I react to these experiences. When I do get scared while watching scary parts of non horror genres. I curl up on the side of the couch and be really on edge. My palms get sweaty and I used to have issues determining what’s real from what’s not. I haven't experienced a lot of these things in a while because I have never watched a horror movie I can’t really recommend one except Jurassic Park.

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  13. I personally love watching horror movies, especially during the Halloween season. I love the adrenaline rush and the anticipation. One thing that happens when you watch scary movies is your heart rate increases. Horror movies can even affect your risk of a heart attack. Another thing that happens is you start to sweat due to the fear. Dopamine and adrenaline are released while watching horror movies. This can trigger panic attacks or fainting. Overall, I love horror movies and will continue to watch them even though they pose some threats. Some of my favorites include, The Shining, The Conjuring, Scream, and Halloween.

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    1. Scream and the conjuring are good ones! i haven't seen Halloween or the Shining though.

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  14. Personally I love horror movies, they are just so interesting. In the articles provided I learned that your heart rate increases, it increases as if though an intruder was in your home. Your adrenaline, endorphins, and dopamine levels rise while watching scary movies causing you to have a fight-or-flight reaction. While experiencing a scary movie your mood will change, high-arousal negative stimuli will in fact increase your mood. My favorite scary movie is Oculus, it’s not very popular I don’t think but I really like and it gives a good scare!

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  15. As a person who has a fear of the unknown, I do not enjoy horror movies. However, some people do love the thrill scary movies give off and I’d like to know why. A new science called neurocinema, studies the influence movies have on our brains. One thing that these scientists have learned that while watching a movie, we “unplug” the motor areas of the brain because they are useless to us while watching a movie. Sometimes, scenes in scary movies have a strong enough impact to get through the inhibition of the motor cortex, send a message to our brain, and make us react. Also, in the few seconds the scare happens, our brains also don’t have time to process that what we are seeing isn’t real, which makes it very difficult to communicate with the most primitive parts that what we are seeing is fiction. Finally, I found that when you watch a scary movie, your brain sends signals to your body which makes your heart beat faster, muscles tense up and produce sweat. Even though some love a good scare, my brain takes a long time to process that what I’m seeing is fake which makes me dislike horror movies.

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  16. Personally, I love watching horror movies. Horror movies are my favorite genre of movies, especially around Halloween time. When watching horror movies, the reason that we jump or scream is an instant reaction trying to protect ourselves. For the short millisecond that it's happening our brain isn't aware that it's just a movie and we aren't in a dangerous situation. When watching horror movies your heart rate increases, you start to sweat, and your muscles contract. As said earlier, horror movies are my favorite and I love watching them. I definitely recommend the Halloween series. A new Halloween just came out and I am going to the movies this weekend to see it. When I'm watching it I will keep in mind what humans tend to do when watching horror movies, and see if I catch myself doing any of those things.

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  17. I absolutely hate horror movies. I don't get the concept of getting scared repeatedly for fun. It just doesn't make sense to my brain. One way our brain reacts to horror movies is that it can trigger a "flight or fight" response in our brain which increases our heartbeat. Another way it can effect our body is that it can make your muscles contract, which basically means that our muscles tense up. Watching scary movies can also affect your hormones, by releasing dopamine and adrenaline into your body. These can you to faint or have a panic attack. My horror movie recommendation is no movie because I think they are stupid and they should not even be a thing.

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    1. When you're with Qemal horror movies are fun but otherwise your paragraph is well written.

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  18. I don't really like horror movies and I don't think that I ever will. One thing that happen when you watch a horror movie is that your heart rate increases. Another thing that happens is that you get a fight of flight response in your brain. A third thing that happens is that you start to sweat. I don't really have any horror movie recommendations.

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  19. I absolutely adore horror films, despite them frequently being hit or miss. A truly masterful horror film is a sight to behold, but even a simply mediocre horror flick can fall victim to cliche, unintentional comedy, and, worst of all, loud startling sounds. I could go on about my own distaste for the "jumpscare", but that isn't why I write this. I write because a branch of science has been dedicated to the effect of films of the brain, called "neurocinema". Studies in this field have found that in relation to horror, the brain activates the primitive parts of itself and affects the body in three distinct ways:
    1) Increased heart rate by about 14 bpm, coupled with a higher blood pressure.
    2) Increased sweating, particularly among more empathetic audiences.
    3) Increased tension in the muscles.
    The studies also touch on the emotional effect that horror films have on us, particularly after the credits roll. One theory on why we continue to watch horror films is because seeing someone overcome whatever horrific circumstances they find themselves in is quite uplifting for ourselves, and allows us to apply the courage found to our own lives. My personal favorite horror films is "Alien", but I wouldn't say it really captures the Halloween spirit. One more obscure film that fits perfectly with Halloween is one titled "Creep". I won't say much about the plot, for good reason, but it isn't too long, it's on Netflix, and it certainly fits its title.

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  20. I am personally fascinated by the story lines of some horror movies such as saw on a psychological level.Unfortunately I jump at every small noise and I don't even want to attempt to watch a horror movie. So I just end up watching synopsis' of the stories. One reaction of horror movies is that you may start to sweat out of nervousness and fear. Another reaction is an increase in your heart-rate by 14 beats per minute. Finally watching a horror movie can cause your muscles to contract. I do not have any real suggestions for horror movies but my friend really likes the conjuring series so I guess I will suggest that.

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    1. I think it's really interesting how you view horror movies, not many people think of breaking them down so to speak. It's a cool way of thinking about it!

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  21. I’ve never really enjoyed scary movies or “HAD” to go see one, but if someone puts one on I’m not going to shy away from it. I used to never watch scary movies, as i got older i came to not mind them as much. I don’t seem to face any issues during or after the watch other than a little sweat or anxiety. While for others, it can be much more worse. Scary movies can cause minor PTSD because your brains thoughts of the movie can’t tell it’s fiction, and these thoughts can cause some to people to become violent. Another effect of horror movies goes to your heart, your heart has increased heart rate, and in increased chance of a heart attack. In the end, I don’t get that scared by horror movies, and I would recommend the quiet place.

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  22. I love horror movies. I go and see the one with my friends every time a new one comes out. I recommend the conjuring or conjuring 2 if you want something really scary. When watching horror movies, our heart rate can increase 14 beats per minute. Other things our body does is we start to sweat. Sweating is one of the first indicator in emotional arousal. Muscle contractions can happen also. Usually i never sweat and muscles never contract. I've gotten pretty good at watching them.

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  23. I avoid horror movies because I get scared very easily and like the article said it is hard for my brain to figure out the difference between real and fantasy. One of the reactions talked about in the articles was that by jumping and shrieking at a scary movie you can actually burn calories, their studies showed that a person watching The Shining got rid of 184 calories. Another article wrote that your muscles start to tense due to the alarm reaction that your body has.The final reaction I found was that your heart rate increases as much as 14 beats per minute. I don't have any movie recommendation because I don't find Horror movies enjoyable and don't watch them.

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    1. I agree with you! I don't find horror movies enjoyable either.

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  24. Personally, I love horror movies because the anticipation gets to me and I like that feeling. Adrenaline in general is something I enjoy. It just so happens there's a reason for that feeling. For one, naturally our heart rates increase when watching horror movies. It causes approximately a 14 beat increase per minute. Secondly, you start to sweat. Your body sweats whenever you're scared and that's the feeling horror movies are intended to bring. Finally, your muscles contract. This happens whenever you get scared because your bodies natural reaction is to do so. My favorite horror movie is no doubt 'Sinister.' I can't stay awake to watch movies whether it's the middle of the day or the middle of the night. I always fall asleep for some reason but 'Sinister' is the one movie I've ever stayed awake for and I've managed to sit through it multiple times.

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    1. (see my response to Emily concerning Sinister)

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  25. I haven't seen to many horror movies, but I hope too see more soon. While watching a horror movie, you may be scared and you may not like it, you're actually burning a bunch of calories. And not only that, but stress for a little bit is good! After seeing a horror movie, you feel more happy and relieved and also less stressed. I haven't seen very many horror movies, but one I do want to see is Overlord. Something interesting about it is that it's set in a European village after the D-Day landings, and a small group of American soldiers have to hold out against what looks like strange German experiments. It's just nice to see a change from your typical teenagers surviving the night to something much more sinister, and the fact that it's in WWII makes it interesting as well. (It still hasn't come out yet but the reviews are looking good.)

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  26. I have only watched a few horror movies but they were all really old, like the old poltergeist movie. I was 9 at the time so it really scared me. Horror movies can manipulate and change our bodies in many ways. For example, your heart rate begins to increase when you know something is about to happen. Like that one part in the movie where everything goes silent. Another way is it stresses you out, but not a bad stress like long term. Watching horror movies also increases people's circulating levels of disease and infection fighting white blood cells. My personal favorite scary movie is probably the Halloween movies because they are always on at Halloween time and there's always a good jump scare in them.

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  27. Your brain reacts in different ways to horror movies depending on who you are. Some people get easily scared and their heart jumps or they get a sinking feeling in their stomach. But others love it. Some doctors say that like Dr. Regis Fernandes at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona say that scary movies trigger your bodies “flight or fight” response. This can quicken you heart rate, and blood pressure. There are chemicals released in your brain that kind of go in a pattern. They set each other off, getting you body ready to either “fight” or “take flight”. He also says that its “not controllable, but depending on your age or how much you are affected by the movie, you brain might only increase your heart rate by a little bit”. Something else that might happen is your muscle will tense up. You might curl up or have some little wince of fear. Some of my favorite horror movies(that weren’t that scary) are “Happy Death Day” and “Truth Or Dare”.

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  28. To me the idea of a perfect night is to get with my friends and watch a scary movie. Slenderman, The Shining, It, Sinister you name it! A big part, in my opinion, is the adrenaline rush the movie gives you, and studies show, i'm not the only one. Along with adrenaline, it has also been proven that it “fills our brains with feel good chemicals” says The Huffington Post, or at least the satisfying aftermath does. After we watch the movie, our body goes into a relaxed state as a sense of relief and almost honor to yourself, as u made it through something you might not have ever thought you could. Though some may disagree *cough cough* I highly recommend the movie Sinister. A movie that keeps you on the edge of your seat (despite the, in my opinion, unnecessary ending) was very interesting and it was enjoyable all the way through.

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    1. ! ! ! MINOR VAGUE SPOILERS FOR SINISTER THIS IS JUST MY OPINION ! ! !


      Thanks for calling me out Emily. By no means is Sinister a bad horror movie. HOWEVER, I really don't like all the supernatural bull they pulled as the film went on. As I was watching, I was interested by each of the tapes shown (particularly the first and last ones) with the idea that all of this was being done by one real person. I just feel like throughout the run time of the film the plot devolved from a fascinating, grounded, and relatively realistic crime story to an often ridiculous and insane supernatural encounter. Three unrelated notes. The ending of the film felt tacked on, as if the writers planned it as they were shooting. It felt rushed and pointless. And that damn jumpscare at the end made me stand up and say "f**k this movie" aloud (Apologies for the profanity but I feel like it proves my point). Also there were a few too many scenes of Ethan Hawke just walking around a house holding a baseball bat.

      I feel like I ripped into Sinister a bit too much. It's not that bad. As I said, I did like the tapes, and I loved the first act of the film before the supernatural elements were introduced. Also, you're the reason I decided to watch Sinister, and despite my distaste the film, LIKE MOST HORROR FILMS DO ACCORDING TO THE ARTICLES I READ (seamless integration of the material) it did elicit quite the emotional response from me. In the end, I thank you for introducing me to Sinister regardless of our opposing opinions and allowing me to type this passionately even though I should be working on my English essay.

      Watch Sinister if you haven't and form your own opinion, that's the fun of polarizing films like these. Film nerd out.

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  29. I don't care for scary movies, but I don't mind scary video games. Maybe it's because you actually have control over what happens, instead of just waiting for a movie character to do something dumb. Lots of suspense can come from that. One thing is that your heart rate goes up and your blood pressure increases, as if you were to fight someone off. You also sweat, showing empathetic signs to the characters. One more thing is that your muscles tense up because your brain sends out a warning signal to your body. As I said, I don't really care for horror movies but don't mind horror games, so I'm going to recommend Until Dawn as a horror game.

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  30. When I see a scary movie it is usually at home and not very often, because I rarely watch movies and would rather see a more interesting movie than a horror movie. That doesn't mean I don't like than I just don't find them as interesting as say humor movies or action movies. When I watch scary movies I tend to jump when there are pop-up parts but that's because of the Atavistic reaction. This reaction happens in less than a second and it makes you jump, scream, or flinch for "protection." When this happens your brain thinks that the movie is real and that your in real danger, but then it realizes its fake and you stop jumping, screaming, ect. When I jump I never think of why it happens but now I know the scientific reason for it. Even though horror movies aren't my favorite I don't watch that many movies so I guess I watch horror movies as much as other types of movies.

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    1. I agree i would rather watch more interesting movies.

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  31. As Halloween is around the corner, horror movies will become more and more popular to watch. I personally don’t really like horror movies but I will still watch them. People can have many reactions when it comes to watching horror movies, from effects on your heart to effects on your brain. Some examples of what could happen are: your heart rate can increase and horror movies can even cause heart attack risks. An effect on your brain could be for some people watching horror movies can cause anxiety. Plus, they can also release dopamine and adrenaline which could trigger someone to have a panic attack. Overall, I think it was really interesting to learn about how horror movies can affect us and some movie suggestions are Conjuring and The Shining.

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    1. Great summary, The Conjuring and The Shinning are some of my favorites too!

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    2. I love your paragraph! I love description in it!

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  32. Personally, I love horror movies, especially when I’m with my friends. But watching a horror movie at night with no one in the house is more terrifying. Being scared with your friends is a really funny experience because when one of you jumps or screams at a scare it’s pretty funny. A way the body reacts to horror movies is it triggers our nervous system’s fight or flight response. This causes your heart rate to increase and draws energy so then you’re ready to fight or run as you need it. The brain is a different story, the brain knows that whatever is in the movie is not real, but the scene can be so strong that it goes to its primal instinct. We apply ourselves in the situation which makes us scared. Some of my most favorite scary movies are Halloween, The Conjuring 1 and 2, The Shining, and Insidious.

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  33. I love horror movies and all things scary. I love guessing how they did all of the scary makeup but also just being scared. When watching a horror movie your body reacts in many different ways. One way is your muscles contracting, which happens when there is an "unexpected stimulus". Another thing your body does is it sweats. When you're afraid, you sweat. Sweating is one of the first reactions of emotional arousal. Another thing your body does is increases your heart rate, white blood cells, and blood pressure. These are the same things your body would do if you were going to have to fend somebody off. I would recommend the old IT or Jeepers Creepers since they are both classics but also scary.

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    1. It is one of my favorite horror movies of all time and i think others should watch it too.

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    2. I also love horror movies!

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  34. A lot of people say that watching horror movies gives them that excitement and fear that they might not get in their life. But other absolutely hate it, like me. In my opinion watching a scary movie is basically letting the devil into your mind. You fill your mind with something that most likely won’t happen. Your body can get affected long term or maybe just for a couple of days or maybe not at all. Fight or flight response is activated during the heart racing time. Fear causes a reaction that begins with stressful stimuli and ends with the fight-or-flight”. Like it said in the Buzzfeed article, "When we are exposed to danger or perceive a threat, this response is activated so that we have the energy to move away or fight back-fast.The response can also be activated with anxiety-so the danger might not exist but your mind creates the same feeling". One of the articles also said that watching a scary movie significantly increased people’s circulating levels of disease-and infection-fighting white blood cells. In my opinion I think that it is a bad sad how so many people are interested at the idea of violence because most of horror movies have someone dying. Finally, i do not have a recommendation for a scary movie because i believe that they are bad for ourselves and i do not like them. Instead, how about watching Beauty and the Beast?

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    1. wow people must have real concerning problem with scary movies to go into fight or flight mode. Sounds intersecting.

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    2. I agree I dont like scary movies.

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  35. For me, I do not watch scary movies. Watching one scary movie is about 2 weeks worth of being paranoid. According to Ahealthermichagan, this is somewhat normal. They say that the brain cannot tell the difference between fantasy and reality and also can trigger anxiety. Phycology spot says people who continue to watch scary movies because horror or violent movies help us manage our own fear and that these films would have a cathartic effect, helping us develop our most ancient and hidden fears. The last “scary movie” I saw was ‘IT” and that wasn't really as bad but I still try to avoid them. For me, It's not during the movie when I really get scared it's after because when I'm alone and I hear noises I think it's because there's some intrude but it's really just house settling or people outside my house.

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  36. I really like horror movies. As i’m writing this i’m looking up showtimes for Halloween tomorrow. Even though i really enjoy them, many others don’t. There are three initial reactions that your body has when watching horror movies and i’m going to tell you what they are. Firstly, your heart rate increase by 14 bpm when watching a horror movie. Nextly, when people get scared, they start to sweat and many people sweat during horror movies from the sudden loud noises and jump scares. The last thing that people do is have muscle contractions because when the sudden actions happen, the stimulus in their brain is trying to get them to protect themselves causing the contractions. Some really good horror movies that i think people should see is A Quiet Place, Halloween, Annabelle, and It. They are all really thrilling to watch.

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  37. Horror movies are made to scare the audience. The chills, sweats and racing hearts are all part of the uncomfortable experience. First off, I do not like horror movies and try to avoid them at all costs. But reading these articles, made me find out why I don’t like horror movies. According to the articles watching horror movies, your heart rate increases, you sweat, your muscles begin to tense up, and you switch into fight or flight mode. Your body knows that what you are watching is not real but in a way, it also thinks you are in danger and you need to get to safety. I found this interesting because I am someone who doesn't like to be in danger, and that corresponded with me not liking horror movies. I haven’t seen any horror movies in the last year or two but I don’t think I would ever want to see another horror movie in my life because I do not like fear. Just watching the trailers give me the chills.

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  38. I am a huge fan for horror movies, especially since Halloween is right around the corner. A few reactions when watching a horror movie would be that your heart rate increases 14 beats per minute, muscles contract, and you sweat. All of these things is your bodies natural reaction to fear. I'm not necessarily sure if this movie is classified as a "horror" movie because of its old age, but I personally am a fan of the first It.

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  39. Personally, I avoid scary movies and stick to more comedies and romcons. Why spend your time feeling scared or discomforted while you could've been having fun laughing along to a funny movie. Wh

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  40. I'm one to avoid scary movies. Why seat around feeling discomforted by them instead of watching a funny comedy. One of the things your bodies does when watching scary movies in contract your muscles. When your brain detects a threat, it starts to have a signal through your body that often tightens your legs and arms and contracts the muscles. Also when watching horror films our bodies produces dopamine and adrenaline, which can actually trigger someone to faint or have a panic attack. With adrenaline levels rising, you heart rate increases which if at the right time heart attack can occur but isn't normal. But in the end if i had to recommend a scary movie I would recommend the new goosebumps in theaters now.

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  41. I am a huge fan of horror movies, but I have very strong opinions on bad ones vs. good ones. Cheesy horror movies are one of my biggest pet peeves, if a horror movie is PG-13, I’m not watching it. Go R or go home! Our brains are scared by horror movies even if we know it's not real because for a few milliseconds, our brains see warning or scary things that trigger the primitive part in us, and we forget that in reality we’re safe. While watching scary movies, our heart rate increases. We also release adrenaline and dopamine which trigger excitation transfer referring to the intense relief that follows high stress. Our bodies will also produce sweat, another sign of the fight or flight response going on in our heads. One of the only scary movies I was genuinely scared watching was It Follows and Don’t Breathe. Another really interesting thriller that’s slightly slow placed, but has a great pay off after developing a bunch of curiosity and suspense is The VVitch. An unpopular opinion I have though, is that The Conjuring is probably the most overrated movies I’ve ever seen, it doesn't have a great plot and the fear factor is made completely of jumpscares, which ,in my opinion, are cheap and take away from the quality of the movie.

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  42. In my opinion, I think horror movies are one of the best genre of movies! After reading these articles I learned about different ways our body reacts to scary movies. Our brain reacts like it's real life and not just a movie which unleashes our instincts to try and protect ourselves and warn others of danger. When we jump and shriek during scary movies it gets our heart rate up which actually causes us to burn calories. Another thing our body does is build adrenaline which causes our body to sweat when we are afraid. I thought it was cool to read how our body reacts to horror movies especially since I am a fan of them. I would recommend Annabelle or Insidious to anyone that likes scary movies!

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  43. I don’t really know how I feel about horror movies. I’ve tried to stay away from them because I get scared super easily, but it’s interesting to understand how watching them can affect our bodies. When watching horror movies, our bodies can trigger a fight-or-flight response, coming with a boost in adrenaline, endorphins and dopamine, while viewers are in a safe space. Our brains process our surroundings and make sure that there is no real threat to us. We love horror movies so much because of these responses. It’s a process known as excitation transfer. After the physical reactions caused by fear where off, we experience great relief. While some people may love the rush of adrenaline, others would rather stay away. For some people, (like myself), horror movies are upsetting and can’t screen out the unwanted stimuli in their environment. They have more negative physiological and psychological reactions to horror movies. When we are exposed to fear, some kind of chain reaction starts up within us. Here are just a few things that happen.
    “The thalamus determines where incoming sensory data should be sent in the body.
    The sensory cortex interprets this sensory data.
    The hippocampus can store and retrieve memories and process stimuli to give context.
    The amygdala determines possible threats and “decodes emotions” while storing fear memories.
    The hypothalamus activates the fight-or-flight response.”
    Like I said earlier, I am not a fan of horror movies. I get scared way to easily and just won’t be able to handle it. I’m going to watch the movie “it” for the first time tonight and I’m already getting nervous. While I might not like actual horror movies, I do like to understand the science behind why I don’t like watching them.

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  44. I do not watch horror movies very often, but when I do I find them enjoyable. Some of them are scary but at the same time super exciting. One way this affects our brain is that it converts our brains back to its primitive state, which then causes your instincts to have extreme reactions. Another way this affects the brain is that your heart rate will begin to increase along with your number of white blood cells. The final way this seems to affect our brain is that our muscles will begin to contract and stiffen up do to preparing for the unexpected. I have not seen a large variety of horror movies but from what I have seen the Halloween movies they seem decently scary.

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  45. I am a fan of scary movies, and enjoy to watch them when I can. Some people feel uncomfortable watching scary movies, but I enjoy the feeling. Horror movies use an interesting technique called infra sound. Infra sound, according to Wikipedia, is sound below 20 Hz, which is the lowest point of possible human hearing capability. This means that the sound is so low, your body can feel the vibrations, causing you to feel "uneasy, or sorrowful," and even increase heart rate, as said by an NBC News article. I like a good variety of horror movies, and I love to see them in the theater. Last week, I watched Hereditary, a movie that came out over the summer, and I enjoyed it a lot, and would even say it's one of my favorites.

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