Hi, my name is Elise and I don’t like scary movies. Shocker for some, I know. Saying this out loud feels like I’ve outed myself to the general public. Those who like scary movies are very adamant about how amazing they are, but truthfully? I don’t get the appeal. So here is a detailed account of why I avoid horror movies at all costs.
Firstly, I’m a very jumpy and nervous person in my daily life. To the point that at my old job in high school, I would be sweeping and my boss would just say “Hi Elise” and I would scream and jump 10 feet in the air (She thought it was hilarious; I did not.). So when I’m home alone, wanting to relax, I don’t want to put a movie on that’s going to make me think the shadows in my room are going to kill me. I read Twilight in middle school and couldn’t sleep for a week because I thought someone was watching me.
Clearly, me being jumpy and nervous is not a new thing. Secondly, I don’t understand the appeal of sitting and watching your worst fears play out in front of you for two hours. When I asked my roommate why she likes scary movies she said because it prepares her for what to do if that happened to her. UM? I’d rather live in ignorance, thanks. The whole point of horror movies is to make the viewer uncomfortable and to scare them, which is not a state of being that I enjoy. Thirdly, well I don’t have a third, but I stand by my first two points!
I think one of the biggest turn offs for me is the perception of people who do versus don’t watch scary movies. Almost every horror-loving person I’ve met has said, “Oh, well you just haven’t seen a good one,” or “But they aren’t scary, they’re actually funny.” While I appreciate that you are trying to help me, please stop. When people say things like this, even out of love, it just makes me even less inclined to watch horror movies.
I feel almost ashamed that I don’t like them, even though that’s not something I should feel shame over. Not liking or wanting to watch scary movies is a very valid feeling and I, as everyone else who doesn’t like them, am setting reasonable boundaries. So please, this spooky season, don’t make your friends and family watch horror movies if they’re uncomfortable. Watch them alone in the dark, as it was intended. At your Halloween movie night, might I recommend Halloween Town instead?