How to watch horror movies without being scared

Katie Teague
Two women watching horror movie on a tv together
I don't recommend watching a horror movie by yourself. (Getty Images) (Mladen_Kostic via Getty Images)

I’ve never liked scary movies. Even as an adult who knows fiction from reality, I have to look away from anything gruesome or potentially frightening. And after a scary flick, I can’t just go to bed — I need to watch something funny to shake off the horror and give my heart palpitations a break. Yet, every Halloween, I somehow get talked into watching a few thrillers that end up keeping me up at night.

While I mostly try to avoid the truly gory horror films, I still watch shows like American Horror Story and Supernatural, which keep me on the edge of my seat while balancing the thrills with some much-needed levity. But in the event that a popular scary movie catches my eye, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to help keep my anxiety levels in check.

So, as streaming services and major movie studios start to release their annual scary features, check out these tips to stay calm, cool, and collected — shared with you by a fellow scary movie wuss. Plus, find out what's causing you to be so afraid of a fictional film in the first place.

When presented with scary themes and situations, the amygdala — the part of your brain that detects danger — is designed to go on high alert, which can signal you to go into fight or flight mode. When you're watching a horror flick that has you on the edge of your seat, the amygdala releases adrenaline and cortisol which are two stress hormones, the Cleveland Clinic says.

"Horror movies trick our brain into thinking a threat is imminent," Coltan Scrivner, Ph.D., a behavioral scientist at the Recreational Fear Lab at Aarhus University, tells Yahoo. "Our brains are attuned to monitoring potential threats so when we get a visual cue that a threat is imminent, our minds pay attention." The physical responses, which may include an increased heart rate, dilated pupils and clammy skin or goosebumps are all very real, even though intellectually you understand that the situation you're seeing is not.

Scrivner explains that while you can discern reality from fiction, you're still empathizing with the protagonists of the film and imagining yourself in their situation.

While our brain is telling us the movie isn't real, Scrivner says it doesn't turn off the anxiety sensors that monitor threats. So yes, watching scary movies can induce some anxiety, he says, but it's usually a temporary, fleeting feeling, though it can last longer and potentially lead to nightmares.

For instance, you might start to feel anxious leading up to a jump scare, like me, or during a scary scene when a character is acting anxious because something doesn't feel right. You might also feel nervous walking home at night after seeing a horror movie, Scrivner says.

However, Scrivner makes a good point: If you went to a horror film and felt no anxiety, you might not think it was a good movie. After all, you probably don't watch spine-chilling movies for a good laugh.

Just remember that short-term anxiety — whether it's related to watching a scary movie or not — is normal, but chronic anxiety or anxiety that's interfering with your enjoyment of previously enjoyable activities (like watching scary movies) may be worth talking to a healthcare provider about. If you feel your anxiety over watching scary movies goes beyond the in-the-moment thrills, here are some of the best online therapy services for anxiety and the best affordable online therapy providers.

For me, the answer is no. But I'm also not watching scary movies on a weekly or even monthly basis. However, Scrivner says there is some evidence that you can become desensitized to them over time.

"People get to experience fear in a setting where they're not injured," he says. In some cases, he notes that you can learn to deal with the anxiety of watching scary movies because you "feel like you've overcome your fear while empathizing with the characters."

"Everything you do over and over can make you desensitized at some point," he says. However, "if you watch enough horror movies, it doesn't mean you become desensitized to evil actions, just less afraid of fictionalized scenarios."

While some people, myself included, are easily frightened by horror movies, others actually enjoy chasing the thrill.

Typically when someone enjoys scary shows, it's because they're being stimulated mentally and physically, as Associate Professor Haiyang Yang, a behavioral scientist at Johns Hopkins, explains. He notes that people who are into horror films have a "psychological protective frame," meaning they know they're safe, they know the movie isn't real and they have a sense of control. This allows them to enjoy the rush of endorphins and dopamine that come from the release of stress hormones without a negative experience of anxiety.

Here are some things I do when I decide to watch a scary movie.

Watch scary movies in the morning: Nothing's worse than watching a scary movie at night, only to lay in bed wide awake freaking out about every creaking sound you hear in the house. Do yourself a favor and watch the film in the morning so you have the rest of the day to forget about it. I tried this with The Conjuring several years ago and found it wasn't as scary.

Never watch them alone: You won't catch me watching scary movies alone — I need someone else with me so I can ask whether it's safe to look or not. Plus, having another person around helps make the movie seem less frightening, especially when you can make jokes about the acting or when a character falls down at the most inopportune time.

Read the Wikipedia plot first: For nearly all horror movies I watch, I look up the plot to find out what's going to happen and who will survive. It at least prepares me ahead of time so I'm less let down about the outcome and so I know when to look away.

Watch it on TikTok: Oftentimes, I find myself glued to horror movies when someone is posting clips on TikTok. I watched nearly all the scenes of Ready or Not — a fairly gruesome movie — on TikTok and was able to hide in the comments if it was getting too violent. If you don't want to watch the clips, you can also find spoilers on the app.

Listen to a podcast: Instead of actually watching the movie, it could be better for your mental health to just listen to podcasts that talk about it. For instance, on the Ruined podcast, one host discusses scary films and essentially "ruins" the movie for the other squeamish host who doesn't enjoy watching horror movies.

Turn on the subtitles: If you already don't like watching horror movies, it's best to keep the volume down to avoid unnecessary jump scares from the instrumental sounds. I keep subtitles on so I'm focused on reading the dialogue instead of watching what's happening in the movie. This may not always work if no one's talking during scary moments of the film.

Only watch movies you can handle: This tip comes from Scrivner, and it's honestly a good rule that I'll be following. He says to find horror movies that match your speed, so if you're an adrenaline junkie, go for the scarier movies — otherwise, start with something safer and work your way up.

Ready for your next scary movie? Here are some Yahoo picks for under-the-radar A24 horror movies. Here's also some Mike Flanagan horror movies you can watch.

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