Reflective Essay about Watching Horror Movies

It is rare to laugh at an exorcism scene in a movie and, get goosebumps on your back at night while switching off your bedroom lights. I used to be scared a lot while watching horror movies but as I grew up I started watching them as a source of entertainment. I was probably eight years old when my sister showed me my first horror movie. I was so scared that I burst into tears after watching the scene where a body was sitting with its head ripped off by a creature. I rewatched the same movie this year and thought how stupid the whole thing was.

Fear is one of our primary emotions so why not explore it? Horror/Thriller is one of my favorite genres now and I enjoy it. Recently I binged on the youtube series: Buzzfeed Unsolved, where Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej, the two ghosthunters, visit the most paranormal places known in history and carry out their investigation into the question: Are ghosts real? Watching this show inspired me. I got the idea of becoming a ghosthunter. I don’t know why but it seemed pretty cool of them to visit the Warren’s room of antiques and talk to the infamous Annabelle doll. 

I am not a superstitious person, nor do I believe that ghosts do exist. But still, I get creeps when I see a shadowy human-like figure at night, which by the way are just my clothes hanging on my closet door. My sister and I always watch creepy movies because the thrill is really exciting. But, the question is, are these ghosts real? Is it worth giving so much of my time to these non-existent beings? So I went on google, the most obvious source of information. I searched up whether spirits are real and got a list of hyperlinks related to the psychology or the science behind ghosts, seeing apparitions, or hallucinating. I found out that the concept of “life after death” as believed in some religions, might not exactly be true. Our human brain just forms these random images and sounds when we want to see something or a “ghost” but it does not even exist. It is all in our heads. Because of paranoia, stress, and various other conditions the brain gives us a false glimpse of things. This sounds pretty creepy but this is probably the only reason that explains seeing paranormal figures. 

I love science because it has a reason for everything. To prove the existence of a negative entity, even science has played a role, by stating Einstein’s law of conservation of mass and energy which proves that energy and mass can never be destroyed but only change from one form to another. This could be one of the reasons why people believe in “life after death”. 

There are so many theories and explanations for the existence of ghosts as well as the opposite. But what exactly is the truth? Even if we do believe in their existence, then why do we believe in it? So I did a little more research. I searched up why do we believe in ghosts and one of the reasons that caught my attention, was, “We enjoy being afraid”(and I can relate to this). Pretty soon I realized fear is such a weird emotion. You long for it, when you have it you want to make it stop, and then you again want it back. Is this what makes it entertaining? Believe it or not but fear helps protect us. Affirmatively, it can bring negative ideas into our minds but fear and anxiety give us the rush of adrenaline which excites us. The moment we feel threatened, we feel increasingly more strong physically, and more intuitive emotionally. This is why I get captivated by watching horror movies and tv shows.