Fighting Madness With Horror?

FIGHTING MADNESs with HORROR? HORROR?

Story by Chuck Dickson | Quiz by Sarah Stewart | Design & Illustration by Sarah Stewart

How many times have you felt crippling fear and anxiety wash over you like a cold wave that takes your breath away and stuns you? How often does stress stalk you and haunt you like the monster in your closet or under your bed?

Where do you go to find solace and comfort, to escape the demons who plague you and affect your mental and emotional health? Interestingly enough, many people actively enjoy horror movies and video games to feel their stress and anxiety in a normalized way.

Halle Jourdan, a mental health worker at Comprehensive Healthcare and therapist in training, has dealt with her fair share of stress and anxiety both on and off the job. “When I want to get away from my own reality and my own anxiety, I like to watch horror movies,” Jourdan says. “In a nice way, they’re not relatable. They’re gory, violent, psychological and some have loose endings. I like being able to escape by watching something that is not real to me.”

Jourdan says it is not just horror movies she enjoys; she also loves to play horror video games, like The Evil Within, Little Nightmares and Layers of Fear. “I like to play things that are more gory and make me anxious,” Jourdan says. “It’s weird; when I watch movies, I do it to escape my anxiety. But when I play horror games, I start sweating. I put myself in a situation to be fearful and anxious. That’s probably about as close to the situation [of anxiety] I want to be in,” she says with a laugh.

Jourdan further shares how she fully engages in the horror experience; she watches horror movies in the dark, alone, at night. “My boyfriend hates it,” Jourdan says. about things we cannot control, but when you put yourself in a false reality, it almost makes it easier because then there is a warranted reason to evoke those feelings in me.”

Ultimately for Jourdan, it comes down to a sense of reality or lack thereof. “It is contradicting when I play video games versus watching horror movies. I get fearful during the video game, but it’s not real,” Jourdan says. “When I watch horror movies, it is a healthy anxiety or fear. While these movies are not real, the things in these movies might have actually happened to some people. And that is terrifying.” Jourdan is not the only person who copes with anxiety through horror movies.

She also discusses the bridge between general anxiety and those who do not have it. “For people who do not have anxiety, I think that horror films provide them with that shock value or feeling scared,” Wilson says. “For people who have anxiety, you have that feeling all the time. There are things I fear all the time or am fixated on. Sometimes it is nice to feel how other people are feeling. When watching these films, it’s nice to know you are not so different.” Wilson continued to discuss her views and shared her favorite subgenres, movies and even books. While horror can be viewed as a way to relieve stress and anxiety, Wilson says it is not for everyone. “I definitely believe that it’s really unique to the person.

“it allows an outlet The solace I find in horror films can be found in comedy films. It depends on for me to express my the person and while [horror] may be a benefit for me, it is not a benefit for anxiety where it’s everyone,” Wilson says. As warranted.” With respect to all viewpoints and perspectives, the horror genre can someone be seen as a way to experiwho has dealt with ence healthy anxiety and their own issues of stress and stress as a way to anxiety, I find a weird comfort cope. No promwhen I watch horror movies. ise can be I become incredibly analytical made when watching horror movies. I make it a mission to find out Maddy Wilson, an the details of a horror movie. alumni of CWU and a social work maWhen is the next jumpscare? Who is the killer? What is the motive? And will there be a twist ending? This is helpful to jor, also enjoys the horror genre, particularly horror books as well as horror movies. “I have been diagnosed with general anxiety disorder, and I have had that it is a cure-all, but it may be a way to alleviate any tension you feel. me because it allows me to fo- anxiety for as long as I can remem- In the meantime, perhaps it is time to cus on a specific task or concept ber,” Wilson says. “Something about explore the possibilities. Grab some popand shut everything else out the horror genre, even general thriller corn, turn out the lights and put on your from the world. Seriously, being books or TV shows, it allows an outlet favorite horror movie. Who knows? You laser focused on Michael Myers for me to express my anxiety where it’s may find it is exactly what you need and trying to kill his sister for the warranted. A lot of people have anxiety what you have been missing. umpteenth time is a way for me to relax and shut my brain off. Typically I enjoy movies that have a sense of realism or deal with the paranormal. The Conjuring film series used to absolutely terrify me, but the terror has since waned. Nothing against it, it has simply lost its luster for me over the years. One movie that always scares me is The Hills Have Eyes. A family stranded in the New Mexico desert being picked off by mutant cannibals? Ooh it still gives me chills! That’s the kind of thing that could ACTUALLY happen, and isn’t that scary? I suppose that’s what I am terrified of the most: the horrors humankind can actually accomplish when they lose their humanity. -Chuck Dickson

YES Are you new to horror?

START HERE

Are you new to horror?

NO

What’s usually yourYES favorite movie genre? Romance

NO

What would scare you the most?

What’s usually your favorite movie genre?

Romance Crimson Peak

What would scare you the most?

Action

Action Not sure

Not sure

How do you feel about subtitles?

How do you feel about subtitles?

All for ‘em All for ‘em Sorry, I’m allergic Sorry, I’m allergic Comedy

Comedy

The DescentThe Descent A group of friends becomes trapped in an cave following an accident, and they begin to realize they aren’t alone in the dark. A group of friends becomes trapped in an cave following an accident, and they begin to realize they might not be alone in the dark.

Train to Busan In the midst of a zombie apocolypse, a father aims to fulfill a promise to his estranged daughter: deliver her to her mother in Busan. Train to Busan In the midst of a zombie apocolypse, a father aims to fulfill a promise to his estranged daughter: deliver her to her mother in Busan.

Running from the ghosts of her past, a woman is instead Crimson Peak caught up in the past of her mysterious new husband and his family. Running from the ghosts of her past, a woman is instead caught up in the past Being lost Being trapped of her mysterious new husband and his strange family. The Ritual

Being lost Being trapped

Are you at all squeamish? Are you at all squeamish?

YES YES. NahNah

Reuniting after the death of a friend, four friends set out on a The Ritual hiking trip, and start to suspect that something evil may lurk between the trees. Reuniting after the death of a friend, four friends set out on a hiking trip, and start to suspect that something evil may lurk between the trees.

Happy Death Day Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

Who’s the monster?

A college student is forced to relive the day of her murder on a loop until she catches the killer before they catch her. Again. Happy Death Day A college student is forced to relive the day of her murder on a loop until she can catch her killer before they catch her. Again. While vacationing in their fixer-upper, two hillbillies are mistaken for murderers in a series of increasingly bloody misunderWho’s the real standings.

monster?

Tucker and Dale vs. Evil While vacationing in their fixer-upper, two hillbillies are mistaken for murderers in a series of increasingly bloody misunderstandings. Creepy kids in movies: yay or nay? Creepy kids in movies: yay or nay?

GET IT AWAY. GET IT AWAY. Yawn.Yawn. Being haunted Being haunted

Slow burn or right Slow burn, or right into the creepies? into the spookies?

Let’s get started! Let’s get started!

Let’s take it slow. Let’s take it slow... The Autopsy of Jane Doe A father and son coroner duo attempt to unravel the mystery of a seemingly impossible murder as a storm slowly closes in around them. The Autopsy of Jane Doe A father and son coroner duo attempt to unravel the mystery of a seemingly impossible murder as a storm slowly closes in around them.

Can a doll ever be scary? Are dolls ever

scary to you? YES! NO.

YES! Possum NO.

Monster

Man Monster Man Both

Both The Hole in the Ground After her son briefly disappears into the The Hole in the Ground Irish countryside, After her son briefly a mother begins to disappears into the suspect that the boy Irish countryside, that returned to her a mother begins to is not her son at all. suspect that the boy who returned to her is not her son at all.

What’s worse: finding a monster or it finding you?

Not really Hell, yeah!

A troubled and disgraced puppeteer is forced to return to his childhood home, where the past refuses to stay buried. Possum A troubled and disgraced puppeteer is forced to return to his childhood home, where he struggles with a past that refuses to stay buried.

Finding Being found

A Quiet Place Hush 28 Days Later

A family is forced to live in silence to protect themselves from otherwordly monsters that are exceedingly sensitive to sound. A deaf writer who lives alone in the woods is suddently thrown into a fight for her life when a masked man appears in the window.

A Quiet Place A family is forced to live in silence to protect themselves from otherwordly monsters that are exceedingly sensitive to sound. A man awakes from a coma four weeks after the release of a “rage virus” in the heart of London, and seeks sanctuary with other surviors.

Hush A deaf writer who lives alone in the woods is suddenly thrown into a fight for her life when a masked man appears in the window. 28 Days Later A man awakes from a coma four weeks after the release of a “rage virus” turns London into a ghost town, and seeks help from other surviors. OverlordOverlord

The night before The night before D-Day, an American D-Day, an American paratrooper squad paratrooper squad drop into an Na-drop into a Nazi-oczi-occupied village, cupied village, and and find horrors far discover horrors far beyond expectation. beyond expectation. You’re NextYou’re Next A family comes A family comes under attack during under attack during a get-together, and an uncomfortable the killers soon learn dinner, and the killers that one of them soon learn that one of has a penchant for them has a penchant fighting back. for fighting back. Lake MungoLake Mungo

After a girl drowns, After a teen girl a documentary crew drowns, a documenhelps her family try tary crew helps her to find closure, as family search for well as make sense of closure and scrutinize the strange happen-the strange happenings in their home.ings in their home.

SERVICE. PURPOSE. OPPORTUNITY.

Don’t be in the dark.

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