Why We Love What Scares Us

What horror movies teach us about fear, resilience, and the quiet courage we all carry.

Image by Sammy-Sander from Pixabay.

Childhood Chills

Do you like scary movies? My love for them began when I was in elementary school.

Saturday afternoons were sacred thanks to a local TV show called Shock Theatre, where I met the classic creeps: Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, Dracula. These guys were my weekend buddies.

Sometimes, I’d spot a commercial for a horror movie airing in the evening and beg my parents to let me watch. “I won’t get scared,” I’d promise, with all the confidence of a third grader who clearly didn’t understand how fear works.

Spoiler alert: I did get scared. Every time. These were the early ’70s, so the movies weren’t exactly dripping with gore, but they were spooky enough to send me crawling back to my parents at bedtime.

My dad often ended up sleeping in my room, probably wondering why he didn’t just say no to the movie in the first place.

One night, I saw a commercial for a made-for-TV movie called Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell. The TV Guide teased it like this:

Mike and Betty. Just an average American couple. They have a house, a car, two kids, and one lovable dog — possessed by the Devil.

I mean, what could go wrong?

The Barry family thought they were just getting a cute new pup to fill the void left by their dearly departed dog.

Enter Lucky: a German Shepherd with a glossy coat, soulful eyes, and a résumé that includes being born in a full-blown Satanic ritual. (Not exactly something you find on Petfinder.)

At first, Lucky seems like a normal dog, but soon he’s less “man's best friend” and more “hell’s furry ambassador,” turning their suburban home into a supernatural circus.

My parents were great sports, but I’m pretty sure they regretted letting me watch that one. I didn’t even make it to bed before asking for backup.

Looking back, those Saturday scares were some of my first lessons in fear, and maybe even in courage. I didn’t know it then, but those monsters were teaching me something.

Why Do We Like Scary Movies?

Let’s be honest. There’s something weirdly fun about choosing to be terrified. Whether it’s a possessed doll, a haunted house, or a devil dog with glowing eyes, we keep coming back for more. But why?

Part of it is the thrill (or adrenalin rush). Scary movies let us flirt with fear in a safe space. We will watch a group of 20 to 30-somethings playing teenagers take a trip to Camp Crystal Lake, but we would probably not travel there in real life.

We know the credits will roll, the lights will come back on, and we’ll still be alive (hopefully with all our limbs). It’s like emotional skydiving without the parachute anxiety.

But there’s more to it. Horror taps into something deeper. It helps us explore the edges of our comfort zone, confront the unknown, and even laugh at our own reactions.

And let’s not forget the bonding power of a good scare. Few things bring people together like screaming in unison or clutching the nearest armrest during a jump scare. It’s group therapy with popcorn.

Horror gives us a safe space to feel fear, to process it, and to walk away a little stronger. It’s not just entertainment, it’s rehearsal for real life.

Is There Any Benefit to Watching Them?

So, we’ve established that scary movies are popular, but are they actually good for us? Surprisingly, yes. Watching horror can offer more than just goosebumps and popcorn spills.

Emotional Release

Horror gives us permission to feel fear, anxiety, and even grief in a controlled setting. It’s like a pressure valve for the soul. We scream, we gasp, we laugh nervously, and by letting off some emotional steam, we feel lighter afterward.

It’s a mental reset with a soundtrack.

Resilience

And let’s not forget the deeper layers. Horror is more than jump scares and creepy imagery. We it’s a mirror to our inner world. When we watch someone face down a monster, we’re reminded of our own battles.

The horror genre might be fictional, but the courage it calls out is real. Stephen King says, “We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones.” That’s not only poetic it’s also practical.

Believe it or not, facing fictional fear can help us deal with real-life stress. Studies suggest that horror fans may be better at managing anxiety and uncertainty. Fear, when managed, can be a tool for growth, empathy, and even healing.

Empathy

Horror often puts us in someone else’s shoes (usually running from something with claws). We feel their panic, their desperation, their fight to survive.

We may scream at them “Don’t go into the basement!” Even though they can’t hear us and go anyway, we intuitively try to help them once they get down there. These are feeble attempts on our part.

These emotional connections can deepen our understanding of human vulnerability and courage.

Morality

Many horror stories are, at their core, tales of good versus evil. They remind us that darkness exists, but so does the light. Even when evil takes the form of a devil dog there’s always a choice to resist, to fight, to overcome.

Conclusion

Warning: Devil Dog: Hound of Hell spoilers ahead.

In the final act of Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell, Mike Barry realizes that bullets won’t stop Lucky. He isn’t just a dog, he’s a full-blown demonic entity.

After a desperate trip to Ecuador, Mike learns that Lucky is a Barghest, a hellhound that can only be banished by pressing a holy symbol to its eye.

Armed with this knowledge and a whole lot of courage, Mike returns home for a showdown that’s anything but ordinary.

Lucky, sensing the threat, unleashes his full power and grows to the size of a building. He was towering over Mike with glowing eyes and a snarling presence that could make Cujo whimper.

Feel the fear and do it anyway. - Brené Brown

But Mike stands firm. In a moment of spiritual grit, he presses the holy symbol to Lucky’s eye, triggering a fiery explosion that sends the beast back to Hell for a thousand years.

The Barry family is freed from the dog’s dark influence, and peace is restored (at least until someone adopts one of Lucky’s siblings).

Mike courageously faced this hellhound to save his family. We can appreciate that kind of courage.

Most of us will never battle a supernatural beast, but we do face fears that feel just as overwhelming, whether it’s standing up for someone, making a hard decision, or confronting a personal struggle.

Even as an elementary school student, I saw Mike’s heroism and thought, “I want to be that brave.”

Brené Brown wrote, we can:

Feel the fear and do it anyway.

So here’s your challenge: The next time fear shows up, whether it’s a barking dog or a tough conversation, don’t back down. Face it with courage, even if your hands are shaking.

You don’t need a holy symbol, just a little faith, a little grit, and maybe a good friend nearby. You’ve got more strength than you think.

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