With a single viewing of a scary movie, one of your childhood joys could suddenly be turned into your worst fear. At least that’s true for junior Tenyiah Washington, whose fear of dolls quickly developed after watching horror movie “Annabelle.” However, this wasn’t the only movie that has affected her, as she said, “I will never watch a scary movie by myself after watching ‘Paranormal Activity’ in the dark alone.”
Right after watching “Annabelle,” Washington’s fear of dolls took over, unexpectedly turning her collection into a shortage. “I feel like dolls can come to life, I don’t wanna die,” she said. “I had a bunch of dolls and threw them away after watching that movie.” A fear that was never present in her had suddenly been triggered by a single movie.
Movies in this certain genre sometimes cause these types of effects. If someone were to watch a scary movie on evil spirits, they could possibly begin to believe they’re real. The effects of watching this type of movie can last anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of decades. For how long depends on the person themself.
Since the release of “IT,” the famous fear of clowns has once again risen. To celebrate the movie, some people have been tying red balloons around sewers and movie theatres. This of course has sparked fear in people scared of clowns. Some say that doing this is taking the movie too seriously. If it isn’t, then what exactly would be taking horror movies too serious?
Thanks to the movie, apparently the clown business has declined. Children and parents across the United States have started to exclude clowns from their birthday parties. This goes to show that the movies can influence the real world. Also, like last year, clowns have been spotted more and more as Halloween approaches. This brings about the discussion of whether or not the clowns will harm people. With the given evidence, horror movies are no doubt affecting our real lives, bringing danger and fear to us.
However, is it really the horror movies that influence us, or is it that people just take the movies too literally? Ciera Wallace, a senior, said that the movies are just meant for people to watch and nothing more. “They’re just movies made to have fun with your friends,” she said. “What’s wrong with watching your friends scream. You’re a scaredy cat if you don’t watch scary movies.”
In fact, scary movies are Wallace’s favorite kind of movies. “I like screaming and then right after I’ll burst out laughing,” she said. “I like seeing people die and picturing myself in the movie.” However, the movies still do influence her slightly. “Some scary movies, like the ones that have to do with spirits, influence me not to go around stuff like the ouija board and pray a lot.”
Like Wallace, scary movies are a need in my life. I have always loved them from when I was a child until now and will always save a place for them in my life. Unlike other movies, the audience is always on the edge of their seat, screaming at every jump-scare. They cause no harm to the world and shouldn’t be blamed.
People who are influenced by a movie often blame the movie. However, it was the person’s action not the movie’s. Washington explained that if she never watched “Annabelle,” she would have all of her dolls and wouldn’t be afraid of them. But if she had just not let the movie get into her head like it did, maybe she would have kept her dolls.
Whether some are influenced a bit or a lot, scary movies do affect the lives of people. As I see it, whether or not people are affected by these movies negatively, they’re just meant to be watched and nothing more. They aren’t meant to be taken even a little bit literally. Like what Wallace said, the only thing you should be getting from the movie is laughs and a couple of jump-scares. If a movie were to inspire someone to go on a killing spree, it’s not because of the movie but the person’s actions. Society shouldn’t always look for something or someone to blame.