When I was a kid, horror movies genuinely terrified me.
I was scared of Freddy’s claws, afraid that he might come for me in my dreams. I was scared of Jason,not because he ran fast, but because he could somehow walk slowly and still catch everyone who was desperately trying to escape.I was scared of hearing the sound of a chainsaw. I was scared that Sadako might crawl out of the TV screen. I was scared of old dolls sitting silently in the corner, as if they might slowly turn their heads the moment I looked away.
I was also scared of long haired female ghosts, red dresses, extra figures appearing in mirrors, hands reaching out from under the bed, tiny embroidered shoes, and the dead suddenly standing up again as zombies.
Back then, horror didn’t feel like “just a movie.” It felt like it could seep out of the screen and follow me back to my room, the hallway, my dreams, and the edge of my bed.
But at some point, I suddenly stopped being afraid of them on the screen.
It’s not that I stopped being afraid of horror completely. Darkness, atmosphere, strange sounds, and uncertainty in real life can still make me nervous.
But ghosts, monsters, and killers in movies somehow became “beings inside the screen.” As long as they stay there, I’m not afraid anymore. In fact, I even started to feel strangely comfortable with them.
I started joking about whether Toshio’s eye makeup and foundation were a bit too heavy. I started laughing at how Jason, even when he meets a beautiful woman, still seems to only want to throw her to death. I started wondering whether Sadako’s videotape might soon have trouble finding a device that can still play it. I even started seriously thinking about which version of zombies has the coolest rules.
But my acceptance only goes this far: they must stay inside the screen.
In real life, I absolutely refuse to do anything reckless.
I will not go to abandoned places.
I will not enter strange houses.
If I hear a weird noise at night, I will not go out to investigate.
Because that is basically how every horror movie begins.
I still love peace and kindness. I still think warmth, goodwill, and safety matter deeply in real life.
But the dark world I enjoy on screen has completely changed for me.
It is no longer just something that scares me.
It has become a set of rules, a language, and a dark amusement park that I can appreciate, analyze, and even laugh at...but....sometimes almost the way people enjoy watching Marvel superhero movies. 😆 if there is some popcorn and a Coke, and it would be perfect.
Has anyone else experienced this kind of shift?