Mississippi State University students just celebrated another Halloween. There is no doubt that Halloween is easily one of students’ favorite times of year because of the fun and flexibility it offers. We don’t necessarily have to be at a certain place or with the family. And what’s Halloween without the fun parties, thrills and chills? But what about those scary movies we all crammed on the sofa to watch with our friends? 
   Many people have their own methods to deal with horror films. Some watch horror movies so often they wouldn’t think twice about it. It might even be their preferred genre to watch alone. There are others who only watch them when their friends suggest it, but it happens so often they are gradually unaffected. And there are also others that are more than happy to suggest an old comedy instead. The only time they might be persuaded is about once a year, usually around Halloween. And that’s enough for them. The point is everyone differs psychologically. 
    Since horror films have become such a popular genre, there have been enough incidences to confirm that these films usually have a powerful psychological effect on viewers. As a response to this, “Lifestyle Lounge” on iloveindia.com recently posted an article that reveals the common after-effects of watching horror films. “Effects Of Watching Horror Movies” gives a fairly straightforward list of negative effects: anxiety, sleeplessness, fear, phobia, mental trauma and behavioral changes. The only positive symptom the article lists is desensitization. The authors point out this behavioral change enables a person to be less shaken by tough circumstances because he or she is so used to the anxiety-provoked sensation horror films feed off of. 
    In short, horror movies can offer immunity to being “easily scared” if viewers are able to process them psychologically. But how many of us are actually made stronger by horror movies? Probably not that many. Most people who watch horror movies on a regular basis have felt at least one or two of these negative symptoms at some point and still deal with them whether they realize it or not. In most cases, horror films provoke anxiety-related behaviors more than positive long-term effects. Yet we still choose to indulge in that thrilling sensation every once in a while. So how can we protect our minds from flashing those graphic images in front of us when we try to sleep? 
    The secret to sleep at night after you’ve watched a scary movie also varies for different people. For some, the answer is simply that it’s best not to watch horror films. Sometimes distractions tend to help when watching a horror film, like texting when that dangerous music is heard in the background. But for others, it might just be a matter of simple habit. For example, watching a scary movie with friends is often a much better experience than watching one alone. When watching movies alone, we tend to dwell on them more afterwards. A scary movie might cause a repeated replay of a violent scenario in the mind of the viewer. This causes darker feelings for the remainder of the time they spend alone. But, a horror film with friends often leads to a more pleasurable experience. Most of the time, friends are able to point out the funny aspects of the film to make light of it. This enables each person to walk away from the movie without a second thought. 
    It all comes down to the attitudes viewers have toward horror films. For most films, viewers are willing to expand their personal beliefs in order to engage in the show. In the case of horror films, maybe it’s best to keep the “it’s not real” attitude, that way we can find it funny rather than scary. Or maybe it’s possible just to find scary movies, like psychological thrillers, interesting. Sometimes it can be amusing to focus on how the main characters in the film fall into expected stereotypes. The most important thing to remember is that they are just movies. It doesn’t benefit viewers to think of horror movies in terms of reality any more than it does to think of cartoons as a part of reality. Horror is one of the most exaggerated movie genres out there. For example, horror movies that are based on true events are full of exaggeration and special effects to thrill the audience. The same is true for psychological thrillers, which cause some audiences to believe psychological disorders are more extreme than they really are as they reveal worst-case scenarios. 
    So, as you watch that scary movie with your friends, keep common sense in mind if you’re one of those paranoid viewers. Laugh with your friends if something is funny, just like any other movie.