“Horror is a genre of speculative fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust”. When it comes to scary movies, some people get excited, while others turn their heads. Whether you do or don’t like horror movies, there are a few benefits from them.

Burning calories
When there is a jumpscare in ‘insidious: chapter 2” and your whole body jerks, you are burning calories. Students at The University of Westminster did a study, showing that sitting for 90 minutes and watching a horror movie burns the same amount of calories as a half hour walk–. This amount of calories happens to be less than the amount of calories that is in a full candy bar, but after all of the trick or treat candy, I’ll take it.

Can help with anxiety
The American Psychological Association (APA) did a study on students suffering with anxiety, who thought like they were “in control” while watching scary movies. Doctor Clason Mathias, believes people get better at controlling their anxiety while they watch scary movies. “You know where the fear is coming from 一the screen is right in front of you一and you know you can switch it off at any time” says Mathias. A few of the students he did this experiment on said that horror movies “stop the hamster wheel”. This is caused by one thing- distraction. People are more focused on the movie rather than what they would be currently worrying about.

Keeps you overall healthy
Horror movies can make you feel better when needed, and can also be used as a workout. Also found by the students from The University of Westminster, scary movies can also boost your immune system. There is an increase of leukocytes in the body when watching horror movies.

Horror movies definitely aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, although there are a few benefits. Halloween is the time that we embrace what scares us the most. From vampire bites, to zombies coming from the grave, the good little boost is actually good for you! Happy Halloween everyone!