Horror Film: The Effect on The Children, Adult, and People Around

The Nun, The Conjuring 1, and The Conjuring 2 are the example of the horror films that successful making people interested in and feel haunted by demons of Valak after watching those incredible acting of the cast of the movie. However, horror films have some negative impact on the living environment which can cause harm to yourself or others. The first negative impact is health problems which can cause the heart attack on the young people who watched it and also cause thrombosis in the body. The second negative impact is the psychological disorder that so dangerous on the children. The last adverse effect of watching horror films is the social environment that presenting terrorism actions.

For the horror films lover, especially young generation, watching horror films is the necessity. However, the negative impact that arises from watching too many horror films among them can cause heart attacks and blood clots (thrombosis) that so dangerous for the body health. 

Then, what causes a possibility for people to get a heart attack when watching horror films? An expert, Dr. Regis Fernandez, a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona says that when the movies play, and the demons appear suddenly, the heart rate will increase around 70% because the audiences feel scared and shock (Kee, par. 7). It means that watching horror movies releases the adrenaline that causes heart attack and actually could trigger individuals or someone to faint or having a panic attack. 

The other effect is the thrombosis forming or blood clotting process. A new study found that when the person feels scared when watching those kinds of horror genre films, the blood will curdle and starting to forming the thrombosis. Based on the research which was conducted by Dutch expert, thrombosis appears because the blood is losing and curdle, after that the blood coagulant Factor VIII will increase as much as 57% (Westbrook, par.12).  

The analysis from that statement is the body prepared for blood loss in threatening situations and the protein begin to circulate in the bloodstream in an inactive form. After that, the proteins bounding another molecule until having an injury that damages blood vessels occur. From that explanation, the thrombosis that comes together with a heart attack will cause death in place.

Another adverse effect that caused by watching a horror movie is a psychological disorder on the children. On the young and children age, a scary film is dangerous for his/her mental illness. For example, in 1999 study shows that 52% of children had a harder time for sleeping, decreasing appetite, and mental illness after watching a scary movie (Tepfenhart, par. 2). 

In a young age, having sleeplessness is because of the fear and anxiety from watching a scary or frightening film that can trigger a traumatized. Also, kids more likely to have increased feelings of hostility, and decreasing emotional responses or in other words, they will be more struggling to face the real life that causing trauma on his/her world. 

One scientific study conducted by Dr. Joanne Cantor and Dr. Kristen Harrison that has published their research in Media Psychology writes that younger children are most at risk enduring fright effect (Bunton, par. 4). It is the hard part of the children. 

They have to face the difficulties of real life. Sometimes they feel fear of losing control and they have unreality feeling after watching of some scary act. Children are still hard to differentiate whether the movie is real or the movie is fake. One way that decreasing that situation is a parent should take action to save their future from the scary film.

Regardless from the psychological aspect, horror movie also has an impact on the citizen. It can be an effect that appears from mental or health disturbance. The result of combining those two effects that are the emergence of terrorism that can occur in society after some people watching a horror film. The psychological disorder will encourage a person to do a cruel act such as terrorism. 

A person who commits acts of that cruelty will often to watching of the scary film. A study and research from G. Richard Thompson proved that horror suggests the perception of something evil and morally repellent to the people related to terror suggesting rational fear of pain and death it is called Vigilante terrorism (Brooklyn, par. 14). That explanation above can be expanded that people who watch horror movie will affect the surrounding environment. 

People who watch it are provoked by the characters and the storyline that is displayed so that it can cause hatred towards others. If the hate feeling from the people is growing up and continuously appear, it is the type of vigilante terrorism. Vigilante terrorism is the violence that commits to against private citizen because of the motivation from the horror film characters. They will vent all the anger to the surrounding or in other words a person can terror someone in their life.

It is clear that the effect of the horror movie is various and also hazardous for young children and adult. People have to know the severe impact to the body health if too often watching a scary movie. On the other hand, adult also must supervise their children to do not watching the high action and horror action because it has an impact on kid psychologist. Furthermore, the effects of horror films should not be underestimated because it can be presenting terrorism on society. To reverse this issues, it is recommended that gathering with family and playing together is meaningful than watching a movie.

References:

Westbrook, Caroline." Horror Films Are Bad for Your Health According to Scientist". Metro. 2015. September 20, 2018.

Kee, Caroline. "Are Horror Movies Bad for Your Health? An Expert Cardiologist Weighs in". Buzzfeednews. June 14,2018. . October 6, 2018.

Liberatore, Stacy. "Watching Horror movie really 'Bloodcurdling': Researcher Find Films Raise Level of Clotting Chemical". Mail Online. December 17, 2015. October 13, 2018.

Knapton, Sarah. "Horror movies Really Do Curdle the Blood-and Could Be Bad for Health, Warn Scientist". The Telegraph. December 16, 2015. October 14, 2018.

Billson, Anne. "Crash and Squirm". The Guardian. October 31, 2008.  October 21, 2018

Johnson, Patrick. "The Importance of Horror". Academia.  October 21, 2018.