If your favorite films feature psychopaths, haunting spirits or serial killers, the words ‘thrill’ and ‘therapy’ likely seem a natural fit. I love the way the “Sixth Sense” lures you quickly in then throws you for an unexpected loop just when you thought you’d figured it out. The way Hannibal Lecter, in his mere 16 minutes of screen time, keeps your heart at a slightly heightened rate for the entire film. Brilliant!
For lovers of suspense, thrillers are calming. They force a state a mindfulness so seldom experienced in a culture overrun by multi-tasking, smart phone apps and hectic schedules.
I’m not saying that I can watch “Silence of the Lambs” at night…alone…then sleep peacefully through the night, mind you. (Woah… CAN YOU?) But on my most stressed-out wanna-yank-my-hair-out tizzy days, a good old thriller, preferably viewed with another and/or during broad daylight, is more pacifying than yoga, meditation and “cozy chamomile” tea combined.
Can anyone relate? What films do you find soothing?
As a fan of the horror genre I totally agree. Creepy movies remove from the banalities of normal life for a few hours.
If thrillers and scary movies did not exist and I was forced to watch rom-coms all the time, I would definitely go mad!
Virginia Woolf said, of why we like supernatural tales “It is pleasant to be afraid when we are conscious that we are in no kind of danger…” She agrees too
Terrific insight, Nisha. And what a fabulous quote! I must admit, it took me a few minutes to de-code rom-com… LOL
People love a good scare, don’t they?