The Power Of Horror Films As A Cure For Anxiety
I have an anxiety disorder, and have suffered from this my entire adult life. In dealing with anxiety for many years, the disorder has become an old, familiar friend. She constantly snuggles up with me under the sheets, mooches off my plantain chips, and threatens me with all my life’s worst-case scenarios.
Most recently, me and my friend anxiety settled into bed and turned on Les Affames, a brilliant French-horror film. In watching Les Affames, I found a strange peace amidst the images of blood-thirsty zombies and disemboweled corpses. As the central heroes fought their way through the now zombie-filled streets of Quebec to a safe place, my own fears dissipated.
I’m not sure how this happened. Somewhere between settling into a lazy, Netflix binge-watching session a few weeks ago, I found myself drawn to the streaming channel’s bloodiest and goriest offerings. In these moments, one man’s terror on the screen became my relief from anxiety. For me, the monsters in notable horror gems including The Babadook, Gerald’s Game, Raw, Under the Shadow, and Train to Busan were not monsters at all. Instead, they were necessary salves against the real-life fears of career, love, debt, and a world recently turned even darker and more menacing.
Like any decent, self-aware human, I wondered if the Jeffrey Dahmer in me was…
