# What Terrifies People?



## oyayubi (Dec 13, 2009)

Halloween and Haunts aside, what is it that truly terrifies th majority of the human race? What is it that hit's them deep in their chest or stomach? Once we learn this we can learn to become true haunters, use the human psyche to our benefit.

Thoughts on how to truly Terrify people.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Barney.


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## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

In-laws.


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## JPGoodspeed (Jul 21, 2011)

In his essay "Supernatural Horror in Literature," H.P. Lovecraft wrote that "the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown." Making the haunt look mysterious, dark, or otherwise obscured let's the guest's mind imagine what might be lurking in the shadows, behind the walls, or around the corner.


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

Hair in my food.


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

Monday morning


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## The_Caretaker (Mar 6, 2007)

the day after halloween


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## Acid PopTart (Oct 29, 2007)

Truthfully? Okay, I'm probably going to catch slack for this.....

I'm a fimmaker, I'm making my first horror film right now, and believe it or not, I don't watch a lot of horror films. With the exception of old school b&w classics, some hilarious 50's camp, or a few of the well known things like Evil Dead. I'm a huge Hitchcock fan and I believe the less you show on screen, your audience is creating something 1000 times worst than you ever can. 

But I was researching lower budget films and looking at ways to come up with my budget and was reading about Paranormal Activity. Who did it on roughly $15K, got denied by Sundance, was seen at Screamfest and got picked up by a studio and signed a contract within days. But THEN the studio wanted to reshoot it all on a big budget and the director/writer beg them to take it through a test audience, half the audience walked out and the producers begin to panic. Until they did their exit interviews and found out they got too scared. Fear of the dark, the unknown.

So I decided I needed to watch this movie. Let's get one thing straight, I'm a jumpy person, it will take nothing to make me jump.... and then punch whatever I think is a threat. This is the reason I can't go through haunted houses. I will injure myself, hahaha! (Long story on that one... but I've been attacked a few times.)

I'm not too big on blood and guts, but I've definitely see it well done. And sure a bunch of horror movies make me jump but how many keep me afraid after I turn off the tv? Paranormal Activity kept me up for 3 nights. Oh you think I'm joking but it scared the bejesus out of me. This is probably where everyone will be pointing and laughing and saying the movie sucked and it was lame but I swear to you, if I think about certain parts of the film, I still get goosebumps.

And I know why. Serial killers, psycho ex's, even the supernatural creatures like werewolves or monsters - I feel fairly confident I can shoot them, jump in my car, move and start my life over. But ghostly evil entities that can haunt you and manipulate the physical just enough to torture you day in and day out, eventually possess you (even if you don't believe in such a thing, the belief in it can be enough to send you over the edge, just like being in an asylum with enough crazy people).... and through all of this, I cannot see my attacker. I never know where to look next. Your dark home, once refuge, is now hell. 

So yes, the ending of Paranormal Activity scared the ever living hell out of me. Sure I jumped ten feet in the air and screamed, but it was the way it stuck with me for days. So it's fear of the unknown, something I could not control or kill or even flee, that terrifies me.

My other fear is a phobia as in I will start to shake, have trouble breathing, get dizzy, etc. And it's so absolutely STUPID, I think I'm too embarrassed to admit it.


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

If you go with real things and not what people will imagine to scare themselves, Jim Stafford got it right, Spiders and Snakes. It's funny to me, seeing adults scream and jump around like a little kid over a spider or snake.


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## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

The IRS


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## pensivepumpkin (Mar 27, 2011)

I totally agree about Paranormal Activity. As a person who has had night terrors and sleepwalking episodes for my entire life, that movie freaked me the hell out. As did the weird orange footprints on my sidewalk the next morning. We never could explain that one...

But for my two cents what really scares people is fear. I know that seems like a cop-out, but the actual event that scares is almost a release after the anticipation of it. If you are startled by the unexpected, then that is one thing. But anticipation of the unknown is what will get us all every time. Hence the overarching fear of death- no one knows.


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## VillaHaunter (Jul 13, 2011)

After what I have experianced in my life I have no fear except for what lies hidden in the dark. Am I out of my mind, of course I'M OUT OF MY MIND......












I'ts DARK AND SCARY IN THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Death's Door (Mar 22, 2006)

As I'm reading the posts (being amused as always by my Hauntforum friends), I am confused by your question - do you mean people's fears in general or what we see in a horror movie? As far as people - fear of the unknown is key. 

What can terrify us from what we see in a movie can be a build up of that particular scene with the anticipation by the actor or even the music that builds up to a pivotal moment. I know in some of the horror films where they did a behind the scenes with a director or actor, they said the audience reacted when the music would start or a certain instrument played. Such movies that had this effect were The Exorcist, Jaws, Halloween. On the other spectrum of that is silence - such as was the case in Paranomal Activity where the silence sucked you into that scene with the anticipation for something to happen or a sudden movement. Paranormal happenings to me are more terrifying because you don't know what to expect or when it will happen. With serial killers/monsters/ you know their objective and what they are capable of and pattern. The only one that scared me the most was Freddy Krueger - not only he was a killer - he was part of dreams - which is a powerful forum that we experience.


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## Dark Angel 27 (Sep 11, 2008)

not much scares me anymore. but with all the hell i've gone through, my biggest fear is being unloved and alone. 

as for scary movies, i must say that jeepers creepers got me pretty good. paranormal activity, while scary wasn't enough to give me nightmares.


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## Acid PopTart (Oct 29, 2007)

Da Weiner said:


> What can terrify us from what we see in a movie can be a build up of that particular scene with the anticipation by the actor or even the music that builds up to a pivotal moment. I know in some of the horror films where they did a behind the scenes with a director or actor, they said the audience reacted when the music would start or a certain instrument played. Such movies that had this effect were The Exorcist, Jaws, Halloween. On the other spectrum of that is silence - such as was the case in Paranomal Activity where the silence sucked you into that scene with the anticipation for something to happen or a sudden movement. Paranormal happenings to me are more terrifying because you don't know what to expect or when it will happen. With serial killers/monsters/ you know their objective and what they are capable of and pattern. The only one that scared me the most was Freddy Krueger - not only he was a killer - he was part of dreams - which is a powerful forum that we experience.


I absolutely agree! And although I have not seen any of the Freddy Krueger movies (I know I know, I should!), I know the premise and hell yeah is that frightening!



Dark Angel 27 said:


> not much scares me anymore. but with all the hell i've gone through, my biggest fear is being unloved and alone.


Am I being silly if I kind of want to give you a hug right now? I know that feeling too well and thankfully that was my childhood and well in my past and no child or adult should have to feel that way.


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## oyayubi (Dec 13, 2009)

Wow, great discussions! My goal is to get to the core of human fear. What truly terrifies us as human beings. 

Like some of you, I don't get scared much. But I have this unusual fear which I guess ties to the unknown. My bedroom door always has to be closed when I sleep, otherwise I'll stare at the crack in the door and imagine something there staring at me. Not knowing what could potentially be on the other side frightens me a little. Again fear of the unknown or unseen.

I have no phobia's only a fear of my own imagination and where I know it can take me...

Thank you all for your responses, this is great and helpful too.


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