Haunted house researchers investigate the mystery of playing with fear

[Leigha]

The Walking Dead series on AMC, comes across a bit more realistic in terms of a zombie apocalypse as anyone at anytime can “turn,” if attacked by a “walker.” That the zombies were all once humans with everyday lives and families, made the slasher moments more tolerable.

I’m not a fan of slasher-movies in general, so that coupled with the survival aspect of what life might look like if there was an actual apocalypse, was probably what gave the series staying power, although I stopped watching a few seasons in because it became silly that the main characters never ran out of bullets or gas.

But, zombie plots in general are typically juvenile and boring, imo.

[Zinjanthropos]

That’s interesting, and I wonder if since you don’t believe in ghosts at all, you didn’t have any anticipatory fear built up? You just viewed the house like any other house, you weren’t “looking” for ghosts.

Noises intrigue me. I’ve always like finding the source. I think something creeping up on me silently in 
the dark or daytime for that matter, would scare the bejabbers out of me

Syne slinking around an unlit hospital is scary enough and our senses are pretty useless when it comes to the night/dark. Could it be some ancestral fear of predators that keeps us on edge when the lights go out? Perhaps evolution has kept this vestigial trait. Do we still need to fear darkness?

[Magical Realist]

For the quintessential zombie flick that changed forever how we view zombie apocalypse films, see 28 Days Later. The zombies in this movie can run, and run fast, but don't eat you. They just tear you apart or gouge out your eyeballs (rage zombies). This film was directed by legendary Danny Boyle and might be called the "art film of zombie flicks." Here's some astute guys talking about it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLMFGecICKU

[Leigha]

That’s interesting, and I wonder if since you don’t believe in ghosts at all, you didn’t have any anticipatory fear built up? You just viewed the house like any other house, you weren’t “looking” for ghosts.

Noises intrigue me. I’ve always like finding the source. I think something creeping up on me silently in 
the dark or daytime for that matter, would scare the bejabbers out of me

Syne slinking around an unlit hospital is scary enough and our senses are pretty useless when it comes to the night/dark. Could it be some ancestral fear of predators that keeps us on edge when the lights go out? Perhaps evolution has kept this vestigial trait. Do we still need to fear darkness?

That's true, why are we ''still'' afraid of the dark? I guess darkness is a reminder of the unknown...and sensory deprivation can make us feel a bit out of control. And just like that, our imaginations take over...and we ''fear'' the worst. I suppose fear and phobias to some extent, can help us steer clear of situations that harm our chance for survival? We don't need to fear wild animals on a daily basis like our ancestors did, but if you were out camping where bears are prevalent, you'd have to decide to flee or fight, and that's perhaps still essential at times. I find that we often manufacture fear because it's so ingrained in us, which could be why horror movies have such appeal.

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For the quintessential zombie flick that changed forever how we view zombie apocalypse films, see 28 Days Later. The zombies in this movie can run, and run fast, but don't eat you. They just tear you apart or gouge out your eyeballs (rage zombies). This film was directed by legendary Danny Boyle and might be called the "art film of zombie flicks." Here's some astute guys talking about it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLMFGecICKU

lol ''rage zombies''

Something odd about zombies running fast...I mean, they're dead so they shouldn't be as fast as the living. My best zombie logic.

[Syne]

Are people really afraid of the dark, or just possible things in the dark? Now, it is irrational to be afraid of the dark in your own home, like children and closets or under the bed. But I presume most adults are afraid of things in the dark, like wild animals, squatters, criminals, etc.. There's good reason we stay out of certain neighborhoods after dark.

[Leigha]

I think we're mainly afraid of the unknown, and the dark represents the unknown. But, why do we only assume the worst could be lurking in the dark? We never assume that rainbows and kittens might be hiding in the shadows...only ghosts and bad things.

[Syne]

Evolutionary psychology is built more upon avoiding danger than seeking pleasure.

[Leigha]

The struggle to survive probably gave them an edge over depression though, there simply wasn't time to think about life on a higher conscious level.

[Syne]

The struggle to survive probably gave them an edge over depression though, there simply wasn't time to think about life on a higher conscious level.

Just from personal experience, in my younger years, I can vouch for having no attention span for depression, drama, etc. when worrying about how to eat tomorrow. I wouldn't call depression "a higher conscious level" though. If anything, it's getting caught in a cycle of thought you don't have the higher perspective to see your way out of.

[Leigha]

The struggle to survive probably gave them an edge over depression though, there simply wasn't time to think about life on a higher conscious level.

Just from personal experience, in my younger years, I can vouch for having no attention span for depression, drama, etc. when worrying about how to eat tomorrow. I wouldn't call depression "a higher conscious level" though. If anything, it's getting caught in a cycle of thought you don't have the higher perspective to see your way out of.

I meant depression* often occurs because people now have time to think on a higher conscious level about how “unfair life is,” how the grass is greener somewhere else, and so on.

When you don’t have to worry about survival, you are able to think on a deeper level, sometimes manufacturing problems.

*Not speaking of clinical depression that may stem from chemical imbalances.