MAMA, Cabin in the Woods, Texas Chainsaw and countless others have one very important thing in common. Abandoned places! They add a creepy vibe to the movies, a sense of wonder and horror fills the movie theater with the ever so infamous creek of that old weathered door opening. But why do we find those places so creepy and mysterious? Well ask science.
Fear is a chain reaction in the brain that starts with a stressful stimulus and ends with the release of chemicals that cause a racing heart, fast breathing and energized muscles, also known as the fight-or-flight response. Of course the stimulants can be anything that makes you scared- spiders, the dark, and clowns to name a few. An abandoned houses set in the middle of the woods with creepy music playing in the background is the perfect stimulant. It creates the fear of the unknown. In your brain, there is a part called the sensory cortex, this is where the creepy music comes into play. The sensory cortex interprets sensory data, meaning that the dangerous looking building along with the scary music begins to send red flags to the brain- this is the Thalamus's job. Another part, called the Hypothalamus, creates the "red flags" and engages a fight or flight response.
So next time a woman with sunken in black eyes lunges at you from the depth of a dark corner in a cabin abandoned in the middle of the woods while you're watching a movie, don't worry if you jump. This just means that your brain is working how its supposed to!
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