The kind of horror found in movies is controllable, too. When the horror, anxiety, and tension get to be too much I can turn it off. I too have a strong nostalgia factor. My mom loves cheesy horror movies, and I grew up watching a lot of those movies with her. I wouldn’t be a horror movie fan if it wasn’t for her influence.

I love monster movies especially, so when the monster destroys the status quo, or disrupts the natural order, brave and heroic people sometimes step up to defeat the monster, thereby restoring order. Sometimes the heroes don’t win and lives are irrevocably changed, which is a reflection of real life, so that’s okay too.

I like a lot of horror with a strong dose of humor, though. I like to laugh and be scared, and I read somewhere, that laughter and terror are two sides of the same coin, so they go very well together.

But sometimes I’m just in a dark mood and want to watch something quiet and insidious, that sneaks up on me, in movies like Midsomer, The Witch, and It Follows.