I have found it true for me that people will hype up how scary or horrible something is, and that calibrates it for me where I'm like "That was it?" if I ever do experience it myself.
I had a thought when I was playing Red Evil 7 and 8 for a friend who wanted to see them, but isn't good at games. Was my "buy in" on the horror in the game truly because it did make me tense, or has this always been autistic masking because the reactions and tension are what's expected of some of the medium.
Because on my own, Silent Hill 1-3 and Res Evil are some of my favourite horror games, but if I'm solo all the horror and gross stuff just gets pushed aside for the puzzles and people studying that is my real draw. But put a friend in the room, and then it's "Oh no, that really did get me, so scary, please don't kill me, I wanna be in the sequel."
Good point that I'd never really thought of before. I'm certainly someone that inadvertantly buys into the hype when someone declares something as "the scariest thing since the last super scary thing". You'd think that I'd have learned my lesson by now- it's never as scary as they say, but alas, here we are. And I do wonder how much of that is because I'm just
supposed to be scared by it, so I make myself scared, and not just let myself feel what I feel. It's the cheap jumpscares that get me; I can't tell you how many times I've skipped out on seeing a horror movie I really wanna see in theaters just because I'm anticipating a lot of jumpscares and don't wanna put myself through it.
It's weird, because I love horror and generally spooky things. It feels strange to say that there's an odd warmth to a lot of horror, but there kind of is- because I can experience danger from a safe distance and come out feeling victorious in a weird way. There have certainly been the horror-adverse folks in my life who've seen that I like something heavy on the blood or disturbing visuals and think it's a sign of something deeper going on inside, but I don't think it's quite that intricate. Like you, I love the early RE games, the Silent Hill series, slashers and psychological horror. I've been learning more and more as I navigate therapy that it's probably tied to my PTSD and that's why the loud, sudden scares overstimulate me more than they probably should. So on the event I see a horror movie in theaters, I've started wearing earplugs and, gotta say, it's made the experience far more enjoyable. I think that's the trick to horror in general- as long as you can feel in control in some way, or safe from the dangers on the screen, then it's enjoyable. It's also why I don't tend to play a lot of games- especially horror or horror adjacent- where it's too difficult; not because I don't like a challenge, but I just need to feel like I have control to some degree. I've watched and read some things through the years saying that's why a lot of women or LGBT folks are drawn to horror as well- you often see the underdog, or traditionally marginalized groups, surviving great hardships and injustices.
And probably why I'm drawn more to psychological horror- less likely to be inundated with jumpscares, and I can often put my own interpretation on things. It's definitely ironic- a lot of psychological horror is arguably
more disturbing than just your typical blood and gore fest, but I love 'em. Silent Hill, even the less great entries, are some of my favorite horror things in general (and really do wish we'd have more figure rep for). I greatly admire when someone makes horror that
means something and symbolizes something; horror as a medium, much like animation, is a great way to express your frustration/anxiety and to stand-in for real world injustices.
Which is why I really have no issue picking up the Ultimates for franchises I'm not familiar with- they're little totems of victory in a very roundabout way. I'm sure if I ever were to watch the Terrifier movies, at this point, I'd probably go "Oh, that's it?" Especially from the safety of my own home, where I can pause, take breaks, look away, etc. Funny what a profound effect a tiny little difference or change in mindset can do.
