Fear

Saw, insidious, paranormal activity... I could go on. There are plenty of films out there that are meant to scare us shitless. I also have plenty of friends who love this idea, always searching for the flick that will top the last fear ridden adventure. As you may have detected by now, I don't particularly identify with this culture or mindset. Mostly due to the fact I dislike the way fear lingers when the film is over (OK don't laugh :-( ).

Recently I went to a large theme park for the (embarrassingly) first time in my life. My first ride ever was one called oblivion which is very well described by its name. Basically it goes high, tips over and drops you down toward a dark 'oblivion' in the ground. Usually people work themselves into a trembling stupor on the way to the drop. However, me being a typical rational smart-arse reassured myself I was safe. When it finally sent me hurtling to the earth in free-fall, fear and adrenaline flooded my veins in equal measure. These volatile substances proved an addictive mix as I went on to have a brilliant time scaring myself. Eventually, after several more rides I found I had lost most of the rush, mostly due to the fact that I no longer had any fear on rides, after all,  I wasn't in any real danger. For the first time in my life I found I longed for fear and tried to trigger it. I finally understood why people liked scary films.

Unfortunately that left me bored, and still with the question of why I didn't like scary films. On reflection it appears that the reason that the specific hit of fear just doesn't release that much sought after adrenaline. Maybe I just have a fearful disposition or I'm just a coward, either way, it leaves me still unable to enjoy a good scary movie. How to change this is anyone's guess...