Being scared by horror movies could have more of a detrimental effect than you think If you’re a fan of horror movies, then according to scientists you could be putting your health in danger. Because according to new research it seems that scary flicks can – quite literally – be blood curdling, raising the risk of developing a clot by as much as a fifth. The research, which was carried out by Dutch experts and published in an issue of the BMJ, aimed to prove that watching scary films can increase the presence of a clotting agent known as Factor VIII – which can cause thrombosis – in the body. Why? Well apparently the agent’s normal task is to prepare the body for blood loss during life-threatening situations – but it can be triggered by the fear of watching something scary too. At least that’s what they discovered during the research, which saw 24 healthy volunteers watching both a horror film and an educational, non-scary movie. The Insidious movies are pretty frightening – but could they actually be bad for your health? While 14 of them watched the scary movie – 2010 box office hit Insidious, starring Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne – followed by educational film A Year In Champagne, the remaining 10 watched the flicks in reverse order. And sure enough, levels of Factor VIII increased in 57 per cent of those watching Insidious – but only in three per cent of those watching the other film. By contrast, only 43 per cent of participants watching the horror film saw a decrease in their levels, compared to 86 per cent of volunteers being shown the non-scary movie. ‘We found watching horror, or ‘bloodcurdling’, movies was associated with an increase in blood coagulant factor VIII,’ said researcher Dr Banne Nemeth. Source
