Jump Scares and Inappropriate Laughter

I think I spent my Saturday night the same way as plenty of other people did–in a movie theater watching a film based on a book by Stephen King (and No, I am not talking about The Dark Tower). It is still September since the last time I checked the calendar, which is hard to believe based on all the horror films that have been released back-to-back. We still have a few weeks until the Halloween season is here to scare us senseless.

One of my local movie theaters now has a 4-D screen, which is where the seat moves and rotates, punches your back, and splashes water and scents in your face. I knew that seeing a horror movie this way was the best due to the unexpected movements.

Now here's the thing, I really get into the movie watching experience. I am not a stranger to screaming whenever a jump scare happens on screen (and it happened a lot last night). However, I did notice something that was a bit peculiar and almost troubling. There were a number of scenes when something horrific appeared on screen and my first instinct was to laugh hysterically instead of scream. I must have laughed throughout nearly forty-percent of the film that passersby would have thought I was watching a comedy. I knew my laughter was happening during inappropriate times because I noticed I was the only person in the theater laughing during the scenes.

I have always been a fan of scary shows with a lot of jump scares. I might have watched enough paranormal shows that have jumbled my emotions to have a humorous response instead of a scared one. After looking up the topic of inappropriate laughter and reading a few forums, I have come to the conclusion that laughter can be used as a way to release the stress and nervous tension that builds up during suspenseful events.

Long story short: I went to the movies, watched a film in a moving chair and laughed so much you would think it was a comedy instead of a horror. This must mean that the part of my brain that controls emotions is confused (or that I might be a psychopath).


.::.
What's Quacking?
Do you have any original art to contribute to our stock image database, announcements, community projects, ideas, news, or milestones to report? Please leave general comments below or send a PQ to kawaiidaigakusei. Email me at kawaiidaigakusei(at)gmail(dot)com.