Why I Find Horror Movies Comforting

I’ve been a fan of horror movies for as long as I can remember. And maybe it sounds a little creepy to say that I discovered I like them because I find something comforting in their atmosphere. It’s the first time I say this out loud, but it’s true—and I’ve been reflecting on it lately to try to put that feeling into words.

In my family, watching that kind of content was always completely normal. On top of that, my mom used to tell us a lot of ghost stories and tales about apparitions. Being the youngest in the house, I also grew up listening to my siblings’ own spooky experiences. Thanks to all of this, to this day, I know a ton of scary stories, and I still watch horror movies regularly. It’s true that many of them are objectively terrible—but I still watch them anyway. It’s one of my special little pleasures.

I won’t get into the details of genres and subgenres, but when I say “horror movies,” I often include thrillers and films with a strong sense of mystery as well. In general, what I love most is the sense of delicacy you can find in these films—like in the sound design, which is so essential. In fact, I think silence is even more important. It’s fascinating how, when the tension is at its peak, the scenes often become slow and quiet, almost suspended in time.

Besides the sound, the locations are another element that really draws me in. Haunted houses, attics, cabins, abandoned places—or more accurately, places with history—are common themes. And I think that’s where the comforting feeling comes from: for me, they awaken a kind of nostalgia for what once was.

Here are some of my favorite films in the genre:

• The Shining
• The Witch
• El orfanato
• Hereditary

And many, many more…

What about you? Do horror movies make you feel something similar?