With Halloween upon us, I thought that the theme of ‘fear’ would be appropriate for this week’s Saturday Morning Cartoons. I’ve got a handful of scary/creepy cartoons followed by some videos that explain what fear is, why things are creepy or frightening.
Hope you enjoy.
I have a confession to make. I hate being scared. I do not like horror movies. I do not like being startled. I do not like the dark. So I had a bit of trouble getting through these films. So, to accommodate anyone who’s like me, I’ve included my handy-dandy Creepometer rating next to each video. From lowest to highest we have: Not creepy, Barely Creepy, Kinda Creepy, Pretty Creepy, Creeptastic!. There’s no gore or anything just disconcerting imagery and if you get to the end of the collection, you’ll find out why some people love being scared and others, like me, can’t stand it.
Animation
Why do we celebrate Halloween? (barely creepy)
Let’s start off with the reason for the season.
Fear(s) of the Dark from İstanbul Animation Festival on Vimeo. (kinda creepy)
This trailer for an independent film is disturbing, but the different animation styles are captivating.
Amigdala from Daniele Arcuri on Vimeo (Pretty Creepy)
This creepy animation is (partly) named after the region in your brain that’s responsible for fear.
xylophonobia from Misha Shyukin on Vimeo (Barely Creepy)
The visuals in this animation aren’t too bad, but the music’s a little creepy. One of the videos later in the post describes why certain kinds of music can be disturbing.
Ornithophobia from Emily Smith on Vimeo. (Not Creepy)
If you’ve run the gauntlet, reward yourself with this charming animation about a cat getting over her fear of birds.
Live Action
The Chemistry of Fear (not creepy)
This film describes the neurochemical basis for fear and its adaptive function.
Why are things creepy? (Creeptastic!)
This is insanely creepy but highly informative. If, like me, you can’t watch it I suggest you listen to it and look at something else.
Seasonal Genes & The Science of Fear (Not Creepy)
At 2:11, Hank starts talking about fear in fruit flies.
Why do things sound scary? (Barely Creepy)
What is it about certain sounds that make us shiver? Why are the soundtracks for horror movies scary?
Science of Fear (Not Creepy)
Liz Bonnin faces her fear of snakes for science (and television) and teaches us about the surprising ways that our fear centres can be stimulated before we’re aware of the danger.
Why do we like to be scared? (Barely Creepy)
Finally, we get to the question of why some people like to be scared.
What do you think? What do you think about the animations and the beginning now that you’ve done a primer on the science of fear? Are you one of those folks who get a rush of dopamine when you get scared? Or are you like me who probably doesn’t even get a dribble of dopamine in the face of fear? Let me know in the comments below.
Image by Simon Wijers via Unsplash
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