Why horror movies make for perfect date nights

Anyone who knows me knows that I will go for any horror movie that releases in the theatres, and a few of them in the past year have been very average. The plot of those movies may have been weak but the case they make for horror movies being good for date nights is rather strong! And if you ask me, the couples in ghost movies are far better than those in regular ones. Look at the Warrens—awwdorable! 

So as I wait for the Night Swim produced by James Wan, the man behind Saw, Insidious and the Conjuring universes, to release in the theatres—here’s why horror movies make for amazing date nights!

Horror movies evoke an arousal response

How do you feel when you’re watching a great horror movie? Your heart starts racing, your cold hands seek warmth, and you feel nervous. According to scientific studies, horror movies can put you in a state of physiological arousal because of your body’s stress response system. You are feeling both excited and thrilled—two things we want to feel on a date! Experts believe that due to misattribution of arousal, your nervous energy ends up culminating in romantic attraction.

You can cosy up

Horror movies, especially ones with eerie jump scares are just perfect for this. Your body is in fight or flight mode, and since you can't actually do either of these in the theatre, you end up being all snuggled up. It’s romantic just to hold each other when your heart is racing and you are filled with adrenaline! It also gives you a feeling of being safe with each other. 

You experience vulnerability together 

According to many scientific studies and scholarly articles, it’s established that being vulnerable with each other fosters intimacy. Experiencing shared moments of vulnerability, as in a horror movie date, brings on feelings of closeness and builds a connection with your boo. It also builds trust in this partnership, encouraging you to be comfortable in being vulnerable with each other, even when there are no monsters on a large screen in front of you. 

Having common choices in horror movies brings you closer

Sounds absolutely unrelated? According to a survey by OkCupid in 2018, you connect better with dates with whom your horror movie choices match. Or at least whether you both enjoy watching scary movies or not. We don’t know the science behind it but since these tap on our deepest fears, it is a possibility that having similarities on such a molecular level helps!

Also read: Erotic movies and series to watch with your boo
Also read: 7 rom-coms on Netflix to binge watch with your better-half on a date night