FEAR FACTOR: Horror Picture Shows

As Marie Curie once said, "Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood."
I don't know why she said it. I don't even know if my sister knows that Madam Curie said something to that effect, but she unwittingly implements this in her life, especially while watching horror films.
Though not exactly a movie buff, she hardly misses a good Hollywood horror flick.Name the famous and best horror movies of yesteryear as well as those of recent vintage; she has them on her fingertips. Given a chance, she will hardly miss films like The Exorcist, The Ring, The Mummy, Grudge or any of the famous Dracula series, despite having seen them umpteen times.
I can't vouch for her being a completely fearless girl as, at times in the middle of a movie, when the scene gets too horrifying, she hides herself under a blanket and sometimes even removes her spectacles.
But this is just for a moment. She's never put off by eerie sounds or the creaking noise of doors or windows, which are catalysts for generating fear, as she slowly sticks out her head from the blanket without missing much of the movie.
If she's watching it alone, a cordial invitation is sent out to the cousin next door. Even if she misses it during the first telecast, she makes it a point not to repeat her mistake. This fascination for the morbid has always puzzled us.
But she says, "It pumps up my adrenalin and makes me feel less frightened of the darkness."
Though reviewers have panned horror films time and again, critics' opinions don't deter horror movie lovers from checking out the latest releases. As kids, watching even one horror flick was a big thing. It gave us an opportunity to prove to our peer group that we were less frightened than the others.
For a week, we'd gloat about this but there were certain things which we didn't tell them - like how when things got too scary, we'd close our ears or eyes or how we'd hide behind the elders, or just peep through a small gap between our hands.
However, my sister's suggestion for watching a scary movie is simple. Just as one leaves her senses behind before watching a silly movie, similarly, "leave your fear outside the room, and don't let it enter till the movie gets over".