Hello Writers, Poets, and Creatives!
This issue of the Muse is going out to you on the eve of All Hallows’ Eve when advertisements for all things spooky and scary are everywhere—costumes, horror stories/novels, frightening movies, haunted house tours, etc. Are you someone who enjoys the thrill of being terrified and horrified? Why do some of us love to be scared while others of us go to lengths to avoid it?
One reason we enjoy reading scary books and watching frightening movies is because they are stimulating both mentally and physically—our bodies release adrenaline, heightening our sensations and giving us an energy surge.
Watching and reading horror-related material also gives us a safe arena in which to explore the darker sides of humanity and the negative aspects of our own psyches. And, it gives us a chance to experience alternative realities, which most people find fascinating—a post-apocalyptic society, a dark spiritual realm populated with monsters, or an earth taken over by ali…