Bambi Eloriaga-Amago
Recently, news of a man in India who died while watching the movie The Conjuring 2 was widely shared on social media. During the film’s climax, it was reported that the man had complained of chest pains and had apparently suffered a stroke. Was it the work of some supernatural being or does science have an explanation for how people can literally die of fright?
A 2015 study conducted by scientists at the Department of Leiden University Medical Centre in Holland explained that watching horror films may lead to an increased production of a protein related to producing blood clots. Research was conducted on 24 individuals aged 30 and below that had participants watch a scary movie and then an educational one, or vice-versa, within the course of a few weeks. Blood samples were drawn before and after each movie-watching session.
Researchers found that levels of the coagulant, the protein called Factor VIII, was significantly higher after watching the terror flick as opposed to the educational one. Scientists further explained that the reason why the blood curdles (or clots) when faced with something particularly terrifying is because the body is preparing itself to combat blood loss when faced with a possible life-threatening situation.
Had that man in India known about this study, perhaps he would’ve changed his mind about seeing the movie. And if you think you have a high-risk potential for stroke, it’s probably best to avoid the horror genre altogether.
