People are sharing the terrifying horror movie moments that made them change their behaviour forever – 22 freakouts that bled right into the real world

Horror movies never go out of fashion. People absolutely love being scared out of their wits, for some reason, whether it’s by serial killers, zombies or supernatural happenings.

And some people get so frightened that it literally changes the way they live their lives, in larger and smaller ways.

Over on the r/horror subreddit, user Serpiego2 has been thinking about this, and posted the following…

‘What horror movie made you change a real-life habit afterward?

‘I’m not talking about being scared for a night or having a nightmare. I mean a horror movie that actually changed something you did in real life afterward.

‘Maybe you stopped looking in mirrors at night. Maybe you started checking the back seat of your car. Maybe you avoided swimming alone, leaving closet doors open, answering unknown calls, or driving behind logging trucks.

‘For me, Final Destination 2 is probably the clearest example. That highway scene permanently changed how I feel about driving behind a truck carrying logs.

‘What horror movie actually changed one of your habits, even if only a little?

A fascinating question, and lots of people chipped in with their own examples, like these…

1.

‘Literally I get on the elliptical at the gym and motivate myself by thinking “I gotta be able to outrun a serial killer”.’
–bitchcraffft

2.

‘Weird answer, but the first two horror movies I saw as a kid were The Lost Boys and Poltergeist. Saw them both when I was around 7 or 8 years old.

‘Both of those movies have scenes where a character unknowingly eats maggots. So I was convinced that accidentally eating maggots must be a common thing. I became hyper-vigilant about checking my food, examining it closely before eating, to make sure it was safe and clean and maggot-free.

‘I got over that fear as I grew up, but the food-checking habit stuck for a long time.’
–PeanutParton

3.

‘Every time I see someone save themself by pulling themself up and out of (like a grave) or over (like a fence) something, I start working towards being able to do a pull-up.

‘I’ve never followed through long enough to be able to do one, but those scenes are usually good for at least a couple weeks of doing lat pulldowns and whatever.’
–kalat1979

4.

‘Japanese horror movies taught me to be nice to people so they don’t die with a grudge against me.’
–YakitoriChicken93

5.

‘I checked the bed for spiders for years after Arachnophobia.’
–Internal_Praline_658

6.

‘Under no circumstances should one ever put their hand into a garbage disposal, ever.’
–Aspartame___

7.

‘I saw Psycho as a 12 year old and refused to take showers if the curtains weren’t clear. This went on until I was in my 20s.’
–TurtleCat_ALoveStory

8.

‘I saw Jaws as a kid, thought sharks were in every water body. Including tubs and swimming pools, even a kiddie pool.’
–BoyMom119816

9.

‘Super Size Me made me avoid McDonald’s for almost two decades. Yes, I do count that as a horror movie.’
–TieFighterAlpha2

10.

‘I now put my silverware into the dishwasher face down after watching Evil Dead Burn.’
–DiagonallyConfident

11.

‘I carry portable chargers with me on all my trips. Thanks, Get Out!’
–Wooden-Combination80

12.

‘The scene in Silence of the Lambs where the woman helps the creep load a piece of furniture into his van and thinks nothing of climbing into the van to help.

‘I was in my early 20s when that movie came out and that scene bothered me so much because it was something I would do without hesitation. It made a deep impression on me.’
–Darkbluetea