Trigger warnings: boundaries, survival, mental health, horror, scary, sharks, exorcism

Boundaries work is top tier therapy some would say. Some even organize their whole practices around this. Nedra Tawwab, a LCSW who writes book, workbooks, flipcharts, and decks about boundaries (https://www.nedratawwab.com/) describes a boundary as something that keeps us safe and comfortable in a relationship (be that romantic, family, friends, work, etc) dynamic and that there are different types of boundaries and boundaries within context.

When it comes to horror boundaries, I would say most people have them. We’ve all heard people say “I can’t do exorcism movies because I was raised Catholic and it’s too scary to me” or some form of that. And even within that there are times when movies do these things in a way that can be digestible. I would hazard to guess that depending on what is going on in our lives at the moment, so horror genres or context might just be too triggering or anxiety provoking as well. I remember having to turn off an episode of Black Mirror (The Entire History of You S1 E3) because it just stressed me out too much but will gladly eat pizza while being entertained at the unique death scene in 2024’s A Violent Nature.

Thinking about each of our specific window of tolerance (remember), I think it’s fascinating to see how each of us willingly steps into the horror genre and what horror we will not go near. Home invasions, things with kids, shark movies? What about the level of fear is a hard line? For a lot of people it can be the realism factor (sharks get a bad rap, they’re actually pretty amazing creatures). Can this scenario actually happen to me? Did I hear someone open a window just now?! This can be part of the thrill….if you can tolerate it. And that can depend on a lot of things (history, stress levels, etc).

Are there horror movies, genres, or media that if someone says they are fans of or huge admirers of that just gives you the ick? Is it because it pushes against our horror boundaries or because of ‘wow, what a tool for thinking that was nothing but disgusting and problematic’? I’ve seen great exchanges on the tweet/skeet alongs for horror nights on social media and also people who are aggressive/hateful and often get ousted by the community for being problematic. That’s an example in real time of boundary work.

I write all this to say that it’s ok to normalize having different opinions and boundaries when it comes to horror. Horror fans are usually pretty dang decent at this in my experience. People often have very specific and personal reasons for liking certain things (or not, maybe that Terrifier 2 kill was just f*cking nasty and affecting). We don’t necessarily have to explain our boundaries and if someone is being pushy or rude about it, that tells us that they basically don’t deserve our information anyway.

So, what’s your favorite scary movie (and horror boundaries)? 🔪

References

Boundaries | Psychology Today. (n.d.). Retrieved May 21, 2025, from www.psychologytoday.com website: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/boundaries

Martin, S. (2020, April 23). 7 Types of Boundaries You May Need. Retrieved from Psych Central website: https://psychcentral.com/blog/imperfect/2020/04/7-types-of-boundaries-you-may-need#7-Non-Negotiable-Boundaries

PHILLIPS, B. K. R. (2022). The Ethical Edge of a Chainsaw, or How Horror Invites Us to Ponder the. Retrieved from Media Ethics Magazine website: https://www.mediaethicsmagazine.com/index.php/browse-back-issues/218-spring-2022-vol-33-no-2/3999383-the-ethical-edge-of-a-chainsaw-or-how-horror-invites-us-to-ponder-the-limits-of-our-experience

Tawwab, N. (n.d.). Nedra Tawwab. Retrieved from Nedra Tawwab website: https://www.nedratawwab.com/