Can I watch this show that's scaring me?

Post date: 2023-01-24 13:03:56

The first episode of the new HBO TV show The Last of Us creeped me out for hours. I started the second episode last night, but I was so stressed, I ended up turning it off. Is there any way to make it easier for me to watch it and other similar things? Spoilers for this and likely other media within probably]

I am a big fan of apocalyptic fiction, in novels and short stories as well as TV and film. However, I am more interested in the "how we survive" element than anything horror-like. I'm not scared of all horror movies and shows, but I am pretty scared of zombies (it's been a tough few decades) after watching Dawn of the Dead (I know, right?) at an impressionable age. A friend suggested exposure therapy, so I actually read World War Z and then even watched the film. I read some other book that turned out to be a zombie book, too. I enjoyed the books and the film was tolerable.

I like the dystopian aspect of The Last of Us, and I'm a fan of good sci fi generally. But I was stressed even at parts of the show without zombies (like when the scientist was examining the body in episode two). I couldn't even go finish my laundry in my basement last night because of the dread, and I was creeped out letting my dog outside and back in. I stopped watching when the protagonists were walking into the museum.

I don't have to watch this show, of course. But this did get me wondering if there's any way to desensitize myself to zombies or horror suspense more generally. There are some scary movies that make me tense and jumpy but don't linger with me for too long (aliens and vampires, for example, as long as the vampires aren't too zombie-like, which happens sometimes).

Any tips?

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