ssues & ideas EDITOR ANNA DIMOFF THE VOICE, THURSDAY, OCT. 29, 2015 7 The evolution of fear The urban landscape produces new elements for the public to fear. How will you survive? Sustaining the fear in modern film How movies have adapted to keep people on the edge of their seats Phobias can be formed by area and experiences Regional triggers can instill fears in locals By BRIDGETTE WATSON ronments, then so are their fears. Evidence has shown that a person’s surroundings can shape their phobias. Dr. Melisa Robichaud, a Vancouver psychologist specializing in anxiety disorders, said certain phobias could be more prevalent in regions where anxiety-inducing triggers are different. For instance, Robichaud often saw patients in Montreal terrified of sub- ways, in comparison with Vancouver where people more commonly fear bridges. The Public Health Agency of Canada reports eight per cent of Canadians have a specific pho- bia, where they suf- fer from an intense, irrational fear of something that poses no immedi- ate danger. People have been known to fear such oddi- ties as buttons, I: people are products of their envi- AUBRINA CULP long words and Suffers from cheese, but more phobia common phobias include dogs, storms, needles and heights. No one thing causes phobias. They develop “within our own culture and our own experiences and whatever it is that we deem is threatening,” accord- ing to Robichaud. However, we can put some of the blame on evolution. “T view anxiety like we aren’t fully cooked from an evolutionary point of view. Our fear is designed to help us FREAKY dangers, but we phobias haven’t been in physical danger for a long time. Our body reacts in the same way if we are afraid of bears or afraid of keys,” Robi- Ephebiphobia: the fear of youth chaud said. Ichthyophobia: the A fear that Au- fear of fish brina Culp, a 27-year-old office Samhainophobia: administrator at the fear of Halloween the Ministry of ustice, has had J ? Trypophobia: the to face SINnce fear of objects with childhood is a emall holes phobia of walk- ing on grass. Hastenburaphobia: “Tm really scared of not knowing ~~ what I’m stepping on. If ’'m_ walking with friends they know that I have to walk around the grass. I just can’t ever bring myself to do it,” the fear of grass Catoptrophobia: the fear of mirrors Pognophobia: the fear of beards on oa fF WA NHN = Globophobia: the fear of balloons Various Sources. Culp said. Experts sug- gest seeking help if a phobia is impeding your quali- ty of life. For Culp, who thinks of her grass phobia as more quirky than criti- cal, she’s coping by “just staying on the sidewalk for now.” *Chances are if you’re reading this in print, you don’t suffer from chloephobia, or an irrational fear of newspapers. Posters advertise late night scary movies at the Rio Theatre in East Vancouver. | By NANCY PLECHATY ue the creepy music and add some realism. With technology constantly changing, it takes more effort to make a truly fear inducing film these days than just cheap props and cheesy lines. People have been flocking to the- atres since the beginning of movie- making time, seeking the thrill of a good scare. Hitchcock films and The Shining fea- ture specific core elements in film- making that can still evoke physiologi- cal responses to fear: sound and relatability. Industry expert Jonas Quastel, a Langara College film instructor who directs, writes and produces movies, said that an audio sting, which is a com- bination of sound effects and music, is a big component to making movies scary today. Singer Anna Pelehos agreed, saying music is the lynchpin to making a ter- rifying movie. “It is such a huge ele- ment, adding to the suspense and the build-up.” Quastel believes that allowing the audience to relate to characters or sce- narios in a movie is an effective tech- nique to make even the bravest jump. “It’s really hard to scare me, unless there is something that I can relate to,” Quastel said. “I get scared by someone in the bathroom mirror, something ev- erybody can relate to.” Movies based on real events score high on the fear factor list for this rea- son exactly. “The realism, when you see this movie is based on true events makes your hair rise because you know that this is a true story,” Pelehos said. Rachel Fox, a movie programmer for the Rio Theatre, said The Shining usu- ally runs twice a year at the theatre and still scares moviegoers today. “Horror is very much alive. People 4 look for it because they want to get in- * vested in a story or character and they NANCY PLECHATY photo know there’s going to be elements that jolt them,” she added. Taking frights to new heights in the media Fear-mongering tactics and shocking images flooding the Internet cause increased anxiety in society By ROSEMARY NEWTON plays of footage from 9/11, the mainstream media has been elicit- ing fear from its consumers for centu- ries. In today’s contemporary media landscape, shocking stories and imag- es are increasingly available. The media often works within an ‘economy of fear’, said Stuart Poyntz, assistant professor of communications at SFU. Dangerous and violent content, while often delivering high ratings, can result in intensified public fear. “[The media is] drawn to the kind of shock value stories that are frightening.” Kiana Brown, a first year health sci- ences student at Langara College, said she notices that topics of fear are popu- lar in discussion among her circle of friends. “People share information on one topic and it can make it seem much worse than it is,” she said about issues like Hurricane Patricia. “The terms of fear and moral panic have changed in the age of the Internet, Fe: World War propaganda to re- but many of the dynamics are the same,” Poyntz said. He noted children are often the targets of fear mongering ‘stranger danger’ tactics. Terrifying imagery can have such a lasting impact that 90 per cent of adults readily recall a traumatizing TV or movie moment from their childhood, ac- cording to Medi- aSmarts: Canada’s Cen- tre For Digital And Media Literacy. Mark Schaller, a profes- sor of psychology at UBC, said people develop fear through social learning and learn to avoid what elicits fear. People’s attempts to avoid fears could manifest “as forms of aggression, prejudice and/or discrimination,” he said. While access to social media and sensationalist articles might bring-on further anxiety, Poyntz said that people increase their ability to be skeptical by consuming news regularly in any form. ROS MARY NEWTON photo illustration