We will explore psychology as it relates to authentic fear and the rush of dopamine and adrenaline we experience through entertainment. Students will meet through live meetings once a week as we learn about the brain and the instinct to react to real and imagined danger. We'll discuss how haunt owners and film makers exploit our instincts to craft specific experiences. Students will discuss their favorite films and the impact they felt watching them. We'll write short essays on the films that scared us. We'll watch interviews with horror film makers and haunted attraction owners. Power point presentations are used as well as you tube videos shared in the class room. In week one we get an introduction to the horror movie genre and discuss why we have fear instincts. We also explore the many types of movie watchers and discuss what categories we fit in. Week two is full of understanding how film makers utilize elements such as sound and camera angles to create illusions of drama and danger. We learn how fear and anxiety are manufactured. Week three explores what we are afraid of and how we can over come these fears. Week four is full of interviews with film makers and haunted attraction owners and operators who tell us how horror movies were therapeutic and inspirational to them. We finish the course by exploring ways to take control of our fear and calm down after a scary movie or event and bring ourselves to a restful state.