Horror Films to Watch Based on Common Phobias

A recent study reports that more than half of the adult population have some degree of fear when it comes to clowns. Five percent of the population admitted to having an extreme fear, which was interesting, as this number trends higher than any other studied phobia.

Some are scared of clowns because their human emotions are obscured by makeup, giving them an uncanny valley affect. Others are uncomfortable with the unpredictability of these performers.

There are probably a few people that also just watched It way too young…

But when it comes to the clowniest of clowns, the best clown horror movie is, of course, Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

In this movie, aliens that look unsettlingly like clowns arrive on earth in a small town, where they terrorize the locals, harvesting humans for sustenance.

Spiders are, perhaps, the most detested bug around the globe. While some are only scared of the big nasties like tarantulas, some can't even abide by the littlest of house spiders.

Personally, one spider makes me start to sweat. A cluster of them? I'm ready to barf.

Here's hoping the trailer attached to this is right, because I couldn't even stomach watching it. I'm starting to wonder why I pitched this article at all…

But when it comes to a veritable spider hell, no movie is more appropriate than the aptly titled Arachnophobia.

In this horror comedy, a California town is overrun by a new species of South American killer spider. As the creepy crawlies multiply, a trail of horrifying deaths unsettle Dr. Ross Jennings (Jeff Daniels), who has just moved to town with his family.

Interestingly enough, while most phobias decrease in frequency as people get older, the fear of heights is one phobia that actually gets more common as people as. This is likely due to an increased consciousness of health and frailty.

But some people are always on edge when their feet are off the ground. And the movie Fall definitely preys on that stomach-churning anxiety.

A pair of best friends set out to take an emotionally healing climb up a 2,000 foot TV tower. But things rapidly go wrong when, in the remote desert, they find themselves stranded atop the dilapidated structure.

Although the fear of germs is a frequent symptom in conditions like Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, I'm sure you can imagine why there might be a recent uptick in fear across many different kinds of individuals.

Since COVID, even those without chronic mental conditions have struggled with anxiety over contamination and illness. Sales of hand sanitizer continue to sky rocket, even after an initial 600% increase in profits in 2020.

We all got more than enough exposure therapy to last multiple lifetimes, but if you're a glutton for sickly punishment, no movie will put you more on edge than Contagion.

Featuring a star-studded cast that includes Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and beyond, this film follows everyone from average citizens to healthcare workers to government officials as a deadly pandemic wreaks havoc.

While for some people the fear of deep bodies of water stems from a traumatic childhood experience, for others, it's just an evolutionary survival instinct at work.

If you quiver every time you step out onto a boat, is it because you can't swim, or because the ocean holds too many unknown secrets?

Well, Deep Blue Sea will either help your anxieties or make them far, far worse, depending on how much you believe in the plausibility of genetically engineered genius sharks who hate you specifically.

A group of scientists researching Alzheimer's disease are conducting experiments in an isolated underwater facility. Predictably, the sharks used as test subjects are quick to fight back.

While children are more commonly afraid of the dark than adults, those who fear it are driven by an instinctual, evolutionary response to potential threats. Simply put, it's scary not knowing what's going on around you.

This phobia can cause sufferers to develop insomnia, making it an especially debilitating fear if it reaches extreme levels.

Horror movies tend to make this fear worse, but if you're feeling brave…

Lights Out follows a woman, Rebecca (Teresa Palmer), who struggles to keep her young half-brother, Martin (Gabriel Bateman), safe from a supernatural entity that hunts them only in the dark.

About 12% of the population is terrified of small spaces. Those suffering from this phobia experience a triggered fight-or-flight response—which can get especially tricky if that small place is somewhere like an elevator.

There's probably no worse place to panic than a confined space, given that it can be stuffy, hot, crowded, and potentially short on air. But that description probably isn't helping anyone's anxiety.

And this might not either!

As Above, So Below is a found footage film that follows a team of explorers as they explore an off-limits section of the Catacombs of Paris in search of the Philosopher's Stone. But there is a chilling, dark secret that lies within the city of the dead.

Lilapsophobia is an extreme fear of violent thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Those afflicted with this are prone to compulsive weather monitoring and emergency preparation, and may even slip into agoraphobic (fear of going outside) habits.

As you can imagine, this is a phobia that can be heavily influenced by a person's environment.

I grew up in an area of Georgia that was not unfamiliar with tornadoes. And yet, it was the movie Twister that made me absolutely terrified of them, to the point where any strong wind makes my heart race.

To this day I still can't finish the film. But maybe you can do it for me.

Meteorologist Jo (Helen Hunt) leads a brave group of storm chasers. As her estranged husband, Bill (Bill Paxton), tracks her down to sign the divorce papers, the pair and her team set off after several extremely violent tornadoes in order to make a breakthrough in tornado research.