The Anatomy of a Scare

There are a couple reasons why we human beings are so addicted to horror films—but the thrill of a scare is definitely the most fun one.

That’s a thrill also on offer at Vancouver escape game Krakit. Not only are you put in a terrifying situation—a zombie apocalypse, a madman butcher on the loose—with limited time to save yourself, but live actors are prone to jump out at any minute.

All scare fans know and love that feeling: that mixture of dread and glee. Here’s how it works.

The Build Up

We step up to a scary movie or a horror-inspired escape game with some pre-existing knowledge: that is, we know something seriously creepy is going to happen. We don’t know when, we don’t know where, we just know that it will. The anticipation puts us on edge, just waiting for the moment when—

Something Happens

Though the build up is excruciatingly slow, the “something” is lighting quick. Whether it’s the sudden appearance of a menacing face in a window, the sudden cutting of the lights, or the sudden motion of something you didn’t even realize was in the room, it’s always, without fail, accompanied by a loud noise.

Involuntary Reaction

There’s always a noise, because that’s what jumpstarts your automatic nervous system, releasing a flash of fight-or-flight chemicals and making you jump involuntarily. Specifically, a loud noise activates something in our primal brain (aka the amygdala) called the Startle Circuit—which goes off with no conscious thought, taking you from “loud noise” to “spilled popcorn” in 50 milliseconds.

Giggle Fit

Because we know we’re ultimately safe—that the Krakit Butcher’s knife isn’t real—the next response is usually to laugh at ourselves. Once our lizard brain catches up and also realizes we’re not really in danger, the effects of the adrenaline pump we just received are reversed, slowing our heart rate—and preparing us for the next scare.

Let Your Fear Guide You

A fearful encounter becomes enjoyable when we can accurately gauge the risk of harm. Our bodies are genetically disposed to a fight-or-flight protection response when confronted with fear. When we increase our emotional encounters surrounding our fears, our brains ability to access actual danger improves. We still experience the emotion of being scared, but our mind lets us enjoy the experience rather than running from it.

The science behind enjoying a fearful experience begins and ends in the brain. Emotional experiences stimulate the amygdala, the part of the brain that processes emotional learning and memory. The amygdala increases the production of a protein known as Arc. This protein strengthens the synapses in the hippocampus that store long-term memories. With stronger connections, the brain is more prone to remember an emotional event rather than a neutral one. We use these memories to gauge risk.

Young children are more susceptible to unnecessary emotional responses when confronted with fear because their brain is unable to make the distinction between reality and fiction. Their brains have a limited number of experiences to pull from, so there bodies gauge the risk as high.

This is one of the major reasons why we don't recommend our escape rooms for anyone under the age of eight. We also suggest that an adult accompany guests between the ages of eight and thirteen.

Fearful encounters can also be used for treatment. When we increase our experiences with situations that we consider fearful, our bank of emotional memories increases. Our brain remembers that the experience ended without harm and our anxiety is reduced, reducing our fear. This form of treatment is termed cognitive therapy. It can be used to treat phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder for unnecessary anxiety.

Another benefit of fear is that it focuses our attention. In a flight-or-fight situation, our minds need to be on point. Fear reduces our concern with trivial thoughts and forces our brains to make quick and effective responses to threats.

With a time limit of 45 minutes, Vancouver's Escape Game uses fear to promote success. When we increase the fear factor, we create an atmosphere that demands speedy decision-making. Put the clues together, solve the puzzle and escape to freedom.

Harness your fears and you are guaranteed to enjoy the game.

Ignore Yoda's advice. Channel your fear.