How to Scare Yourself
Watch a jump scare video online., Watch a scary movie packed with jump scares., Play a scary video game., If possible, visit a haunted house., Get a friend to agree to play a prank on you., Put yourself in a situation with a false sense of danger...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Watch a jump scare video online.
If you're looking for a "jump scare" — that quick jolt of fear that you get when something suddenly surprises you — there's probably no quicker way to get it than this.
Shocking "popup" and "screamer" videos came to popularity in the early days of the internet and have been a staple online prank ever since.
Usually, these videos show a simple, pleasant scene or animation to lull you into a false sense of security, then have a horrifying image suddenly appear, accompanied by loud noise.
It's cheap, but effective, and if you've never seen a jump scare video before, it's almost impossible to not be scared by one.
Ready to be scared? Here's a short list of videos to watch — some have jump scares and some don't.
Click at your own risk! For best results, watch alone in the dark with headphones in full-screen mode.
Video 1 Video 2 Video 3 Video 4 Video 5 Video 6 -
Step 2: Watch a scary movie packed with jump scares.
Good scary movies pack a lifetime's worth of scares into two hours or less.
Want a fun, scary way to spend the evening? Invite a few friends over for a movie night and watch a scary movie no one has seen before — if you're lucky, you may experience dozens of excellent jump scares in a single night! Here is a brief list of horror movies that contain at least one truly shocking jump scare — many contain more.
Insidious The Descent The Ring The Exorcist III The Thing Audition Mulholland Drive (this is not a horror movie but contains a single profoundly scary jump scare early in the film), While it may once have seemed unlikely that video games could ever compete with horror movies, some games today are seriously scary.
Even more so than with scary movies, scary video games allow you to personally experience the events happening on screen — since you have some control over the events of the game, you're naturally invested in what's happening (and, thus, you're extra-vulnerable to getting scared!) Some games that are considered to be among the scariest of all time are listed below (there are many more):
Slender (Windows, Mac) (Free to download) Amnesia:
The Dark Descent (Windows, Mac, Linux) Most games in the Silent Hill series (many platforms — consult the wiki for more information) Five Nights at Freddy's and its sequels Five Nights at Freddy's 2,3,4, and Sister Location (Windows and mobile) Condemned:
Criminal Origins (Xbox 360 and Windows) , Is it late September or October? If so, there may be chance that there are one or more haunted houses open around you.
Haunted houses can be great fun with friends or significant others (they can even make great dates if your sweetheart has the right temperament.) If you're truly brave, consider going through on your own, but be ready to be scared witless — many haunted house owners take great pride in their ability to shock visitors in new, inventive ways.
If you do go to a haunted house, be sure to use proper etiquette even as you're being scared.
Luckily, this is mostly common sense: don't touch the actors, don't try to ruin scares before they happen, and so on.
See our article How to Avoid Ticking Off the Actors in a Haunted House for more information. , If you're willing to put your jump scare in someone else's hands, consider enlisting the help of a trusted friend.
Tell your friend that you want to be scared sometime in the next few days and that you don't want to see it coming, then simply go about your life.
Beware — assuming your friend remembers to uphold his or her part of the bargain, a nasty scare will be waiting for you just around the corner in the near future! , Some people enjoy the thrill of being scared so much that they'll actually deliberately seek out things that make them feel like they're in danger but are actually safe.
Sound ridiculous? If you've ever gone on a roller coaster, you've done the same thing! Below are just a few ideas for perfectly safe activities that may make you feel like you're in mortal peril:
Going on a roller coaster or amusement park ride.
Standing next to the railing on the observation deck of a tall building.
Rock climbing (indoor; with a harness) See a thrilling IMAX movie Going in a full-body computer flight simulator (these are often at science centers, museums, and other educational facilities) , Phobias are intense, irrational fears that are centered around certain specific things or activities.
Almost everyone has something that seems to freak them out more than it freaks out others, but about four to five percent of the population have clinical (medically significant) phobias.If you have a mild phobia (but not a severe one), consider exposing yourself to the thing you dread to give yourself a quick jolt of adrenaline.
Only do this if you have no previous history of experiencing fainting or anxiety attacks from your phobia.
Unsure whether or not you have a phobia? The most common phobias are arachnophobia (a fear of spiders), ophidiophobia (a fear of snakes), acrophobia (a fear of heights), necrophobia (a fear of dead things), cynophobia (a fear of dogs), and claustrophobia (a fear of tight spaces).
If any of these make you feel a deep dread, you may have a phobia.Note that, unlike all of the other activities in this section, this one has a small (but real) risk of causing lasting distress.
People with severe phobias may be paralyzed with traumatizing fear if they attempt to confront their phobia head-on.
In this case, the phobia is an issue to seek psychological help for — not something to use for a cheap thrill.
See our "overcoming phobias" article for more information. -
Step 3: Play a scary video game.
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Step 4: If possible
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Step 5: visit a haunted house.
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Step 6: Get a friend to agree to play a prank on you.
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Step 7: Put yourself in a situation with a false sense of danger.
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Step 8: Face a phobia.
Detailed Guide
If you're looking for a "jump scare" — that quick jolt of fear that you get when something suddenly surprises you — there's probably no quicker way to get it than this.
Shocking "popup" and "screamer" videos came to popularity in the early days of the internet and have been a staple online prank ever since.
Usually, these videos show a simple, pleasant scene or animation to lull you into a false sense of security, then have a horrifying image suddenly appear, accompanied by loud noise.
It's cheap, but effective, and if you've never seen a jump scare video before, it's almost impossible to not be scared by one.
Ready to be scared? Here's a short list of videos to watch — some have jump scares and some don't.
Click at your own risk! For best results, watch alone in the dark with headphones in full-screen mode.
Video 1 Video 2 Video 3 Video 4 Video 5 Video 6
Good scary movies pack a lifetime's worth of scares into two hours or less.
Want a fun, scary way to spend the evening? Invite a few friends over for a movie night and watch a scary movie no one has seen before — if you're lucky, you may experience dozens of excellent jump scares in a single night! Here is a brief list of horror movies that contain at least one truly shocking jump scare — many contain more.
Insidious The Descent The Ring The Exorcist III The Thing Audition Mulholland Drive (this is not a horror movie but contains a single profoundly scary jump scare early in the film), While it may once have seemed unlikely that video games could ever compete with horror movies, some games today are seriously scary.
Even more so than with scary movies, scary video games allow you to personally experience the events happening on screen — since you have some control over the events of the game, you're naturally invested in what's happening (and, thus, you're extra-vulnerable to getting scared!) Some games that are considered to be among the scariest of all time are listed below (there are many more):
Slender (Windows, Mac) (Free to download) Amnesia:
The Dark Descent (Windows, Mac, Linux) Most games in the Silent Hill series (many platforms — consult the wiki for more information) Five Nights at Freddy's and its sequels Five Nights at Freddy's 2,3,4, and Sister Location (Windows and mobile) Condemned:
Criminal Origins (Xbox 360 and Windows) , Is it late September or October? If so, there may be chance that there are one or more haunted houses open around you.
Haunted houses can be great fun with friends or significant others (they can even make great dates if your sweetheart has the right temperament.) If you're truly brave, consider going through on your own, but be ready to be scared witless — many haunted house owners take great pride in their ability to shock visitors in new, inventive ways.
If you do go to a haunted house, be sure to use proper etiquette even as you're being scared.
Luckily, this is mostly common sense: don't touch the actors, don't try to ruin scares before they happen, and so on.
See our article How to Avoid Ticking Off the Actors in a Haunted House for more information. , If you're willing to put your jump scare in someone else's hands, consider enlisting the help of a trusted friend.
Tell your friend that you want to be scared sometime in the next few days and that you don't want to see it coming, then simply go about your life.
Beware — assuming your friend remembers to uphold his or her part of the bargain, a nasty scare will be waiting for you just around the corner in the near future! , Some people enjoy the thrill of being scared so much that they'll actually deliberately seek out things that make them feel like they're in danger but are actually safe.
Sound ridiculous? If you've ever gone on a roller coaster, you've done the same thing! Below are just a few ideas for perfectly safe activities that may make you feel like you're in mortal peril:
Going on a roller coaster or amusement park ride.
Standing next to the railing on the observation deck of a tall building.
Rock climbing (indoor; with a harness) See a thrilling IMAX movie Going in a full-body computer flight simulator (these are often at science centers, museums, and other educational facilities) , Phobias are intense, irrational fears that are centered around certain specific things or activities.
Almost everyone has something that seems to freak them out more than it freaks out others, but about four to five percent of the population have clinical (medically significant) phobias.If you have a mild phobia (but not a severe one), consider exposing yourself to the thing you dread to give yourself a quick jolt of adrenaline.
Only do this if you have no previous history of experiencing fainting or anxiety attacks from your phobia.
Unsure whether or not you have a phobia? The most common phobias are arachnophobia (a fear of spiders), ophidiophobia (a fear of snakes), acrophobia (a fear of heights), necrophobia (a fear of dead things), cynophobia (a fear of dogs), and claustrophobia (a fear of tight spaces).
If any of these make you feel a deep dread, you may have a phobia.Note that, unlike all of the other activities in this section, this one has a small (but real) risk of causing lasting distress.
People with severe phobias may be paralyzed with traumatizing fear if they attempt to confront their phobia head-on.
In this case, the phobia is an issue to seek psychological help for — not something to use for a cheap thrill.
See our "overcoming phobias" article for more information.
About the Author
Daniel Stokes
Experienced content creator specializing in cooking guides and tutorials.
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