Life Advice from Bryce: How do I bring fear back into my life?

How do I bring fear back into my life?

Hi, I’m Bryce, and I’m the editor of Netflix Life.

A few times a month, Netflix Life will be publishing a life advice column, answering readers questions about anything and everything related to Netflix and life, in general.

I’m not a doctor or a therapist. I don’t play one on TV. And, I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn last night. But, I watch a lot of TV shows and movies, probably way more than most people, and I often say things like, “Do you remember in The Office when…” or “That reminds of that scene in (insert show or movie here)…” So, I feel qualified that way.

If you’d like to submit a question, you can do so three ways: email, via Facebook message, or on Twitter. If you submit through Twitter, make sure you tag me (@bryceolin).

We have a very spooky question this week.

At the bottom, you can find a few more questions specifically about Netflix.

Dear Bryce, 

I (41M) used to live in a haunted house in the middle of nowhere for three years. I never saw any ghosts, but I know they were there. My parents and siblings never believed me.
 
While we lived there, I hated it. I was scared all of the time. The funny thing is after we moved away, I never felt that rush of waking up in the middle of the night thinking something was under my bed or in my closet. Now, I miss that thrill.
 
I just moved into a brand new house. I live alone, but I find myself missing all of the house noises from that old house. Around Halloween, I miss that feeling even more. 

I want that rush of adrenaline I used to feel when the doors randomly slamming shut, the creaking floorboards, and the thrill of feeling like someone’s watching me all the time. The fear has gone out of my life. How do I bring it back?

— Haunted but Not Afraid

Dear Not Afraid,

This is a great question. Normally, we see questions about people trying to escape the traumas of living in haunted houses during childhood or even as adults.

If watching political news or reading anything about the pandemic isn’t scary enough for you, I don’t know how much I can help, although I do have a few ideas for you.

First, I’d try to find your Hill House or Bly Manor.

I’d do a quick google search of the area near you and see if you can find an old, haunted estate to move into for the time being. Maybe you could even sign on to become the caretaker, nanny, gardener or chef. I’m sure the ghosts of your past will quickly return. It’s like immersion therapy, but instead of fighting your fears, you’d be finding them again.

Assuming moving out of your current residence isn’t an option, you have a few more options.

You could revisit your childhood home and see what the ghosts are up to if the house is still standing. You didn’t say, but if there was a room in the house with a red door (or any color door) that would never open, I’d probably avoid going back. It’s probably a trap, and you’ll probably get stuck there forever.

This next option is way too scary for me, but you could get an ouija board, visit haunted locations, and try to make a couple of contacts. This has been known to backfire on occasion. If you find yourself blacking out for long periods of time and not remembering what you were doing, or waking up with bite or scratch marks all over your body, congratulations, you’ve probably been possessed.

If none of that works, well, you’re a lost cause. But that itself is something to be afraid of!

I mean, it could be worse. You could be like Hubie Shubie Dubois and be afraid of, literally, everything. So, bright sides.

When is Stranger Things season 4 coming to Netflix? 

Not soon!

Why did Netflix cancel Mindhunter?

Well, it’s not exactly that Netflix canceled Mindhunter. It’s more of a combination of things. First of all, Mindhunter season 2 didn’t pull huge viewership. That’s what David Fincher seemed to imply. And, Fincher and Netflix don’t seem super excited to spend all that cash to make another season of Mindhunter without a guaranteed return.

What movies or shows should I watch for Halloween on Netflix? 

I’m not huge into scary movies. If you’re looking for something of the non-scary variety, I’d go with Hubie Halloween. You can listen to all my reasons why you should watch Hubie Halloween in the For Fans Of podcast.

If you do like scary content, you can’t go wrong with The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor.  

Happy Halloween!