It is often said that movies primarily serve as wish fulfillment, to depict people doing things we only wish we could, and in the instance of these 10 films, it happens to be layin' the smack down on the things that terrify us the most. We've all got a blind fear of something, be it insects, heights, or truly weird things like cartons of milk and shampoo, and often, the best way to overcome these fears is through exposure therapy, by subjecting yourself to being in their presence for a period of time. Another, better method - in my totally not-medical opinion - is by demonstrating to the patient how ridiculous their fear object is in the first place, and movies are an absolute goldmine for conveying this. There are so many hilarious - either intentionally or not - depictions of the things that make our blood run cold, that in its most extreme examples, it can at once expose us to the fear stimuli and promptly have us guffawing at it. The connection between the humour and the fear object might just be enough to help stem a crushing phobia. And if not? Well, I won't quit my day job. Here are 10 stupid movies that will help you conquer fears...
10. Arachnophobia (Spiders)
I'll be the first to raise my hand as to having been terrified of spiders as a youngster; it is a totally irrational fear because they can't hurt us (at least where I live), yet in Arachnophobia, this simply isn't the case. A Venezuelan spider begins producing a deadly breed of spiders in a sleepy American town, and promptly go about killing the townsfolk, who can die from simply one bite. I'll admit that for the first 80% or so, this is a damn creepy film - albeit peppered with some welcome comedy - and it played very well into my own fear of the creepy crawlies. That is, until the finale. Things take a turn slightly too silly at the tail-end, when Jeff Daniels' protagonist faces off against the "general" spider, an abnormally large creature that, when flung into a fire, actually lets out a loud, screeching wail. But even then, it comes back from seeming death, and it takes a nail gun to finish the bugger off. By film's end, I was giggling with glee at the absurdity of it, and while it didn't exactly cure my phobia overnight, I wasn't quite so unnerved the next time I saw one. What are they gonna do? Start screeching and scuttle after me?