Panic Room: by Ashley Sinclair

As a kid, I grew up watching horror movies. I mean, I don’t think that’s totally normal, but it’s not super weird in my opinion. It was an easy creative outlet in a sense for my imaginative, growing brain. I always found it interesting how many of these movies had similar storylines (say teens on an adventure) with a similar ending (they all get killed except for one or two). I was excited from the adventure, yet comforted from knowing what was going to happen. Is that a weird thing to say about horror movies?

Maybe my anxiety stemmed from horror movies. What about Halloween? I’ve always for some reason enjoyed Halloween. I love the fact that it is a day where you don’t have to worry about anything or anyone judging you. You can do or be whoever you want! I don’t mean to go into the history of Halloween or anything like that; just the general aspect of Halloween as a whole. Nowadays, I’m still intrigued by like, The Walking Dead. Again, I’m not sure why, but I’m just noting this as maybe some of this has to be related to my anxiety.

 One of the movies I remember most, is “Panic Room.” There I was, at 12 years old, laying out the velvet blanket on the living room floor, excited to heat up my Pizza Rolls in the microwave and get this movie started. This was a typical Friday night for me, whether with my friends, parents, or myself.

 I remember the scene vividly where Jodi Foster and Kristen Stewart are sitting in the corner of the panic room, waiting for the intruders to find them. I remember the feeling I felt. It felt similar, it felt like real life. My palms were sweaty, my breath was short, I could feel my heart pounding. It all went away once this scene was over. What I didn’t know, was this was just the beginning.