I just accidentally watched a really violent horror . . .

[GuessingGownaGoGo]

It's was way too far in before I realised what was coming and it was really graphic. I usually avoid anything like this as the images show up in nightmares for years.

Has anyone got any good tips for cleaning my brain of this horrific film or am I stuck with it?

You could distract yourself before it goes into your long term memory.
I might watch a cartoon from.when I was little or dance around to some pop music.

My go to for situations like these tends to be howls moving castle

Put on a pixar movie

So I would need to soak my brain in another film straight away to avoid the images being committed to long term memory? I had no idea I could do this

I am a fan of studio ghibli but they are long films and I'm sleepy.

I'll try some disney shorts

Play Tetris

What was the violent horror film out of curiosity?

Watch some cute funny kitty or puppy videos on YouTube to relax yourself!

Put on a podcast or audiobook you can fall asleep to - I really like the Sherlock Holmes collection read by Stephen fry on audible or the sleep cove podcast.

Those cats videos where they are dressed as chefs and one is cooking pasta and it lands on the head of the other and they scream with laughter always makes me smile

Make the images black and white, then imagine them at the end of a telescope.. then further and further away.. until they're a dot in the distance

It was Weapons. I thought it was going to be a sci-fi. The trailer didn't give much away. I certainly wasn't expecting the graphic violence that happened regularly from 45 minutes in!

I have so far watched Lava, and a few Simon's cat cartoons. Now doing tetris and will also try the telescope visualisation if the images keep flashing up.

Thanks everyone!

Was coming to say Tetris - glad to see it’s already been mentioned.

I saw Weapons at the cinema. Actually thought it was quite boring but well acted. Quite tame for a horror, but everyone has a limit. I definitely won't be watching the Terrifier films for example... EVER!!

I usually avoid horror films like the plague, so if that's tame @SuperBlondie28 , I'm clearly not the target audience for horror creators.

Horrific. I just don't know how anyone enjoys watching people inflict horrific injuries on themselves/others. It's a strange world.

Maybe a daft q but, once you realised, why didn't you just stop watching?

It's a good question @Artesia. I think I'd become invested in finding out where all the children had gone and wanted to see them return. I thought it was going to be a bit more like Stranger Things.

The first incident I thought was a one-off random attack, but then the film went back in time to show the lead up to that random event from the point of view of different characters. Then something happened with the parents and I turned the sound off and looked away. The final scene I didn't watch at all as it was very prolonged.

The three small parts I did see were so unexpected, there was absolutely no indication that something bad was about to happen - think little old lady popping in for a coffee, but . . . .

It doesn't have the tell tale signs of a classic horror, it was subtle but very graphic in short sections.

I am so glad I didn't watch it with my 16 year old!!!! I nearly did!

I watched it recently. Interesting plot, good casting but gratuitously violent! The forks still make me cringe when I think about them 😟

Yes I had to turn the sound off for the forks bit

Weapons was quite tame wasn’t it? I’m not one for gore and happily watched it.

It didn't feel tame to me.

I despise the horror genre.

I have ADHD and severe anxiety, and it’s one of the few things that helps quiet my mind. Sometimes it’s good to be more open-minded and less judgmental 👍

Love Weapons, I rewatched it last night with teen DS, though we did avert our gaze from a couple of scenes! I think the age rating is the give away, it takes a lot for something to be an 18 these days.

If youre this sensitive you really should take note of the age rating and themes, they’re are clearly displayed. If you watch on Sky it very clearly states the themes in the film, if you don’t a quick google would give you the answer. I always check the parents guide for things I’m watching with the kids to see what themes there are and the severity, you should do this.

It’s like you say OP. We all have different levels of tolerance. I bloody love horror and the gorier the better but I struggle to watch true life dramas/movies as they are too upsetting. I watched Lion a few years ago and I still feel quite traumatised by it. Horror movies don’t feel real at all by comparison.

Those of you that watch horror's - do the images not play out in your dreams?

I very occasionally get really vivid dreams with horrific things happening, so films that this just add more imagery to already horrible nightmares.

If I watch a zombie film I'll be chased all night by zombies and I'll experience all the terror feelings that go with it as it feels like it's really happening. It's very unpleasant.

Weapons? Think your overreacting tbh