questions about fear

[2eclipse]

aryaluna and mirage897 have got me truly interested in this today.

i hate being scared. i just hate it. i don't like scary suspense either. the only scary movies i really like are the ludicrous ones like cemetery man and frighteners and the army of darkness stuff. hell, i don't even like roller-coasters and have only learned to tolerate them by getting LESS scared of them. the only shiver that is a good shiver from reading scary books is when i already know what is going to happen and so am less afraid for the characters than i would be if i truly didn't know the outcome. my willing-suspension of disbelief is a whore. a bit too willing.

but i hear ya'll talking about the horror genre with relish all the time!
how does that work? for those of you who like horror, what is it about being terrified that you enjoy? or is it that you simply don't find the same things scary? are there limits to what you can enjoy and what will give you nightmares? do you actually get nightmares? i mean, if you enjoy being afraid...is it really a nightmare? what makes fear real and uncomfortable for you? does it have to be about you or someone you love for it to be unpleasant? or is it just about expectations? i know for me i was troubled, but not afraid after 9-11 because 1)everyone i knew was safe and 2)it didn't alter my sense of safety. i didn't feel that we were safe before the horrible events.

are there any other people out there who really hate being afraid?

please answer in as much detail as you can, i'm really interested in this.