Paranormal movies and their effect on perceiving actual events

Hi, I am a huge fan of paranormal and horror movies and shows. I have been thinking about their possible effect on people having a paranormal experience in their lives.

I'll try to be clear - do you think that watching paranormal films a great deal can cause me to start to think that I experience more 'actual' paranormal events. If yes does this make me less credible as a source or witness to such events? I just think that it may be the old 'I have a particular make of car so I start to see or notice that make of car everywhere I go' syndrome.

If I have a actual paranormal experience in my life would I be more credible to others if I had no previous interest in the subject? I'm just worried that if I were to have an experience that I myself might not believe it since I might just say that it's just because I just saw a movie about that subject. Hmmm.

Thanks for any input on this question?

The power of suggestion might have something to do with it or then again, watching shows like that might make you more perceptive in what to look/listen for.

The mind could generate some hallucination because of someone's mind always being pointed in that direction. But I'm sure there are plently of people who've seen things and aren't too heavily intrigued with the paranormal.

I've seen a ghost as a child without knowing about or being told about ghosts until after that event but yeah, a lot of people can perceive the natural expanding and contracting of houses (especially wood) at night as paranormal, especially after seeing something similar on tv.

Thing is, where does that leave the small minority who actually experience something real that can't be explained because ridicule and disbelief always follows those cases.

A door closes automatically and they shout that a ghost did it because they saw Paranormal Activity the day before and it happened on there; whilst it was just a gust of wind.

I'm sure it happens often.

I had a strange thing happen just the other day. I was at a relatives house watching a show about paranormal activity, people seeing ghosts etc.., then I watched a show on the paranormal channel about a psychic medium who almost singlehandedly solved a case of murder through contact with the dead girl. As soon as the program was over I went down the hallway, as I got to the end of the hall where there are two bedroom doors, I heard one of the bedroom doorknobs being turned and the door open, it made me instantly nervous because I was alone in the house or I thought I was. The thing is neither of the doors actually opened, I just heard very clearly the sound of the door opening from about two feet away. It was very strange. I did think in my mind that there might have been a connection to this happening in part because I had just been watching the paranormal channel.

I love the paranormal shows, but personally, I am more skeptical of possible experiences than I was way before I started watching the shows.

I know I have had my experiences before that there were no possible explination for. These days however, everytime I hear or see something, I instantly go into debunk mode. Especially since I am living in an older house now.

Thanks for all of the nice comments. Hearing the doors opening when they really didn't is the type of thing that would give me the creeps alright. I'm a true bonafide fan of all things horror and supernatural related. Heck, I think that the Ghost hunter guys/gals have the best job in the world.

I also have a great ability to connect things that I see and hear to films, etc that I have seen. Sometimes I can really psych myself out haha.

Originally posted by AidanK
Thanks for all of the nice comments. Hearing the doors opening when they really didn't is the type of thing that would give me the creeps alright. I'm a true bonafide fan of all things horror and supernatural related. Heck, I think that the Ghost hunter guys/gals have the best job in the world.

I also have a great ability to connect things that I see and hear to films, etc that I have seen. Sometimes I can really psych myself out haha.

At least watch the good stuff. Nothing wrong with that. I love a good scary movie.