When most people think of helping children manage anxiety, they imagine soft lighting, soothing music, maybe some toys or coloring sheets. But what if we added ghost stories, simulated thunderstorms, or even a haunted house?
Welcome to the world of scary play—a surprising, research-backed therapeutic approach that uses horror-themed elements to help children better understand and regulate their emotions. While it may sound unconventional, scary play is gaining attention for its effectiveness in treating anxiety and emotional dysregulation in young clients (Scrivner et al., 2023).
What Is Scary Play?
Scary play is a form of exposure therapy blended with play therapy. It invites children to engage with fear—not in overwhelming doses, but in bite-sized, manageable ways. By safely interacting with spooky or mildly distressing situations (like telling scary stories or watching a tame horror movie), children can practice emotional regulation skills in a controlled environment (Scrivner et al., 2023).
Rather than shielding kids from fear, scary play teaches them to “play with fear” and learn from it. It’s based on the idea that when kids are allowed to explore anxiety-triggering emotions through pretend scenarios, they build resilience, gain confidence, and develop coping strategies that transfer to real-life stressors (Scrivner et al., 2023).
Why It Works
Scary play works on both neurological and psychological levels. From the lens of polyvagal theory, our bodies have built-in responses to fear—fight, flight, freeze. In scary play, children activate these responses in a low-risk setting, giving them the chance to learn how to calm their systems down using grounding techniques or emotional regulation strategies (Porges, 2022).
Research shows that horror-based interventions may actually lower anxiety over time. In one study, adults who engaged with horror-themed activities reported improved mood and greater emotional insight afterward (Scrivner et al., 2023). While most existing studies have focused on adults, the therapeutic potential for children is promising.
It’s the concept of simulated distress—by facing a pretend fear, children practice how to respond to real ones (Scrivner et al., 2023).
Building Skills While Playing
Beyond reducing anxiety, scary play fosters emotional intelligence. Kids begin to differentiate between similar but distinct feelings like fear, disgust, and excitement (Scrivner & Clasen, 2022). This emotional comprehension lays the groundwork for better communication and fewer outbursts when emotions run high.
Scary play also encourages the use of coping strategies such as deep breathing, humor, or cognitive reappraisal (“this isn’t real, I’m safe”), which are known to help in reducing anxious responses (Shore et al., 2017).
Real-World Examples
One intervention involves recreating a gentle thunderstorm in a therapy room—using a rain stick, flashing lights, and sound effects. The child practices staying calm, naming their emotions, and using relaxation techniques as the “storm” rolls through. Another exercise may involve watching a child-appropriate horror film while applying coping strategies discussed in previous sessions (Scrivner et al., 2023).
Through these experiences, children aren’t just having fun; they’re learning that fear is a normal emotion—and that they can handle it.
Important Considerations
Scary play isn’t for every child. Therapists must assess each client’s readiness, gain informed consent, and monitor emotional reactions. The horror elements used must be age-appropriate, culturally sensitive, and tailored to the child’s needs (Gola et al., 2016).
Currently, most research has been conducted in White, Western populations, which means there is a need for further study into how this modality works across diverse cultural backgrounds (Broesch et al., 2020; Scrivner et al., 2023).
A Brave New Approach
In a world where anxiety in children is rising—especially post-pandemic—therapists and caregivers are seeking creative, evidence-informed methods to support emotional well-being. Scary play offers an unexpected but promising tool: one that embraces a child’s curiosity, love of play, and natural desire to test limits (Scrivner et al., 2021).
So the next time a child wants to read a spooky story under the covers or create a ghost out of a bedsheet, it might not just be fun—it could be therapeutic.
What do you think? Could fear become a teaching tool? Would you consider scary play in your practice or home? Let us know in the comments—and share this with someone who might benefit from a new perspective on childhood anxiety.
Written by: Claudia Mclean
References
Broesch, T., Crittenden, A. N., Beheim, B. A., Blackwell, A. D., Bunce, J. A., Colleran, H., Hagel, K., Kline, M., McElreath, R., Nelson, R. G., Pisor, A. C., Prall, S., Pretelli, I., Purzycki, B., Quinn, E. A., Ross, C., Scelza, B., Starkweather, K., Stieglitz, J., & Mulder, M. B. (2020). Navigating cross-cultural research: Methodological and ethical considerations. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 287(1935), Article 20201245. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.1245
Gola, J. A., Beidas, R. S., Antinoro-Burke, D., Kratz, H. E., & Fingerhut, R. (2016). Ethical considerations in exposure therapy with children. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 23(2), 184–193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2015.04.003
Porges, S. W. (2022). Polyvagal theory: A science of safety. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience, 16, Article 871227. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnint.2022.871227
Scrivner, C., & Clasen, M. (2022). Why frightening imaginary worlds? Morbid curiosity and the learning potential of horror. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 45, Article e297. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X21002259
Scrivner, C., Johnson, J. A., Kjeldgaard-Christiansen, J., & Clasen, M. (2021). Pandemic practice: Horror fans and morbidly curious individuals are more psychologically resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic. Personality and Individual Differences, 168, Article 110397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110397
Scrivner, C., Andersen, M. M., Schjødt, U., & Clasen, M. (2023). The psychological benefits of scary play in three types of horror fans. Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications, 35(2), 87–98. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000354
Shore, T., Kadosh, K. C., Lommen, M., Cooper, M., & Lau, J. Y. F. (2017). Investigating the effectiveness of brief cognitive reappraisal training to reduce fear in adolescents. Cognition and Emotion, 31(4), 806–815. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2016.1159542