Sometime last year I decided to shed my lifelong aversion to horror films.

I’ve traditionally avoided the genre for a pretty simple reason — I don’t like feeling afraid. I particularly don’t like to be startled (you should see me cringe in the presence of a party balloon). A jump scare is my kryptonite.

So naturally I’ve stayed away from movies likely to scare me. But in doing so I’ve cut myself off from a treasure trove of cinematic artistry.

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