Scare-apy? This horror fan is building a community focused on frights and mental health

If your idea of self care includes hitting the couch for an ‘80s slasher film or maybe getting frightened half to death by a scare actor at a Halloween horror maze, then a new group meeting in Burbank might be perfect for you.

The Horror Community Foundation is all about using the genre to help people cope with things like anxiety, stress and burnout. It’s a place for and by people within Los Angeles’ thriving horror community.

‘I need to see some heads roll!’

Stepping inside the horror-themed convenience store in Burbank, known as the Horror Boodega, is a rush of nostalgia, with bright slime greens, a mural of cartoon Beetlejuice and a chair in the shape of Freddy Kreuger’s blade glove.

Owner Terri Rivera made the prop herself.

“I draw from a lot of just moments with my dad,” Rivera said. “I jokingly say that a lot of the Boodega is like healing inner child because I’m like: ‘Anything that I couldn’t have as a child is here, and I bought it with adult money.’”

Growing up, Rivera said scary movies were a place of comfort for her. As a kid, she would even wear her ponytail on top of her head like Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice.

“It was definitely escapism. If I was having a really hard week, I would drive over to my friend’s house and be like, ‘Girl, I need to see some heads roll!’ Rivera said. “It was kind of cathartic, almost like exposure therapy, where you could kind of deal with what you’re going through in a controlled setting.”

That’s part of the idea behind Horror Community Foundation. This year, Rivera started hosting support groups led by licensed therapists, meditation and movie screenings for and by the horror community.

There is some research to back up the therapeutic benefits of horror media too. For one, it can help people process strong emotions connected to trauma in a safe environment.

Here at the Boodega and at the horror community favorite Mystic Museum up the street on Magnolia Boulevard, the support groups incorporate horror film clips into sessions.

“And we talk about those [clips], and it’s like, ‘Who can resonate with that?’ Even if you don’t live your life like you’re in Saw, maybe it sometimes feels like that on the inside,” Rivera said with a laugh.

She said the past two years have been some of the hardest she’s ever gone through. In some ways, she’s working to build the support she wishes she had, tapping into a community that’s accepting of everyone, weird or not.

So far, Rivera said the meetups have been a success, with attendees immediately feeling like they have found their people. And finding horror fans isn’t too difficult in L.A. The community, Rivera said, might even be stronger than in her former home of New York.

“Here, it’s like an absolute lifestyle. It’s very defining. You go to Midsummer Scream and you see fans who are all about it from head to toe,” Rivera said.

There’s enough interest in Horror Community Foundation meetups that they’ve started to outgrow the space in Rivera’s snack shop.

“People are genuinely opening up. They’re sharing. They’re laughing,” Rivera said. “It just felt like the beginning of just a really cool community forming.”

Event

The Horror Community Foundation is closing out the scariest month with a sip-and-paint movie night featuring The Craft on Monday.

More information is available on the Foundation’s website.