The Spinoff spent a week scaring the shit out of each other. So we made our own horror movie.
Giving someone a great fright is an art. It takes preparation, patience, and innovation. It can be as simple as finding someone vulnerable, headphones on, deeply invested in their work and creeping into their blind spot; or require significant planning and endurance, like waiting in the paper recycling bin for your boss to leave at the end of the day.
For some people fear can be wonderful torture. For others it is totally terrifying. The Spinoff office is split about 50/50. So for one week those staff that get sadistic joy from inflicting frights, and an equal adrenaline rush from receiving a good scare, hid around corners, plotted with clients, and planned fake meetings to terrorise each other.
Fear starts in the brain and spreads through the body as we prepare for a fight or flight reaction. Stress hormones are triggered. “The brain becomes hyper alert, pupils dilate, the bronchi dilate and breathing accelerates. Heart rate and blood pressure rise. Blood flow and stream of glucose to the skeletal muscles increase. Organs not vital in survival such as the gastrointestinal system slow down.” Sometimes you just fall over and hurt your bum.
Throughout the week the three flights of stairs to The Spinoff office became a hunting ground. Masked intruders hid in meetings. Wives made plans in secret to have husbands jumped as they left home to catch the train. By Friday afternoon people were constantly leaping out of the rubbish bins on the ground floor. Half marathons were interrupted with scares.
It was a pure adrenaline rush. But it was exhausting. Living in fear for a week is stressful. By 4pm on Friday it was time for a beer and to call a truce.
We recommend two hours of terror instead, at the new horror film Hereditary.
“HEREDITARY is the best horror I’ve seen in a very, very long time. You know those films where you know scenes & moments & sounds will stick with you till the day you die? This is one of them,” according to David Farrier.
This content is brought you to by Hereditary. In cinemas now.