Erika Flores

My inspiration came from my own childhood experiences and what other children in my family continue to experience generation after generation. Around the ages of 9-12, I vividly recall having endless sleepless nights; waking up in fear of what is in my mind or what is under my bed. I would wake from a deep sleep sometimes not remembering what I had dreamt and run to my parent’s room. These night terrors would become frequent and would cause my parents to experience sleepless nights as well.

My parents worried and did not understand what would be causing these experiences and figured it would be caused by something I watched on television or a scary story I read somewhere. After some time, my father helped me realize that my fears originated from inside my mind and the movies I watch on television are nothing to be feared since they are not real and cannot hurt me.

Keeping this advice in mind, I continued watching movies and shows or all genres and learned to understand that my fears are within my control. In hopes of educating parents and children who suffer from similar night terrors, I have combined my research into creating this education publication focusing on what causes child night terrors, anxiety, and whether horror movies are connected. This will unveil the stigma most parents seem to have against their children viewing such films and open the door for a necessary conversation between parent and child.