Some people can’t get enough of creepy experiences such as scary movies, dark environments, horror flicks on opening night, and so on while others would feel unsettled for days after one of these experiences.
If you know someone who is a fanatic of anything spooky, you may be struggling to get a word to call him or her.
People who love creepy things can be called Phobophilia, horror enthusiasts, creep, phobophile, Spooky head, Creepy Fanatic, or Adrenaline Junkie.
The usage of any of these terms to describe someone who loves scary things will depend on the context and what you want to insinuate.
Meanwhile, I have heard some people use words like Nyctophilia to describe people who love creepy things. But that word is not explicitly effective because, by its definition, it is limited to the love of darkness.
If you are rather looking for a word or term that can come close to summarizing your love of creepy things in general, then the rest of this article is for you.
7 Names to Call A Person Who Loves Creepy Things
People who love creepy things do so for a lot of reasons. The things that cause them to love creepy things could influence the kind of word you’d use to refer to them.
For example, some love creepy things out of boredom or just a fascination with unnatural life. The words you’d use to refer to those people may be different from others who love creepy things due to their personalities.
Here are good examples of names you can use:
Phobophilia
The dictionary definition of Phobophilia is a psychological love for fear. The term is generally used to refer to people who have unusual enthusiasm about things that freak people out.
When you call someone a phobophila, it not only sends the idea that the person is a lover of creepy things, but it also insinuates that the person has irrational anxiety about encountering a phobia trigger.
The issue with using this name to call the person is that it is a mouthful and might twist your tongue if you are not conversant with the word. Also, it may not apply well when communicating with a group of people whose literacy level is limited.
Phobophile
Phobophile is an alternative word that you can use to call someone who loves creepy things. But it is an extension word from phobophilia.
If you struggle to pronounce the aforementioned, then you can call the person a phobophile which will deduce that the person has a phobophilia psychological phenomenon.
I won’t recommend you to call someone a phobophile if their love for creepy things is still within moderation.
The word best applies to people who are beyond fanatics and will seize every opportunity to make out spooky things from a situation.
Horror enthusiast
A horror enthusiast is someone who enjoys the horror genre or is keen on experiencing any horror-themed activity or event.
If someone loves creepy things, and this is mostly expressed through his love for horror movies, dark comedy, terrifying events, and activities, then you can call the person a Horror enthusiast.
Generally, this term is best used when the person’s love for creepy things is limited to literary works such as an unusual love for horror movies, books, plays, games, or art.
Several surveys have shown that the demographics of people who fall under this category are young individuals and men who tend to be more likely fans of horror than women. But in recent times, there are many exceptional cases.
Creep
Another word you can use to describe someone who loves creepy things is to call the person a creep. The word creep, in this context, is figuratively used.
The original meaning of being a creep is a verb that describes someone moving slowly and carefully to avoid being heard or noticed.
In a normal situation, people who do this are either about to do evil or engage in a horrific activity. Hence, the word creeps as a noun was coined from it to refer to people who love creepy things.
It may not be a standard English word, given the context of usage, however, it is simple, less specific, and easy to remember.
Spooky head
Someone who loves creepy things can also be called a Spooky head, especially in an informal setting or to spike humor.
The literal meaning of spooky head is a Halloween-themed costume that people wear on their heads to resonate with the event.
When people put on these costumes they look really scary and can be assumed to be ‘creeps’. Hence the word spooky head in the context of this usage.
It is a symbolic expression to describe someone who loves creepy things, drawing significance from the literal spooky head costume used on Halloween.
Creepy Fanatic
You could also call someone who loves creepy things a creepy fanatic. It is a simplified expression of the word Phobophilia that was discussed earlier on.
The advantage of using this term to refer to someone who loves creepy things is that you are not swaying away from the keyword and central idea, and it is easy to understand by any demographic of people you may be communicating with at the time.
Calling someone a creepy fanatic to explain that he or she loves creepy things is ideal when the person’s love for spooky things is especially beyond the normal and not moderated.
Adrenaline Junkie
If the person’s love for creepy things translates to a psychological concern, you can use terms like Adrenaline Junkie to describe the person.
This term deduces meaning from the after-effect that we experience as a human, biologically, after experiencing a creepy situation.
Why Do People Like Creepy Things?
To begin with, a study from the Journal of Media Psychology has revealed that the main reasons why people love creepy things, especially as expressed in scary movies, are: tension, relevance, and unrealism.
But these three-pointers are just one out of the many perspectives as to why people would be enthusiastic about experiencing spooky things.
It is evident that some people are just naturally wired to yearn for the feeling of terror, but I have identifies the following as possible reasons why people love to get a good fright overall:
- Excitement
- Physiological arousal
- Boredom
Excitement
One of the psychological reasons that have been proven to be a reason why some people naturally love creepy things revolves around an excitation transfer process.
This is expressed especially with a love for horrific movies or intense scary-themed cinematic creations.
For example, people who love creepy things, whenever they go through such an experience, they experience a relative increase in their heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure.
After the creepy occasion must have passed, they experience physical arousal thereby increasing the way they have fun with friends or people around.
So, it is logical to think that being enthusiastic about scary things is due to the excitement you derive from such experiences when they occur.
Physiological arousal
Some people may be biologically wired to love and enjoy higher levels of spooky experiences than others.
When you probe deeply into the lives of people who love creepy things, you may realize that they do so because they have an unusual adrenaline rush and physiological arousal when they experience such occurrences, particularly through movies.
Some people naturally hate things that excite them or send them to a frenzy. On the other hand, some enjoy the adrenaline rush that comes from scary and daring things like riding roller coasters, engaging in fear-inducing activities, and watching extreme horror movies.
Boredom
Boredom can also be a possible reason why some people love creepy things more than others. People who love things that cause scary excitement due to boredom will usually back up their fanatic trait with the idea that it makes them excited.
Rich folks who have all they want in the world and still feel bored may decide to engage in life-threatening games and activities that will jack up the excitement of their life that they probably last experienced during childhood.
This applies to movies too. People who are bored with one particular genre of a movie may decide to take things a little further to watch other movie types that will keep them at the edge of their seats and make them scream at intervals.
Wrapping up
At the end of the day, what to call someone who loves creepy things does not require you to be a wielder of vocabulary.
Most of the popular slang that people use in a contemporary setting to describe love for scary things is coined from symbols or terms that directly relate to any activity that signifies horror.
Whatever word you want to use among the ideal options discussed in this article will depend on the context and your intention behind giving the person a name as a lover of creepy things – to denote weirdness, bravery, etc.
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