The Power of a Good Scream

Yesterday my BFF Angeline and I visited the EMP/SciFi museum here in Seattle. I've been through it before, but not since the Icons of Science Fiction exhibit has been put in (there's a DALEK!!!). Unfortunately we were there on super secret business so I didn't get a chance to take any photos, but we did pause for a moment to step into the "Scream Booth", an awesome little section of the Horror exhibit.

Basically, it's a soundproof little booth that you can go to sit in. It describes how a "good scream" is essential to an iconic horror film, and then it assigns you one of two responses - fight or flight (Angeline and I initially got fight, but we decided we wanted flight). On the count of three, you SCREAM YOUR HEAD OFF (as it snaps 4 pictures in quick succession).

And hot DAMN it feels good.

Angeline and I in the Scream Booth at the SciFi museum

It got me to thinking (in my typical existentialist manner): screams feel so awesome, so liberating, but it's very socially taboo to just let out a good scream unless you have a good reason (ie being attacked). I oftentimes hear the expression "I JUST WANT TO SCREAM!!", and I'm sure we can all relate to that feeling - the welling up of emotion (be in frustration, sadness, etc) that makes us want to tap into that instinctual side of ourselves and just release an incredibly guttural long yell.

Well, excuse my french, but fuck society's constraints. Feel the need to scream? Then scream. Go to the nearest overpass and scream off of it into traffic. Drive out to the wilderness and scream until you're hoarse. Scream into a pillow. Connect to the animalistic, ancient part of you that just craves release. I promise, it's incredibly cathartic.