Some children cling to safety blankets. Some children hold onto a beloved stuffed animal or good fortune charm to feel secure and confident.

Kayla Lopez’s children, meanwhile, only need to put on their Michael Myers masks in order to feel invincible.

She said, “I don’t know of anyone who likes horror as much,”

Dominic, aged 6, and Aubriella, 8, are obsessed with horror. They run around their house in the mask Myers wears in “Halloween” to discreetly kill their victims. This sight is even more hilarious when compared to their petite stature, delightful giggles, and footie pajamas.

Lopez documents their terrifying shenanigans via TikTok. Sometimes Dominic will hide beneath beds dressed as Pennywise the Dancing Clown of “It” or reveal his hockey mask. La Jason from Friday the 13th, beneath his beloved Myers facade. Aubriella and her little brother stare at each other often from beneath their rubber masks. It has been a family tradition to try to scare each others.

The Lopez children aren’t alone in their interest in the macabre. Briar Rose Beard, a 3-year-old cherubic from Florida, recently fell in love with Creepy Chloe, a Halloween-themed doll, and carried the demon-looking doll around everywhere. The Sumner family from Idaho, whose Matriarch Kailee posts on TikTok under @sumcowkids recently went viral after their youngest member, still in the babbling stage of his life, was captured grumbling at his older sister wearing a decrepit witch’s mask.

It seems odd that horror paraphernalia and adorable children would go together. Coltan Scrivner from Denmark’s Aarhus University, said that a child’s fascination with horror is “almost always harmless fascination”.

Scrivner, who studies terror media and fear among other “scary”, said that it is normal for children to seek out the boundaries of their fears and what society considers acceptable. “This is one of the ways they can learn about those boundaries.”

Dominic and Aubriella love dressing up as horror characters, usually Myers, just like children dress up in princess gowns or Jedi robes. It’s a daily routine for the siblings, and it’s safe in their home.

Scrivner stated that scary experiences can only be fun when they are framed in the context of play. “That means we need to be both scared and safe.

Scrivner stated that young people are not usually afraid to get into scary stuff. He said that young horror fans are more brave than most children their age. However, they’re just exploring the complexities in their world, which is frightening enough in real life.

He said that children can learn more about their reactions to anxiety and fear by exploring scary things in a safe environment.

Children aren’t much different from adults who love horror. Frank Farley, a former president of American Psychological Association and Temple University professor emeritus, stated that people are naturally drawn to horror, both fictional and real. This is why true crime has been booming and Stephen King’s popularity.

He said that Halloween was “pretty amazing” and referred to it as a “national holiday of horror”. “It demonstrates, in my opinion, the deep human interest and fascination with the dark side of the world. It’s clear that we are interested in this.”

Farley describes the Lopez children as “type-T personalities”, where “T” stands to thrill-seeking. Although most people are at least somewhat interested in the frightening, only “T” types will be actively engaged with it, whether it is riding a roller coaster or watching horror movies. Farley said that “white-bread behavior” isn’t interesting to “T” types who are adventurous and don’t mind taking risks.

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Glenn Sparks, a Purdue University professor, who studies the social impact on mass media, including scary movies, says that some children might prefer the company and friendship of zombies and vampires to the animated characters of “Paw Patrol” and the Muppet neighbors of “Sesame street.”

A young child might attempt to brave the film if they hear their parents, friends, or other loved ones discussing how frightening a film is.

Sparks stated that some children might be more willing than others to face potentially dangerous things because they believe they will feel the satisfaction of conquering those things.

Myers has been a beloved member of the Lopez family for as long as her children have loved him. On Wednesday, the Lopez kids had a matinee screening in their living room of “Halloween Kills.”

Some parents accuse her of being too open-minded about Halloween, as evidenced online by her children’s love for it.

However, introducing children to horror at a young stage doesn’t have to be frightening. It can actually make them more resilient, according to Stephen Graham Jones, a bestselling horror author and professor of distinction at University of Colorado, Boulder.

Jones’ children expressed an interest and he began them on the family-friendly movie “Monster House” as well as Tim Burton’s twisted fairytale “Edward Scissorhands”. These movies aren’t necessarily frightening but still pay homage to the horror genre. They eventually progressed to horror comedies and gorier fare. He explained that the message he gives to his children is not to remove the negative messages from slasher films in which the villain wins, but to encourage them to emulate the heroes.

Jones stated to CNN that Jones did not want to teach children that cruelty is something to be celebrated. “What I want them instead to learn is that if they are vigilant, if they fight, and if they stand up for their crew, then it is possible to get through whatever the ordeal may be.”

Even the most passionate cosplayers have their limits. Coral DeGraves (9 years old) is a horror fan who regularly attends fan conventions wearing impressive costumes inspired by Ronald McDonald’s demented Ronald McDonald or the Pinhead of Hellraiser. Cheyenne, Coral’s mother, said that Coral isn’t ready to watch some of the more violent films she loves. Her parents will screen the films before she sees them. For some more intense films, they will only share clips for inspiration and not the entire feature.

Horror doesn’t define DeGraves child’s life. Coral enjoys learning about her backyard creatures and meeting with her Girl Scout troop when she’s not playing an adorably terrifying Pennywise or possessed doll.

CNN’s Cheyenne DeGraves stated that she never found it difficult supporting her interest in horror. “In fact, the more she creates and learns on her own, the happier I am to support her.”

Dominic and Aubriella Lopez can feel isolated, according to their mother. Lopez recalled Dominic’s third-year-old birthday, when he excitedly opened a Chucky doll, which was his favorite gift. They have learned to be tolerant of their friends and to save their horror behavior for when they are home.

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Lopez stated that now that it is October, the rest of the US seems excited to embrace the same fearless spirit that the Lopez children celebrate all year, Dominic and Aubriella are happy to share their passion without worrying about their peers.

Lopez stated that “They know Halloween is when Chucky and Michael (Myers), and all things horror, come out – so that means it’s all okay for us to be ourselves, and go all out.”

The Lopez family is still narrowing down their options for Halloween costumes this year. Aubriella has a vision of Anabelle, the haunted and haunting costume. doll introduced in “The Conjuring.” Dominic is the protagonist of “The Conjuring.”