Sometimes you hear your friends share their irrational fears – like being afraid of pirates or jungles – and think to yourself, “Got people afraid of such thing meh?”. You can now experience some common phobias for yourself through a phobia exhibition at Science Centre called Phobia²: The Science of Fear if you’re garang enough.
While it ain’t no Halloween Horror Nights, there’ll be some interactive exhibits on these phobias where you can learn why such fears develop in the first place – and even experience the shock factor first-hand. Learn more about yourself and your friends through the various interactive attractions, especially if they scare easily.
If you’ve watched horror movies like The Nun or Buried, you might have wondered what getting buried alive feels like. Once you slide yourself under the makeshift coffin, it’ll be close to pitch black except for an informative display above you.
It does a really good job of simulating the closed off feeling though, so there’s a sprinkle of claustrophobia involved too. I barely lasted 30 seconds before feeling uncomfortable, which I would give myself props for considering I do have claustrophobia. And possibly a fear of being buried alive now, on top of that.
No, there are no actual spiders in these boxes, but there are effects and sounds in the Spitting Spider box that’ll catch you off guard if you’re brave enough to stick your hand inside. Even though I knew there wasn’t anything inside, I still jumped when the leaves moved and the sound effect played – so brace yourself.
Other than spiders, there’s an entire section that resembles a jungle full of insects, snakes, and general flora and fauna designed to give you the heebie jeebies. A moving mechanical gorilla and a snake head that lunges at you when you walk past are just some of the residents of this “jungle”.
Seconds before disaster.
Test your fight or flight response with an interactive video of a tiger that’ll pop out from behind a tree, baring its fangs at you. You won’t know when it’ll strike though, so if you love jumpscares, hopefully we didn’t spoil this one for you.
There’s also a commemorative GIF at the end that shows your reaction on the big screen, so you can see what facial expressions you make when you’re spooked to the core.
Don’t worry, he doesn’t move. I think.
Ronald McDonald is a friendly figure to most of us, but the clowns here are the stuff of nightmares. No spoilers, but the journey leading to your encounter with this towering statue – complete with sharp teeth and crazed eyes – most definitely does not invoke joy. You’ll understand if you ever drop by.
If only we had these in actual schools.
This is one that most of us definitely can relate to. The Exam Fear exhibit might bring back painful memories of those massive halls with perfectly spaced out desks where you sat for major papers. It definitely had me sweating for a moment.
Don’t stress though, there won’t be any actual exams or pop quizzes for you here.The desks show various videos with tips on how to prepare yourself emotionally and mentally before taking a test or exam.
Release any pent-up stress or negative emotions and scream your lungs out at the Scream Booth. There’s even a meter on the side that measures how loud your scream is, ranging from green for meek to red for eardrum-bursting. Even though I got it red the first try, I enjoyed the couple of minutes I spent inside, screaming away without a care in the world.
This might be your one chance to scream without worrying about your neighbours filing a noise complaint against you and the cops showing up to your door, so make the most of it.
Aside from the jump scares and heart-sinking moments, take the time to read the informative panels throughout the Science Centre’s Phobia exhibition.
They explain the psychological aspect of the phobias as well as why humans have fear in general. So the next time you get called out for being scared of something, you’ll be able to defend yourself with the power of science.
For more themed activities, check out:
Photography by Emilyn Cheng.
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