Spiders, cockroaches and other creepy crawlies scare the British more than the threat of a terrorist attack, suggests an opinion poll released on Monday by a Hollywood studio.
The poll of 1 000 adults, conducted at 65 locations around the nation, put insects at the top of Britain’s most-feared list, followed by the spectre of a terrorist strike.
”This is because fear of small creatures that scuttle about on four or more legs is a much more ancient, primordial fear, going straight back to caveman days and what might be lurking in the black darkness of our cave homes which could hurt us,” said psychologist and broadcaster Donna Dawson.
Snakes came third in the fright stakes, heights fourth and death fifth — followed by visits to the dentist, needles and injections, public speaking, debt and flying.
The poll was commissioned by Universal Pictures to mark the DVD release of its horror movie Van Helsing — rated a mild PG-13 in the United States for its ”non-stop creature action violence”. — Sapa-AFP