Some scary movies are terrifying for the actors as well as the audience

Sigourney Weaver is happy to appear in scary films, but not so keen on watching them (Picture: Carlos Alvarez) | Getty Images

From Doctor Who to The Shining, scary films and television shows have sent many of us fleeing behind the sofa, metaphorically or not. But spare a thought for the actors.

In a 1981 interview, Shining star Shelley Duval said she had been required to cry “12 hours a day for weeks on end” during filming, while Janet Leigh revealed she “stopped taking showers” after the infamous scene in Psycho in which her character is murdered.

Now Sigourney Weaver, star of the Alien film series, has admitted that “I hate watching scary movies”, while appearing on the BBC’s Graham Norton Show. She spoke after Nicholas Hoult, who appears in a remake of 1922 horror classic Nosferatu, said he had not originally wanted to make a scary film because “it is highly stressful and I was nervous”.

However Weaver added, “I don't mind acting in them, but I don't want to see them”, which is fortunate for her and those who relish the adrenaline rush from such films. As for The Scotsman, we’ll be behind the sofa with our eyes closed. Just tell us when the scary bit is over...