What is the psychological science behind why horror films appeal to us, despite having such a negative notion to cause anxiety and fear? Even individuals who do not like the horror genre, find themselves captivated and glued to their seats in a torturous and excited manner. Why does this happen? How does it affect viewers? And why is it important? The world we live in is complex and illusions of safety cause us to be on edge at times. The wonder of why we would enjoy watching something that uplifts our cortisol levels is strange. I hope to be able to provide clarity about these questions to the best of my abilities.
Intro to horror
Fear is one of the most basic and important human emotions. Despite the negative connotations behind feeling fear, most of us are attracted to the idea of being scared but would be uncomfortable if we were in the actual situation like in horror films. For the most part, it is an unpleasant emotion we usually try our best to avoid. So, why do some people enjoy being scared in cinematic settings? What are the psychological reasons behind this?
Let’s investigate this further by reviewing this from a filmmaker’s standpoint. For a long time across the world, people have been drawn to horror films of all genres. For many years, filmmakers have exploited this strange allure as not only a medium in which they can send a message but also to trigger physiological and psychological responses of fear in an audience. Why do this? What do they hope to accomplish? The answer is simple, it is a different form of medium in which they can practice and produce their craft. Remember a time when the only fear an individual would feel was through a story or superstition told, but times have changed. We live in an age in which media has transferred from a physical mode and print to virtual screens. Furthermore, the change in the late 20th century has presented new utilizations of digital techniques which have helped people to perceive the world in an unexpected way. In turn, filmmaking in the genre of horror has become a form in which film artists can refine these techniques of sound, lighting, time, motion, and other stylistic devices. They can use all these different techniques to deliver a message that is relevant to the time period, and issues in society, and of course to intensify the feeling of fear for the audience’s enjoyment.
About fear
What about fear? So far, we’ve gone over the aspects of why these sorts of films are made, but not over the actual term itself. According to google dictionary, “fear” is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.
The emotion of fear is common throughout our lives. We fear many things, such as natural disasters, this includes tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and floods. Different encounters in which we meet danger and fear are when we see hoodlums, killers, and carnivorous animals. It is natural to exhibit these sorts of emotions because it is the body’s chemical and mechanical reaction to urge us to escape or fight before any actual danger occurs. Despite knowing all this, why do people still go out, buy a ticket to a horror movie, and watch to experience feelings of horror, terror, and disgust? It is believed that they enjoy the movie-watching process. To sit in the dark with other fellow movie-goers who have made the same choice and suffer as a whole. However, that isn’t enough proof of the reasons why people make this decision.
There are two types of feelings that arise when an audience sits in a movie theater to watch a horror flick, enjoyment, and fear. A major reason for this could be the fact that a horror movie isn’t real life. This gives an audience the opportunity to feel joy during viewing. But if, let’s say these dramatic fictional stories were to become reality, individuals would feel immense fear and less joy. What this means is that a cinematic environment provides a safe distance for people. Another manner in which an audience might feel excitement or unpleasantness is due to the successful or failed struggle between human characters and evil. The feelings of triumph or defeat could explain the paradox of why people like to feel fear, which will lead us to the psychological effects and theories behind the horror genre.
Why enjoy?
Of all the explanations or reasons people come up with as to why we enjoy the horror genre, there are several theories that might be able to explain this phenomenon. From the point of view of psychoanalysis, there is a paradox that the uncanny is something familiar but incongruous. Because of this paradox, creates cognitive dissonance in an individual’s psyche. Horror films draw on archetypes hidden deep within the subconscious. Shadows, the dark, and mothers are some examples. And people may be attracted to this dark, unknown familiarity for this reason.
Another theory might be that violent films and plays provide an opportunity for the audience to purge themselves of the negative emotions formed in everyday life, so they enjoy this process called catharsis. This is not always a good thing, though, because watching violent films and playing violent video games can make people more dangerous.
You know that feeling you get when the hero finally triumphs over evil? This is called excitation transfer, the negative feelings of the audience in horror films intensify the positive feelings when the hero finally wins. Unfortunately, this theory is unable to explain the enjoyment of films in which the hero fails.
A popular theory is sensation seeking, in other words, individuals are attracted to horror films because they want the feeling of experience. Some examples of this are people who are looking for excitement, such as bungee jumping, skydiving, climbing, and others. Sensation seeking, however, does not always have a significant relationship to interest in horror movies.
Could it be possible that horror movies reflect societal fears or concerns? Remember when the rise of yuppies, serial killers, and feminism in the 1990s made The Lambs ' Silence popular? This might also include reflecting fears of a 2000s virus pandemic that made movies and series like Resident Evil and The Walking Dead fun to watch among many. Many cycles of horror fit this theory, but more do not.
Perhaps dispositional alignment could be an explanation. This is the theory when an audience enjoys seeing evil characters given the punishment they deserve on screen. But the same objection as excitation theory can be applied, because what if the hero doesn’t triumph or what if the evil-doer is not punished?
Another theory called gender role socialization, could be that some young males enjoy horror movies when their female companions are scared by the movies. However, the opposite also holds true, when the film scares their male companions, young females will feel less enjoyment during the viewing. So that rules out that theory.
So how about just curiosity and fascination, we like to be in a state of horror as long as we’re in a safe environment, but experiencing horror in reality would be an unpleasant state to be in. This seems to make sense, but it is believed that there is no horror outside the normal everyday behavior in the society we live in today.
How’s this important?
Human beings have been attracted by the unknown of monsters for a long time and tolerate monsters' disgust, but what does that mean to us as a society? There is an importance to fear and our reactions to it. It is a survival mechanism during the start of humanity, it kept us alive during times of danger. But since the world has grown safer, there is less need for it in modern society. However, this is still important, because it could represent a reason as to why we enjoy the horror genre in today’s time. It may as well be a play-off of our past natural instincts. The majority of horror films are based on fictional tales of monsters or evil and watching these movies, could in a sense help us come up with creative and interesting ways to develop our survival skills for other situations. For example, let’s say someone were to try and rob or attack you in real life. By watching a slasher film, you might gain an advantage in what to do in that situation, whether it be to fight back or flee. These instincts are hardwired in us from the start and the mind is a powerful energy that will aid us in escaping harm at all costs.
To conclude.
While people don't like anxiety and fear of being scared in real life, many audiences love and are even obsessed with horror movies. Many theories have been suggested to attempt to clarify this phenomenon, but none can be applied to all genres of horror. A seat in a judgment-free environment in which everyone feels the same emotions, there’s nothing more fun than being scared of others. It may never be explained exactly as to why we find enjoyment in horror films, but that’s what makes the movie-going experience so spectacular and unique. That’s what truly matters!
References
Fu, Xiangyi. (2016) Horror Movie Aesthetics: How Color, time, space, and sound elicit fear in an Audience. Boston, Massachusetts: Northeastern University
Ryan, Ó. (n.d.). 'Fear is an essential part of who we are': Here's why people watch horror films. Retrieved from https://www.thejournal.ie/psychology-of-horror-films-3667778-Oct2017/
The lure of horror. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-24/edition-11/lure-horror