Why Do We Love Horror?
The Exorcist (1973) is ranked by Rotten Tomatoes to be the No1 scariest movie of all time. It has faced numerous bans in its lifetime; it was banned from the UK in 1988, and remained prohibited for 11 years. Yet, despite its controversies, it is one of the highest grossing horror films of all time internationally with $441.3 million.
Though The Exorcist remains at the top (along with Stephen King’s It which has been awarded the highest grossing film of all time domestically), the horror industry is constantly evolving, from interactive TV series such as Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch, to horror video-games in virtual reality (VR). We flock to haunted houses and escape rooms, particularly at Halloween. We are intrigued over true crime and real-life horror stories in documentaries. We can’t get enough of it, and the industry is constantly developing to provide us with more.
Horror highlights the unpleasant — its sole purpose is to make you uncomfortable and afraid. It’s a paradox, finding so much joy and interest in the macabre. So…why do we like it? Why do we love to be scared?
The Science Behind The Horror
When something scary enters our awareness, whether real or made up, fear induces the fight-or-flight response.
Horror focuses on the unpleasant and the macabre. It takes something from our everyday lives and makes it something to be afraid of. It makes you unable to sleep at night — makes you wary of the terrors that lie in the darkness and highlights the darkest sides of humanity.
Dr. John Mayer, a practicing clinical psychologist, tells Insider that ‘when something scary enters our awareness, whether real or made up, fear induces the fight-or-flight response.’ Once the brain has realised there is no threat, he says that the ‘physiological and psychological mechanisms calm, and there is no more reaction’. While you still experience fear, after realising there is no threat, your brain will release dopamine.
When watching a horror movie in the cinema, or going through a haunted house with friends — after a big scare, you may hear people laugh. That’s due to the dopamine being released — it will create a feeling similar to being excited, or happy.
From Nightmares — to Real Life
We love horror because we, as human beings, are curious.
In a Ted Talk from horror researcher Mathias Clasen, people are drawn to and enjoy horror because it can help us in our everyday lives. Maybe we aren’t going to face a zombie apocalypse (though, with how 2020 is going, maybe that isn’t such an absurd idea anymore), but watching horror movies can help us learn how to handle negative emotions.
He talks about how experiencing horror through media — be it a haunted-house experience, watching scary movies or playing a video game, helps us retain and refine coping skills that we may apply in critical situations in our own lives. Who else has watched a horror film and thought about how they would do better than the protagonist in the life-threatening situation — or how they would survive being chased by a serial killer, or survive in the middle of a zombie apocalypse?
It can also help us expand our limits on how much negative stimulation — how much fear and emotions — we can handle.
All Fear, No Consequence
We love horror because we, as human beings, are curious. We’re curious enough to want to know what it is like to be truly scared . We want to experience something dark and twisted that we know from the very beginning is fabricated. We know, despite being terrified that we are safe, and during the scariest parts of the most terrifying films have probably at least once repeated the thought: ‘it’s not real’ as a way of comfort. Horror is something different and dark and nothing like our normal lives — and that makes it interesting. It gives us a rush of being in danger without the consequences.
SOURCES:
12 Famous Movies That Have Been Banned In Certain Countries — NME https://www.nme.com/photos/12-famous-movies-that-have-been-banned-in-certain-countries-1421747
‘It’ Movie Is Highest Grossing Horror Movie Of All Time — Variety https://variety.com/2017/film/news/it-stephen-king-highest-grossing-horror-film-1202566209/
Why The Exorcist Is One Of The Scariest Films Of All Time — Screen Rant https://screenrant.com/exorcist-scariest-horror-movie-2020-all-time-reason/
Lessons From A Terrified Horror Researcher — TedxTalk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6St5R2bYMOY
Here’s Why You Actually Love Being Scared — Insider https://www.insider.com/why-people-love-to-be-scared-2018-4#your-personality-and-temperament-may-determine-if-you-enjoy-scare-tactics-5
