WHO LOVES HORROR?

WHO LOVES HORROR?

Aaaaaaagh! Many of us would prefer to watch anything rather than a hair-raising horror film, but the genre pulls in hufe audiences at the box office. For experts in media psychology, this isn’t surprising: “One of the major reasons we got to scary movies is to be scared” says Dr. Stuart Fischoff, who is the professor of psychology at Calufornia State University. But the scare we want is a safe one. “We know that, in an hour or two, we’re going to walk out whole”, says Dr. Fischoff. “We’re not going to have any holes in our head, and our hearts will still be in our bodies”.

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In fact, your heart rate can increase by fifteen beats per minute during a scary film, and skin temperaturecan drop several degrees. The emotional shock of these spine-chilling films explains a lot of their appeal. “If we have a relatively calm, uneventful lifestyle, we seek out something that’s going to be exciting for us” says Dr. Fischoff. In particular, young adults often look for more intense experiences, while middle aged and older adults have stimulation fatigue” because they find real-life things like jobs and mortgages scary enough.

Horror movies are also appealing because they help people to face up to their fears and control their emotions. Perhaps for that reason some people say that if a film is really scary, they enjoy more, beacuse afterwards they feel they have become stronger. Amongst couples who are dating, one study also showed that some teenage boys enjoyed a fil significantly more if their girlfriend was frightened. It seems they enjoyed taking the role off the protector in the relationship.

That´s all very well, but horror films generally leave us feeling nervous and unsettled. Although they are popular, very few people say that horror films are their favourite genre, and some people report having nightmares long after they have seen a particular film. Defenders of horror say that it is harmless entertainment, but scary films which are becoming more violent are hard to stomach. That´s especially the case when digital special effects make violence look increasingly realistic, blurring the boundaries betwwen fiction and reality.

If that continues to happen, some people might turn their back on bloody blockbusters. That will mean more sleep for some, but it’s a scary thought for film makers.  


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