Horror films and being scared are not only for Halloween night. Many people love to be frightened while watching or even reading anything from the horror genre.
You only have to look at the vast array of movies on channels such as Philo, Netflix and Starz to get an idea of how many there choices there are out there!
So what is it about watching horror movies that appeal to so many of us?
Horror Movies Through the Years
This isn’t a recent development, even though some of today’s horror movies take it much further than before. In the past, horror movies were much tamer than today. People would get scared at the sight of Frankenstein or Count Dracula coming after them.
Over the years, our appetite for horror has only grown. Some of this is because horror movies have become more graphic than just being scared. Movies that scared us 60 years ago are almost funny today. Here is a look back at horror movies through the years:
- The 1950s – “Godzilla”
- The 1960s – “Psycho” and “Night of the Living Dead”
- The 1970s – “The Exorcist,” “Alien” and “Jaws”
- The 1980s – “The Shining,“ “Poltergeist” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street”
- The 1990s – “Silence of the Lambs” and “The Blair Witch Project”
- The 2000s – “Let the Right One In”
Sometimes horror films only center on gore and graphics, while others are actually scary horror films or weave in a psychologically haunting element too. During the past 20 years, a huge amount of horror films have been about zombies and vampires – some of which seem like they’re all a spin-off of the original “Night of the Living Dead,” while others are captivating and genuinely scary.
Why We Love Horror Movies
Horror produces fear, but it isn’t the fear that people find entertaining – it is the horror. Horror and fear create a physical and emotional release following a scary situation. Some people seek adrenaline, and horror creates the fear that releases the adrenaline that they crave. Fear also brings on a fight-or-flight response in the body, adding to the adrenaline.
The fight-or-flight response creates a sympathetic nervous system response that ramps up certain neurotransmitters in our brain that produce certain hormones that prepare us to fight or flee. Adrenaline (epinephrine) is one of these hormones.
Another hormone produced by neurotransmitters are endorphins, which are natural pain killers because they create a feeling of well-being. Endorphins are caused by exercise, pain, emotional stress, and even eating chocolate or spicy foods.
A further neurotransmitter that is released during scary situations is dopamine. They produce a similar pleasurable feeling that is created by endorphins. Drugs like heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine create a flood of dopamine. This is why people addicted to drugs need increasingly more of the drug to create the same euphoric feelings.
Fear is usually a negative emotion that only occurs when a person is under some sort of threat. But when watching a horror movie, they get the enjoyment of experiencing the feeling of horror without being in a threatening situation.
Others like to challenge themselves by being scared. This is one reason haunted houses are so popular. Some people see watching these horror movies as a way to challenge their emotions. Can they make it through the movie, and will they feel the thrill of being scared?
Your Brain and Horror
Not only is the brain producing these neurotransmitters and hormones, but it is also processing what it is seeing. The brain is a computer, and it needs to decide if what you’re seeing is a real threat or not.
Your brain is assessing questions, like is this a real threat, have I ever seen this before, and how are others around me responding? You know you’re only watching a scary movie, but the brain is still reacting to this by pumping out the hormones.
This is why some love the horror genre. They enjoy the rush of the endorphins, dopamine, and increased oxygen to the brain without having a real threat to deal with. In some ways, it is similar to the fear of a roller coaster and the challenge to see whether or not they can handle it.
Some see horror as a view of society and our fears as a reflection of ourselves and the world. In this sense, it lets us explore societal themes through the filter of cinema.
Aside from the physical and mental reactions, another attraction to horror films is that they offer a break in the routine of daily life. Scary movies contain storylines that we don’t usually see every day. They provide a sense of novelty and escapism.
For some, watching a horror film can actually relieve anxiety from an overly stressful day. Some people find that when they are distraught, watching a horror film makes their problems seem irrelevant.
Not Everyone Loves Horror
Studies have found that people who are not as empathetic as others enjoy horror movies more. People with a high level of empathy do not like horror movies because they don’t like to see others suffering.
The part of our brain called the amygdala helps store memories, especially emotional and physical memories. In addition, it also controls our fight or flight response that includes threat detection. Those who have had some sort of childhood trauma or anyone with PTSD can react negatively to horror films. The amygdala can become overactive, causing a rush of stress hormones.
Summary
Horror films add a thrill to people that enjoy an adrenaline rush. They enjoy the flood of endorphins and dopamine that a horror movie can produce. Others like watching them because it relieves the anxiety in their own lives. In others, horror and fear can cause more stress and anxiety.
