Category: Unit 06

At the beginning Carroll’s article “Why Horror” attempts to explain the separation from realty and fantasy. She explains that if we were to experience some of these terrors in real life it would not be entertaining and fun but would instead scare us. However, when watching it on a TV the element of fantasy sucks us in. Although it is scary, people love the adrenaline rush and excitement that comes with horror movies and TV shows. More specifically it is how the story develops that ignites excitement into the viewer. Carroll explains this when she says, “Thus, it is not the tragic event in itself that imparts pleasure, but rather, the way it is worked into the plot”(Carroll, 278). Therefore, the narrative of the story is almost more important than the ‘monster’ itself. This can be done through the narrative not even revealing that the monster actually exists for a portion of the story.
In the article “Why our brains love horror movies”, Sharon Begley explains the situation in a similar manner but not quite as detailed as Carroll’s article. Sharon explains that what keeps us so enthralled by horror movies is the fact that we feel safe and unharmed throughout the experience. We know that we are going to leave the theatre in one piece. Within Carroll’s article she uses Fischoff to help describe this phenomenon. Fischoff is a professor of psychology at California State University. Something that Fischoff uses to describe our captivation by horror movies involves our physical needs. “If we have a relatively calm, uneventful lifestyle, we seek out something that’s going to be exciting for us, because our nervous system requires periodic revving, just like a good muscular engine,”(Fischoff). Furthermore, something that I found interesting within the article was the fact that horror movies are much more popular within the younger generations typically within the 20 something’s. This may because of our desire for adventure, excitement, and even fear. She explains that the older generations don’t feel the same way due to their lives already having enough fear and exhaustion that comes along with being an adult. This is an interesting point to make about older people and their desire to stay away from ‘scary movies’. Because they constantly live in fear from the economy, paying their bills, and other traumatic real life situations, therefore the last thing that they desire is to feel anxiety from watching something. Another interesting point made, is that although we enjoy horror movies, they are never seen as anybody’s favorite movies. This may be due to the unsettling feeling that we have after it is over. People tend to like having a feeling of security and warmth after a movie instead of anxiety.
The next article that I read was “Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear?” by Allegra Ringo. This article describes the physical reaction that fear initiates in us. Dopamine is a hormone released during this fear response, and it happens to be a feeling that many people thrive off of, some more than others. Next Ringo describes the idea that we can be conditioned to fear something. This means that what we are surrounded by in our lives has an effect on what we find scary and frightening. I believe that this is true to a point. For example I don’t believe I have been conditioned to not like scary movies, however I can’t stand them! I think this is all just personal preference, and some people are more prone to being scared by them than others. I don’t think a personal event and how I was raised conditioned me to be this way. Ringo also explains that society has always been intrigued by the feeling of being frightened whether it be because of ghost stories around a campfire, or experiencing a haunted house, all of these different kinds of thrills have been around for quite some time and will always lure people in. Along with dopamine being a powerful hormone, oxytocin also creates a chemical response within our selves. Ringo describes this by saying, “When we’re happy, or afraid, we’re releasing powerful hormones, like oxytocin, that are working to make these moments stick in our brain. So we’re going to remember the people we’re with. If it was a good experience, then we’ll remember them fondly and feel close to them, more so than if we were to meet them during some neutral unexciting event”(Ringo). These types of interactions that occur bring people back to experiencing these fake fearful situations time and time again. While this article focuses on the emotional responses we feel from experiencing fear from horror, Carroll focuses on the structure of horror and how the way it is organized and set up draws us in. I agree that a lot of the reason why horror movies scare me is due to the intensity and suspense that the director creates. This unknowing feeling filled with curiosity will always keep people interested and on their toes.

Sharon Begley. (2011, October 25). Why Our Brains Love Horror. Retrieved from http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/10/25/why-our-brains-love-horror-movies-fear-catharsis-a-sense-of-doom.html

Allegra Ringo. (2013, October 31). Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear? Retrieved from http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/10/25/why-our-brains-love-horror-movies-fear-catharsis-a-sense-of-doom.html

The first example of a diagetic sound that I found right off the bat was when the little girl began singing with the violin playing as well. Originally I thought the monotonous voice of the little girl was non-diagetic however once she appeared on the screen I figured out that they wanted the viewer to fully experience the strangeness or scariness of the situation. Another example is when there are whispers that seem to be coming from the box that was opened. Although you may not see the people who are whispering, you assume that they are actual people instead of just noises that are unrelated to the people or (source).

An example of a non-diegetic sound occurs when the two girls realize they aren’t able to talk, during this time violins start playing and it begins to speed up creating a sense of angst and fear. Next more instrumentals come in and the louder they become the more intense the mood is. These noises are all added to create a dramatic effect.
An example of a Mise-en-scene is when buffy and her friend walk down the street after figuring out that everybody is unable to talk. Because of the view of the camera, you are able to see them walking solemnly down the street as well as all of the other people who are distraught around them. This gives the viewer the opportunity to have a full understanding of the situation and how everyone seems to be freaking out. Furthermore although nobody can talk, you can still feel the sense of fear with all of the different views of the situation you are able to see.