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Enjoying Horror

Article 1:

In the article titled “The Psychology of Scary Movies” there are several topics covered regarding scary movies, why we watch them, what drives people to watch them, and the numerous theories about scary movies. For a long time many people believed that it was our right amygdala that triggers our fear responses and for this reason we get a fear sensation when we watch scary or horror movies. However, this is not the case. In fact it is our visual cortex that is firing or actively being used. Moreover, horror movies all possess three primary factors or characteristics. They are tension, relevance, and unrealism. Although this seems to be true for the most part in Carroll’s article, “Why Horror” she states that horror movies are “explicitly driven by curiosity” This idea of curiosity is not really brought up much in the article except when they actually reference Carroll in the “The Psychology of Scary Movies” article. I think that the curiosity factor should also be included as a factor or characteristic of horror movies not just an incomplete theory.

Article 2:

“The Curious Appeal of Horror Movies” is another article that discusses why horror movies are so popular and why people watch them. The scary creatures, suspenseful scenes, and visceral nature are all reasons that should turn away or “alienate” a large number of movie watchers. But this is not the case at all. The article brings up the movie “The Conjuring” to show the success that horror movies have at the box office and the success they have over non-horror movies. Briefly the “Excitation Transfer Theory” is referenced and states that, “viewers who experience fear or anger at the antagonist during a horror movie will feel an amplified positive emotion at the films ending or resolution, no matter the outcome.” In other words, if you sit in a two hour movie that scares you and you have see all the blood and gore then at the end of it all you will feel better about yourself and your current situation. In Carroll’s article she hints at this idea as well. “the disclosure of the existence of the horrific being and its properties is the central source of pleasure in the genre.” She is saying that because the creatures, blood, and horrific images we see during the films this makes us happier and gains pleasure about ourselves. For this reason and many others we will always keep watching horror movies and they will continue to be successful at the box office level.

FilmmakerIQ. “The Psychology of Scary Movies.” FilmmakerIQcom. FilmmakerIQ, 2010. Web. 13 Feb. 2015.

O’brien, Lucy. “The Curious Appeal of Horror Movies – IGN.” IGN. IGN, 9 Sept. 2013. Web. 15 Feb. 2015.

Carroll, N. (2002). Why Horror?. In Neill, A. & Riley, A. (eds.) Arguing About Art: Contemporary Philosophical Debates (2nd ed., Chap. 17). New York, NY: Routledge.

Diagetic sound

After watching the Buffy the Vampire Slayer clip I was able to see multiple examples of diagetic sound. But one scene stood out in my mind the most. The scene at the end of the video with the assortment of vampires and creatures and Buffy screams at them. As Buffy begins to scream the vampire head begin to explode and green slim sprays everywhere. When each head exploded it created a new noise that distinctly added to the video clip and made the scene more horrific and added a dramatic effected. This example of diagetic sound is a perfect because a scene as gruesome as exploding heads needs an equally as gruesome noise. This squelching sound contributed to the scene by giving the exploding heads a slightly more gruesome effect and thus adding to the horror.

Non- diegetic sound

In the beginning of the clip during when Buffy falls asleep in class and starts to dream there is a great example of non-diegetic sound. In the dream, Buffy is instructed by a voice to lie on the teacher’s desk and starts to make out with a male classmate in the room. Once they begin to kiss the light start to dim and flicker and several noises coming from the walls or some unknown source. The sounds appear to be thunder or lightning and have a negative connotation to it. Often in horror movies or shows thunder and lightning depict a bad outcome and highlight that the scene is suppose to be horrific

Mise-en-scene

The entire Buffy the Vampire show for the most part is an example of “Mise en scene”. The make-up and costumes of the vampires and monsters create the horror aesthetic and culture. The make-up or masks that the zombies and vampires use throughout the video make them look more horrific. They especially look more horrific or gruesome when they have skin falling off as if they have risen from the ground. This further reinforces that the video or scene you are watching is horrific. I chose this example, because I thought that it best displays the use of a “Mise en scene” to support the aesthetic horror of the clip.