Why Horror?
For these weeks topic, we are discussing the implications of horror and how it relates to art. For my first article I decided to go with one that is titled “ Why do Some Brains Enjoy Fear?” I felt as thought the title of this article really represented our topic for the week and it well discussed how I view horror entertainment. First off, I am not a very big fan of horror films, or any type of horror in that matter. It isn’t that I fear the idea of horror, or get terrified when seeing/hearing a shocking sound, I guess it’s the fact that it does not entertain me for most the time I watch scary movies, I never actually get scared. Yet, I really do understand why it is that a lot of humans enjoy the entertainment of horror. The question asked in this article is “If fear is a natural survival response to a threat, or danger, why would we seek out that feeling?” Before digging into the article, I wanted to give my own interpretation of this question and answer it. I believe that we sometimes push ourselves far, and see what we can handle as human beings. The entertainment factor comes from the joy of it not being reality. I would think if most of these horror films were real, and had a possibility of happening, no one would be laughing. A scare expert spoke on behave of this and states “First, the natural high from the fight or flight response can feel great. There is strong evidence that this isn’t just about personal choice, but out brain chemistry”. It is also said that chemical reactions are changed in our bodies when the feeling of thrill or fear comes on. It is shown that one of the main hormones released during this feeling is dopamine, yet some feel it more then others. Another interesting comment in this article was the feeling of confidence that humans receive when accomplishing a scary moment. This is very powerful and really shows how moving and strong a scary moment can be. To tie this all back to our topic of horror and art, it is clearly shown that horror films, or just the horror genre in general affect the way people feel. This is really awesome to see because it does exactly what art does for people. It is a creating of something that brings emotion, or feeling towards the audience. “Art is Universal”. Art can be so many things, and if you see it as an element that changes a persons feelings or perspective on life, then I believe it is a very strong art form.
Ringo, Allegra (2013) “Why do some brains enjoy fear?” The Atlantic.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/why-do-some-brains-enjoy-fear/280938/
The next article I choose was one that explains the difference in people’s preference. The title of this article is “Why some people love horror movies while others hate them”. In my first page I explained why I dislike horror films. When I saw the title of this article, it excited me because I was curious to know why I don’t feel that same rush of dopamine as others do when watching a scary movie. The first step of this is called the Excitation transfer process, which simply states that when watching scary films, people’s heart rate, blood pressure and respiration all increase. This happens while watching the movie, yet when the movie is over, it carries on to make every positive emotion even more intensified then it would be before hand. Dr. Sparks who has studied this says, “After the film is over, this physiological arousal lingers, Sparks said. (We’re just not aware of it.) That means that any positive emotions you experience – like having fun with friends – are intensified, he said. Instead of focusing on the fright you felt during the film, you recall having a great time. And you’ll want to come back for more”. After this, you have the adrenaline rush that brings excitement, as well as the novelty of its fiction. It seems to me as though horror movies bring in the most post movie joy then any other genre of movie. It was said in this article that men enjoy scary movies more then women do. The obvious reasons are stated by sparks “men are socialized to be brave and enjoy threatening things. Men may derive social gratification from not letting a scary film bother them. It’s the idea of mastering something threatening”. This seems to be more of a look to uphold a manly status rather then the enjoyment of scary movies. It’s very interesting to see why some people enjoy watching certain movies over others. Some people may consider this art, while others find it to be a stupid, immature type of entertainment. Although scary movies can be entertaining, due to its ridiculous acting, and crazy sounds, I don’t prefer watching them. With that said however, I do consider it to be an outstanding art form as it changes emotions and increases different chemical levels in our bodies.
Tartakovsky, Margarita. (2012) “Why some people love horror movies while others hate them” World of Psychology.
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/10/31/why-some-people-love-horror-movies-while-others-hate-them/
November 10th, 2014 at 7:55 pm
I wonder if the people who experience more stimulation during these films and therefore greater positive effects after the film has ended, are also people who need and seek out adrenaline rushes. I know that when I was younger I enjoyed scary movies more, because they actually gave me that adrenaline rush and I remember thinking it was exciting. It was a feeling I would seek out. Now I just get a kind of anxious nervous dread feeling that correlates more with anxiety. I believe some people interpret scary movies physiologically as exciting while others have brain chemistry’s that create a more anxiety like feeling. My article talks more about this, so if you are interested check it out. Something else I found to be really interesting that could also have to do with why you don’t enjoy scary movies like other people is that you are not as intrigued by the plot or the way the movie unfolds. I know that when I see a formulaic scary movie, that is just like many I’ve seen before I also tend to not enjoy it nearly as much as when I have seen an innovative / creative/ intriguing one. The reading this week said our curiosity and interest in solving the mystery and better understanding the monster is why we love scary movies. We are scared but we have to push through to see why the scary stuff is happening, how to beat this monster, and how the characters will be during and after this crisis. It makes sense in some ways but still doesn’t account for all the differences in why some people enjoy horror and others do not.