The first article I chose is written by Richard Sine and discusses why someone would chose to watch a scary movie. At the beginning of the article, the author describes how there is something peculiar about people wanting to watch scary movies when he says: “No doubt, there’s something really powerful that brings people to watch these things, because it’s not logical…most people like to experience pleasant emotions” (Sine 1). The author then begins to reveal that our brain cannot determine the difference between something scary happening on a screen and something scary happening in real life. In particular, this draws men to scary movies because they want to feel like they have mastered the scariest situation. It is almost like an alpha male complex. Another rational on why people might enjoy watching scary movies is because adults generally do not approve of such movies. This can make the viewer feel rebellious since many people want to do what they are not supposed to. Lastly, there has been a major increase with violence in the media. When people see all this, it does a lot of things to their minds and one of them is making them curious. People become curious with how these events occur and where they take place. As a result, the viewers are able to fulfill this itch by watching horror films.
The last part of Sine’s article matches with what Carroll said in her article on why people watch these types of horror films when she writes, “Thus, to a large extent, the horror story is driven explicitly by curiosity” (Carroll 279). I find it weird and slightly discomforting that the human mind naturally wants to know more about such horrible things.
My second article is written by Lauren Suval and also discusses why we are drawn to horror films. Suval starts off her article by telling the viewer that she has a love hate relationship with scary movies. Whenever she is watching a scary movie, she can’t take her eyes off of the screen but at the same time she is really scared. She also knows that after the movie is over she is going to have nightmares. Suval mentions that family members often ask her why she watches them if she knows it will have such a negative cognitive impact afterwards. The author then goes on to tell the reader that she has done some research and she has discovered some of the mains reason are that: “it’s a distraction from the daily routines of life; we want to counter social norms; we seek an adrenaline rush; and we hope to voyeuristically glimpse fright from a distance” (Suval 1). Suval also mentions that some adults may watch horror films because they want to relive the fears they had as a kid and let their imaginations become more active again. These horror films give people the opportunity to do these things while maintaining a safe distance from danger.
In our assigned reading, Carroll mentions that: “Horror stories, in a significant number of cases, are dramas of proving the existence of the monster and disclosing the origin, identity, purposes and powers of the monster” (Carroll 279). Although I think Carroll did not intend it in this context, I think this supports the theory mentioned in Suval’s article that people watch scary movies in order to relive childhood fears. Since many children were once afraid of monsters, by watching a scary movie, people are able to believe again that monsters do exist.
References
Feature, R. (n.d.). Why We Love Scary Movies. Retrieved February 16, 2015, from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/why-we-love-scary-movies?page=1
Suval, L. (n.d.). Why Are We Drawn to Horror Films? Retrieved February 16, 2015, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2014/01/04/why-are-we-drawn-to-horror-films/