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Holland, N. (2010). Psychology Today. Retrieved February 12, 2010, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/is-your-brain-culture/201001/why-are-there-horror-movies

Holland authored the Psychology Today article titled: “Why Are There Horror Movies?”  The article delves into the question posed in our assigned reading by Carroll: why do people get enjoyment from experiencing negative emotions?  He mentions that the question is an ancient one that was originally discussed by Aristotle.

During a course I took on Ancient Greek literature while abroad in Athens this last term we discussed Greek tragedy.  Greeks were very fond of tragic plays and could often be seen crying and laughing along with the actors in them.  Aristotle called this catharsis.  People allowed themselves to experience an emotion through someone or something, especially sadness.  This gives the viewer an overwhelming feeling of relief.  This article states that there is cognitive meaning behind negative emotions.  Holland believes it give people an opportunity to learn something from another person’s emotional experience.

Holland explains a difference between fiction and reality that is created by the elements of a horror movie stating that functionality is, “non-acting in response to an emotional stimulus” (2010) and it leads to pleasure.   However, reality is, “having to decide about acting in response to an emotional stimulus” and leads not to pleasure but to motor activity.  This is the distinction between enduring a horrific event and witnessing one.

Derbyshire, D. (2010). Ever Wondered Why the Music in Horror Films Scares Us?  The Harsh Sounds tap into Instinctive fears. Mail Online: Science and Tech. Retrieved February 11, 2014, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1281385/Ever-wondered-music-horror-films-scares-The-harsh-sounds-tap-instinctive-fears.html

David Derbyshire delves deeper into the topic of music as it relates to creating a scene of horror.  The article focuses mainly on non-diegetic sounds as opposed to the sounds created by actors in the film itself.  He uses examples from well-known horror movies and their infamous use of non-diegetic sounds to instill fear in the audience.  For instance, the piano cords played when the shark approaches in Jaws and the high pitched violin sounds in Psycho are both non-diegetic sounds that add to the horrific scenes.

Derbyshire argues that these sounds instinctively make people scared.  He goes further claiming that scientists have recently linked the pattern of sound to the natural noises made by animals in pain.  Derbyshire states, “BY peppering chillers with these noises, movie makers are tapping into deep instinctive fears”.  These sounds are called ‘non-linear’ and vary from one another just as much as they deviate from a normal range of sounds.  For example, the screech of a trumpet and the low chords made famous by Jaws are both instances of these non-diegetic sounds.

According to Derbyshire, these sounds have a pattern and pitch that resembles the sound of injured animals.  He states “Horror films also had a higher than expected number of abrupt shifts up and down in pitch”.  This use of non-linear, non-diegetic, is intentional and film creators utilize it to incite the audience and evoke feelings of tension, fear, and anxiety.   The sounds were also more prevalent when animals were shown on screen in a compromising situation.  The sounds are made to mimic the sound made by vocal chords in mammals when too much air is pushed through the larynx.  These sounds target instinctual fear in the audience, and allows them to experience a more real array of emotions.