Objectives:
- Explore the psychological and emotional curiosity for and impact of horror art on individuals and society
- Analyze the unique aesthetic qualities of horror art.
- Understand and utilize some basic principles of film and television analysis.
Artifact: Enjoying Horror Research
Ringo, A. (2013, October 31). Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear? Retrieved February 16, 2015, from http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/why-do-some-brains-enjoy-fear/280938/
To get a better grip on the subject and the questions that I had this week on why people enjoy fear, I did some research and found some interesting subjects. Since I do not enjoy horror or the thrill behind horror movies, it was hard for me to at first understand why people would pay to get scared, whether it was a horror film, haunted maze, or anything in between. After looking at the article “Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear?” by Allegra Ringo, I was able to understand why I may not enjoy horror as much as others. According to an interview conducted, “There is strong evidence that this isn’t just about personal choice, but our brain chemistry…Lots of people also enjoy scary situations because it leaves them with a sense of confidence after it’s over…But again, self-scaring isn’t for everyone, and there are lots of psychological and personal reasons someone may not enjoy scary situations” (Ringo). Much of this longing to be scared is from our brain chemistry and how much some chemicals get released in someones body which makes sense to me as I don’t feel much rush in other situations either. The other point made was that some people feel a sense of accomplishment after, which is something that I never have felt after going through a scary situation. Finally, she points out that there are a lot of psychological and personal reasons that I can definitely relate to, one because I am a religious man and do not really believe in the satanic rituals that are often portrayed in horror, but also because I feel that I do not want to be associated with anything scary and that I would rather be kind and make people laugh rather than have a dark side to me, which may be why I enjoy comedy so much.
The most interesting part of horror to me, which was pointed out by this article, was how art spans across different cultures. In the interview they discuss the social constructions of fear, “When we look across time and across the world, we find that people truly can become afraid of anything” (Ringo). This brings back the personal reasons for why people can be scared and sometimes, people can even be conditioned to be scared of something. It is very interesting that one thing can be scary to one individual, but to another individual it is not even a thought as to it being scary. Clowns are one thing that a lot of people find scary, but to me clowns are nothing to be afraid of and is interesting to see the different behaviors when other people encounter clowns. This article did a good job of explaining the universality of fear and why it is thrilling to people in different situations as well as the attraction and fascination that we find in horror. This is very similar to our reading this week “Why Horror?” by Noel Carroll when she discusses “non-narrative examples of art-horror, such as those found in the fine arts and narrative horror fictions that do not deploy disclosure devices, attract their audiences insofar as the object of art-horror promote fascination at the same time they distress” (Carroll 14). When we see something that may be repulsive to us, we are interested and drawn into why it may be that way and start to question things, which is where the curiosity of horror starts to play a big role. Horror uses these psychological questions to draw people in and eventually find out why something is the way it is. Although horror may not be something that people enjoy, like myself, it is very understandable why so many people get drawn in because of how they think, or how they were raised differently.
Reflection:
Getting to examine why people are interested and drawn towards horror was very exciting for me and after reading over my research on the aesthetics of horror art and the interest that it draws it is clear to me why horror is liked by so many. As examined in this artifact, it shows how horror is appealing, or not, due mostly because of the psychological effects and how we have been exposed to these scary situations. We are naturally curious about these kind of situations but different people are more interested in the thrill of the horror than others because of pre exposure to it or genetics. Similarly, people can enjoy the disgusting aesthetics of horror because of their curiosity towards why things look that way and there is sometimes a sense that something is so disgusting that you can’t look away because our minds are so interested with why something is that way.
Ultimately, I believe that horror is so interesting and so scary because of the diegetic and non-diegetic sound that brings suspense to any scene. One specific and famous example of this is the non-diegetic sound used in jaws to bring suspense and a thrill behind the shark monster chasing after unsuspecting people. Just listening to the attached clip above makes me worrisome, and even though this specific movie may not have been considered a horror movie by some, the scenes that include this non-diegetic sound provide a lot of suspense to draw people in to worry for the person in the scene. In Noel Carroll’s “Why Horror” she mentions, “Thus, it is not the tragic event in itself that imparts pleasure, but rather, the way it is worked into the plot” (Carrroll 3). By introducing this music into tragic events of the plot in the movie, the music introduces when a tragic event is going to happen and keeps people on the edge of their seat for what is going to happen. Sound is one of the main elements, besides aesthetics, that provide horror to something in my opinion and makes this art form something that is so interesting and exciting for many.
Future Goals:
I plan on being more open to watching horror movies as I have been openly against them to try and examine more closely the reasons that I am drawn away from them. I also hope to understand why my friends are drawn towards horror art and see whether it is something that I can overcome as a fear and experience the thrill that it provides so many people
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