Researching Horror
Why We Love Scary Movies byRichard Sine
Though we are mostly concerned with supernatural horror, which Carrol defines as art-horror, still other sub-genres remain applicable. Richard Sine, a writer for health and business, summarizes some theories of horror and attempts to explain why some people become enthralled with horror fiction.
Sine discusses a couple main topics. These topics are as follows: the fear is real, morbid fascination, and the lingering effects of horror.
Due to some brief observations of the differences in physical responses for horror movies and actual, real-life danger, the conclusion has been made that the physical responses are the same. According to the researcher Glenn Sparks, whom Sine has cited, “The brain hasn’t really adapted to the new technology of movies… we can tell ourselves the images on the screen are not real, but emotionally our brain reacts as if they are… our ‘old brain’ still governs our reactions.”
The theory of morbid fascination suggests that people like to watch horror fiction based on “an innate need to stay aware of dangers in our environment, especially the kind that could do us bodily harm.” Within this theory, a few sub-theories stem: one is “that people may seek out violent entertainment as a way of coping with actual fears or violence,” and another, made popular by novelist Stephan King, is that “watching violence forestalls the need to act it out.”
The article concludes with an explanation of the lingering effects of being exposed to horror. Many psychologists and theorists who specialize in this area fear that the stress that horror viewing can create in viewers can have dangerous implications. The fear of desensitization is also great with experts such as these, because they “worry that we may also be becoming more desensitized to violence in real life.”
The Critique of Pure Horror by Jason Zinoman
In this article, Jason Zinoman, a frequent contributor to The New York Times, critiques the art of horror, analyzes some popular theories, such as those described by Carrol in “Why Horror,” and eventually concludes, in its most simple explanation, that if in fact fear is a pleasure, horror fiction merely reminds us of how much fun we can have.
Zinoman begins by asking the classic question: “why do so many of us enjoy being disgusted and terrified?” It is this question that fuels much of the article. First, he calls to attention the peer-reviewed journal, Horror Studies, which had its debut in 2010, apparently.
Next Zinoman recalls the writings of film critic Robin Wood. Of Wood, he writes: “at a time when horror was treated by many as a second-class genre, Mr. Wood introduced the now-familiar idea, rooted in psychoanalytic theory, that scary movies provide a valuable window into what our society ‘represses or oppresses.’”
Other scholars, such as Barbara Creed, Carol J. Clover, and Morris Dickstein expanded upon Wood’s initial theories. A few example theories include Creed’s, who suggested some appeal of horror might have to do with issues of femininity: “the appeal of horror’s blood and gore in a nostalgia for the uninhibited time in childbirth before filth became taboo.”
Clover argued that horror was “one of the few film genres that regularly asked male audiences to identify with a triumphant female protagonist.”
While Creed and Clover believed that horror could “tap into positive emotions that are otherwise repressed,” critic Morris Dickstein viewed the genre more as a “safe and cathartic way to deal with darker feelings.”
Bibliography:
Zinoman, J., (2011). “The Critique of Pure Horror.” The New York Times SundayReview. Retrieved May 11, 2014, from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/opinion/sunday/17gray.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Sine, R. “Why We Love Scary Movies.” WebMD, Mental Health Center. Retrieved May 11, 2014, from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/why-we-love-scary-movies