Article 1: Margarita Tartakovsky explains in her article, Why Some People Love Horror Movies While Others Hate Them, why people are so attracted to horror films and why some people just cannot seem to get enough of them. Although they have seen hundreds of horror films, they continue to crave watching more and more of them. She explains that one reason is the way that people feel after watching the movie; their physiological arousal endures which means “that any positive emotions you experience – like having fun with friends – are intensified” (Tartakovsky). You remember the fun time that you’re having as opposed to the scares you felt during the movie which makes a person continue to want to watch more of them. This relates back to how Noel Carroll mentions how “the horror genre gives every evidence of being pleasurable to its audience” and how so many people question how horror audiences can “find pleasure in what by nature is distressful and unpleasant” (Carroll 275). Judging by what Margarita said, the pleasure that they’re associating with viewing the horror film is really just them remembering the fun they experienced after the film. However, I believe that goes two ways. If an individual has an awful experience after watching a horror film, they will not associate them with pleasure, but with the opposite feelings of negativity and disapproval.
Article 2: Allegra Ringo discusses the science behind the appeal of horror and fear in her article, Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear? As we know, people are attracted to horror films for several different reasons. Some of these include how some people love the thrill of being scared, some enjoy the feeling of their heart rate increasing and some love the psychological thrill of tricking their minds into thinking that they’re in extreme danger while being perfectly safe. Allegra explains that one reason that some people like the feeling of being scared as opposed to others is because of how one’s brain chemistry is created, not just their personal choice. “One of the main hormones released during scary and thrilling activities is dopamine, and it turns out some individuals may get more of a kick from this dopamine release than others do” (Ringo). She states that another reason why so many people enjoy scary settings is because after it ends, it leaves them with a sense of confidence. People are proud of themselves for getting through a thrilling or even terrifying situation; it’s almost as if it is a release of pleasure after the relief of the situation being over. This relates back to what Carroll says when she argues how “it is not the tragic event in itself that imparts pleasure, but rather, the way it is worked into the plot” (Carroll 277). One thing I found to be very interesting in this article is how Allegra says that it is true how if you meets somebody for the first time in a fearful situation, you will “feel more attracted or more attracted to that person than you would if you’d met them in a low-stress situation” (Ringo). This relates back to the first article because it illustrates how you remember the special closeness and pleasure that you experience with people after the scary situation as opposed to remembering only the fear of the horror film or situation.
Ringo, Allegra. “Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear?” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 06 May 2014. <http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/10/why-do-some-brains-enjoy-fear/280938/>.
Tartakovsky, M. (2012). Why Some People Love Horror Movies While Others Hate Them. Psych Central. Retrieved on May 6, 2014, from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/10/31/why-some-people-love-horror-movies-while-others-hate-them/