Most people would not find watching something horrifying unfold right before their eyes. However, when it comes to horror films millions of people do. What is it about horror films that is so interesting to us? In an article posed by Sciencedaily.com a University of California at Berkeley study stated that we actually enjoy being scared. According to the article “the most pleasant moments of a particular event may be the most fearful” (sciencedaily.com). Meaning that when we watch a scary movie, we enjoy the upcoming scenes. We also like to watch them unfold based on our assumptions. We like to assume that the main character is going to make it out of the scene alive. When we watch a horror movie we experience both positive and negative emotions. We experience fear for the characters in the film are endangered and we experience relief when they make it to safety.
The unfolding of events and the mixture of horror and relief is why we find horror stories so interesting. In the article “Why Horror” Author Noel Carrol makes the argument that “it is not the tragic event itself that imparts pleasure, but rather, the way it is worked out in the plot” (Carrol, 277). Meaning the event that takes place in the film is virtually useless in determining whether we will be interested in a film or not. We like horror films not because we enjoy violent scenes. We like horror movies because in short we like to be scared. We are willing to endure the horrors of scary movies because we like to feel that sense of relief at the end of the film. It is exciting for us to try to predict what will happen next. We like predicting the fate of each character and are surprised and horrified if the plot does not unfold the way we had predicted.
Horror movies rely on a person’s imagination and curiosity. Humans are curious in nature and love to watch events unfold just to know what is going to happen in the end. This curiosity is no different when it comes to horror stories. Horror stories are similar to tragedies. In both genres the audience watches a dramatic chain events unfold as the main characters are put to the test in several physical or mental challenges.. Without a strong and dramatic story there would be no interest from third parties. We are attracted to these types of stories not because we enjoy being scared or watching violent acts occur. We watch them because they are exciting. One experiences several emotions when watching a film and that variation in the viewer’s emotional state is what keeps the film interesting.
Science Daily News, Initials. (2007, July 22). Why Do people love horror movies?. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070725152040.htm
Carroll, N. (2002). Why Horror?. In Neill, A. & Riley, A. (eds.) Arguing About Art: Contemporary Philosophical Debates (2nd ed., Chap. 17). New York, NY: Routledge.
