Horror is one of the most popular genres of all time; whether it’s found in books or films, horror fanatics are always ready to engage in hours of heart-stopping stories. I personally find someone’s arm being cut off to be positively rebarbative. I’m quite sure the vast majority of the horror loving population would find those scenes repulsive if they were to happen in real life- but I just can’t comprehend why anyone would want to watch or read about it. To put it simply, horror is just too horrifying.
When Zombieland arrived in theatres two years ago, my friends eagerly dashed to the nearest Cineplex and indulged themselves in an hour and a half of gore, brains, and of course, zombies. They did the same with The Final Destination, except they were oohing and aahing over a group of people getting slaughtered off by Death. When I incredulously asked why they love seeing such disgusting, repulsive movies, they say, “Come on! It’s not thaaaat bad. And anyways, Final Destination is so unrealistic, and you can always see the deaths coming. No big deal.” Well, it was a big deal for me. I was credulous enough to trust them, and ended up unable to go to sleep at night for a week for fear of Death coming after me with his crazy mishaps. Although the effects were horrible, and the plot was extremely simple, predictable and stupid, it was still a huge shock. Just the notion of people going through horrifying supernatural events was too much for me. So why do some individuals love horror?
According the science, there are many reasons: the adrenaline rush, relief when the terror ends, and experiencing conflicting emotions coincidentally. The first theory suggests that because people are aware that the horror isn’t real, they can enjoy the heightened heart rate and the adrenaline rush; it is not real fear they are experiencing, but “imagined fear.” The second is self explanatory – the overwhelming relief that the movie is over brings people back for more, however paradoxical that sounds. The third is even more so: some individuals enjoy the horror genre because they are able to undergo both negative and positive feelings at once. Strange, but scientifically true.
[cincopa AwKAauKjaUKJ]Even with the facts laid out, I still don’t understand the strange lure of horror. What’s your standing on this genre?
