Why people like scary movies

Why people like scary movies

Primarily scary movies are meant to frighten, shock, horrify and disgust through the use of several visual and auditory leitmotifs, including many other devices. The films refer to supernatural, abnormal, mutilation, blood, and infliction of pain. Scary movies are also referred to like horror movies. Horror movies consist of an element of evil that is brought out by a human, a creature, or a supernatural force. The force has the power to cause a change of events and cause disruption and instability and must be challenged and defeated. Sometimes when horror movies employ natural things like plants, alligators, sharks, spiders, snakes, and dinosaurs to be able to create chaos and instability in the horror film.

Suspense and resolution are the crucial components of horror films, and it determines how people respond to horror. Suspense refers to how threat builds up and the tension that is created before the threat. The tension created can be as a result of suspense from events which conflict and those that show dissonance and instability. According to a theory of horror enjoyment referred to as excitation transfer theory, people derive their enjoyment of the scary films from the feeling of suspense. When there is a resolution of the threat in the film, the adverse effects are converted to euphoria, and the suspense comes to an end. In the absence of a resolution, the residual negative effect builds up, leading to increased dysphoria.

People enjoy a film that has destruction, excitement, and unpredictability; this is according to the gratification theory. According to the theory, enjoyment and seeking materials out is determined by a need that is specific for the stimulation and satisfaction people get from gratification. According to some studies, some people with individual personalities who may be high or low on psychological traits may prefer watching horror or material that is violent for the sake of self-gratification. However, sometimes the material may not necessarily provide them with the gratification they may be looking for.

Sensational seeking, verbal aggression, and argumentativeness are positively correlated with people enjoying horror, including other violent films. Sensational seeking refers to the seeking of various complicated and sensational that is rather intense and the willingness to take both financial and physical risks to experience the sensation There are four factors related to sensational seeking which include; a) thrill and adventure-seeking; b) experience seeking; c) disinhibition; d) boredom susceptibility. Most teenagers seek the sensational feeling, and it declines with age. In most of the films, when the protagonist gets a positive outcome and antagonist gets a poor outcome, people get satisfaction from such a film. An individual can interpret a negative stimulus like horror movies as being positive, but an individual that is low in sensational seeking may not be pleased with the stimulus.

Arousal is one of the reasons people love scary movies. Arousal is self-rewarding, watching scary movies provides people with a thrill with or without a resolution. People still enjoy these horror movies. The experience of arousal is pleasurable, and people would love to continue watching in order to sustain the level of arousal. There is a positive correlation between the conductance of the skin and self-arousal that comes from watching a horror movie like A Nightmare on Elm Street. The movie causes cognitive and emotional arousal.

Empathy and how people are wired is one of the reasons people love horror movies. There are two components of empathy, which include; cognitive component and emotional component.

Empathy also consists of wandering imagination, fictional involvement, and humanistic mentation. Each of these components predicts the enjoyment of scary movies, especially with people with more empathy. People are wired differently. Some individuals are wired to enjoy high physiological arousal levels. About 10% of individuals globally enjoy the adrenaline rush. Some people love to watch scary films because they are novel. Abnormalities in the environment may be fascinating to some people, and this explains why they prefer watching scary films.

According to the theory of the beast within, unconscious, part of the human that is repressed is savage. Although people may disapprove of whatever the monster is doing in the horror movie, deep down, people tend to enjoy seeing the murder and mayhem caused by the monster. Even though the majority of the people may not necessarily endorse what the monster is doing, it may be captivating to watch. People enjoy the process of discovering where the powers come from, and it is the discovery that makes people love scary films.

Gender socialization is another reason more men enjoy watching scary movies. This could be because men are socialized to be brave and enjoying things that are threatening. Most men may derive their social gratification by ensuring that a scary film does not bother them. Scary films bring about the cuddle effect as women seek to be closer to the men counterparts when they are scared. Studies have indicated that women liked a scary movie more when they watch it with a male who is not scared.

In conclusion, horror films are created to elicit fear consistently and deliberately as opposed to sporadically and incidentally. Mentally the films cause anxiety, fear, empathy, and disgusting thoughts. Liking of the horror film increases with an increase in suspense. Most people like horror movies more, especially when the threat is overcome. Enjoyment of the scary film does not necessarily depend on the availability of a resolution, and unresolved horror is equally enjoyable. Parents must be keen on what their kids watch, most kids, after watching scary movies, may have difficulty to sleep. Parents should pay attention, especially on deciding which television programs they allow their kids to watch.