Why Do We Love Horror?
Halloween brings with it many traditions, one of which is watching scary movies. Maybe you're someone who enjoys the adrenaline of being scared, or maybe you'd rather watch something more tame to round out the night. Whatever your preference, Sofia Hurlbert ‘28 explains the psychology of why people like watching scary movies.
Every year October brings along annual traditions: carving pumpkins, raking leaves, and of course, Halloween. Launching these traditions are both the classic horror movies and the scariest new releases. Friends gather late at night, popcorn and candy corn in hand, preparing to watch The Conjuring. The more timid friends flee after the first jumpscare, while the horror enthusiasts are already queuing up the next film.
For the most part, we either love or hate horror movies. Personally, I love being scared in the moment, but have some regrets when I’m alone late at night, and it’s pitch black. Even though I have terrifying nightmares and sleep with the light on, when my friends ask if I want to watch another scary movie, I just can’t say no. Why does this happen? Why do some people love the thrill of horror movies while others will do anything to avoid them?
To understand this phenomenon, we must look at fear and its causes. By definition, fear is the reaction to some kind of threat or danger. It comes from our ancestral roots when we encountered life-and-death situations at every twist and turn. Nowadays, life is much less perilous, yet these instincts from long ago remain. It is very unlikely that a wolf is going to attack us, but we still experience this fear, even in a situation as tame as finding a spider in the bathroom. An article in The Atlantic titled “Why do some brains enjoy fear?” explains what elicits fear in people. “Anything that doesn’t make sense or causes us some sort of dissonance, whether it is cognitive or aesthetic, is going to be scary,” Allegra Ringo said.
Horror is a genre of movies specifically made to induce fear in viewers. This is done in a variety of ways including suspense, jumpscares, supernatural creatures, or psychological terror. All of these factors can create dissonance within the mind and thus induce fear in the viewer.
When someone experiences fear, the body has a physical reaction, the ‘fight or flight’ response. This can explain what happens to someone when watching a horror movie. For example, during a suspenseful scene leading to a jump scare, the brain is flooded with chemicals, especially adrenaline. Adrenaline causes alertness as heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar increase. When the jumpscare happens and the scare is over, there is a come down process where the brain releases dopamine to let the body know it is back to safety. Dopamine is a chemical in the brain associated with pleasure and reward. So, when watching a horror movie, viewers feel good after ‘surviving’ the experience.
People often watch horror movies to seek these sensations and experience this ‘high’ in a safe way. Most can only truly enjoy being scared if they know they are actually in no real danger. They enjoy the sensation of their heart thumping with butterflies in their stomach while waiting for the ghost to pop out at them, followed by screams and laughter as everyone recovers from the fright. According to the article “(Why) do you like scary movies?” by Martin G. Neil, those who showed sensation-seeking tendencies (such as risk-taking) were more likely to enjoy horror movies and scary experiences.
Despite this ‘happy’ chemical release and sensation seeking, many do not enjoy horror movies at all. In the article from The Atlantic, Ringo reveals that research has shown that not everyone’s brain experiences the same chemical releases in the same situation. Some people have less of a dopamine response to fear and therefore don’t experience the same kind of reward after being scared. Others simply don’t like the sensations of fear.
Enjoyment or dislike of horror is not just determined by preference. There is also scientific reasoning behind it. To truly understand why so many gravitate towards these thrillers, both aspects have to be taken into consideration.
Whether or not we can understand the true reason why people enjoy being scared, horror movies will still be watched and created. The thrill will continue to bring people together as they are captivated by the terror. These movies will remain a Halloween staple and people (including myself) will continue looking for a good scare.
