The Science Behind the Scare: why do we seek out horror entertainment?
Photo Courtesy: ‘Horror film look’ by Leo Hidalgo is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The Horror genre is a highly loved category of film worldwide. The space has given us cult classics like Ghostbusters and the Addams Family while providing Academy Award winners like Silences of the Lambs. Nevertheless, horror films rarely do well in terms of Oscars or other accolades, evidenced by the lack of winners of the most coveted awards; Natalie Portman for Black Swan in 2010 and Anthony Hopkins for Silence of the Lambs being some of the few examples of winners.
Despite their lack of awarded merit, horror films tend to perform exceedingly well at the box office. The first installation of the modern IT series grossed over $700 million worldwide. Still, most movie-goers tend to avoid fear when offered the option. This social behaviour was classified in the 1970s when Fordyce suggested that the model for avoidance stems from a physiological drive to avert potential repeat harm to an individual, whether regarding physical or psychological pain.
So, why, then, do many still seek out horror entertainment?
Excitement triumphs over Fear
A 1997 study by Andrew Tudor suggested that individuals who desire to watch horror films have a taste for events that are at times “abnormal” and require the audience to pay close attention to the events unfolding. This typically means that a specific audience will always turn out to watch these types of films
One argument for the interest in horror films can be explained by the Excitation Transfer Theory. Dolf Zillmann, a dean emeritus of the University of Alabama, began the initial research stage into the theory, which was developed in successive decades. The theory suggests that an individual with residual excitement from a previous stimulus can experience greater continuing positive emotions when exposed to similar stimuli. This effect can then intensify future experiences an individual comes across. Zillmann further expanded this theory in 1971 by suggesting that the initial exposure to such stimuli can help ‘energise’ future interactions with specific emotions- e.g., fear or disgust.
With the use of appropriate staging through eerie silences and intentionally underlit scenes, the audience can be kept in a continuous state of excitement despite exposure to fear. Furthermore, horror films can trigger the fight-or-flight response as the body produces adrenaline and dopamine, especially when the audience is subjected to a jump scare. This leads to increased neuronal firing from the locus coeruleus, which moderates the response to changes in environment and behaviour accordingly. It is this rush of emotions that allows the audience to derive joy from the scary content they watch.
How does exposure to horror films affect individuals?
Horror films can allow for a controlled and supportive environment where individuals are offered to experience fear within a safe space. The Clasen study in 2020 suggested that individuals who have specific fears or anxiety use horror entertainment to improve their ability to tolerate periods of extreme stress. Their argument also suggested that individuals are more likely to experience comfort if they watch a horror movie in a room full of patrons instead of watching it alone.
It should be noted that the 2014 Shteynberg review of shared attention practices suggested that it is more difficult for those affected negatively by horror to keep level-headed, especially if their film companions are afraid of the experience. Emotional Contagion theory suggests that individuals tend to mimic the expressions others show to demonstrate they are away from the social cues necessary. This can happen within milliseconds and without an individual being conscious of what they are doing. By extension, individuals are more susceptible to being affected by others’ emotions toward the stimuli.
Horror content can also be helpful for individuals who are seeking an outlet for intensive experiences. Specific environments are established during horror films (e.g., zombie outbreaks) that are not replicable in everyday life. As such, some individuals can view these interactions with content as a form of psychological accomplishment. The experience provides the audience members with a sense of achievement as they internally classify the interaction as a milestone in dealing with fear induced by the film.
Ultimately, there are many outcomes of watching horror entertainment, not all adverse in nature. A suitable application of the different psychological models and views can determine how someone might benefit from their interaction with frightening content.