A article on the subject: http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/features/why-we-love-scary-movies
I'm sitting here, watching the Chiller channel which is a network dedicated to showing horror movies and this question randomly hit me: what exactly does it mean to be a horror movie fan? Horror movies are a bit different than the typical movie in the essence that, unlike other movies, they do not depict images that will eventually lead to a pleasant emotion(s); quite the opposite actually. Horror movies, for some people, provide an escape from the real world terrors it's said, but that's not exactly true. Humans can logically understand that a movie is not real but, physiologically, react as if it was real. That brings up another issue though, is it the adrenaline? Your mind and body will react to what you're seeing on the screen. Is it similar to a roller coaster ride? Horror movies often tend to be sexualized as well, torture porn for example. For the uninitiated, torture porn is a type of horror film that depicts nudity, torture, mutilation, and sadism. Think the Saw series.
I've watched a lot of horror movies, significantly less now than I used to in the past, and this question has always bothered me. There's no real entertainment value in watching a horror movie outside of the intense fear that you get out of it (And, after a while, horror movies became so predictable, in general, that it wasn't worth the watch) and yet some individuals seem to love the genre; from the more graphic images of torture porn to the more subtle depictions of ghosts and other poltergeist. It is slightly concerning that, by partaking in a large dose of horror movies over a lengthy period of time, you become less affected by visual violence and you also become more prone to committing acts of violence or acting aggressively. Thinking back now, it does seem apparent that I, at least, had more violent lines of thought back when I watched horror movies frequently.
So, what does it mean to be a horror movie fan? Does it mean that you enjoy various depictions of violence, gore, with a intricate, maybe hyper-sexualized, story line. How do you think it has affected you, in general, if at all? What do you think the benefits of the horror movie genre are over other genres, to you? To the individuals who don't watch horror movies: Have you seen these issues with anyone you know? Is this why you avoid horror movies? What detriments do you think are obvious when you partake in watching horror movies constantly?
I'm sitting here, watching the Chiller channel which is a network dedicated to showing horror movies and this question randomly hit me: what exactly does it mean to be a horror movie fan? Horror movies are a bit different than the typical movie in the essence that, unlike other movies, they do not depict images that will eventually lead to a pleasant emotion(s); quite the opposite actually. Horror movies, for some people, provide an escape from the real world terrors it's said, but that's not exactly true. Humans can logically understand that a movie is not real but, physiologically, react as if it was real. That brings up another issue though, is it the adrenaline? Your mind and body will react to what you're seeing on the screen. Is it similar to a roller coaster ride? Horror movies often tend to be sexualized as well, torture porn for example. For the uninitiated, torture porn is a type of horror film that depicts nudity, torture, mutilation, and sadism. Think the Saw series.
I've watched a lot of horror movies, significantly less now than I used to in the past, and this question has always bothered me. There's no real entertainment value in watching a horror movie outside of the intense fear that you get out of it (And, after a while, horror movies became so predictable, in general, that it wasn't worth the watch) and yet some individuals seem to love the genre; from the more graphic images of torture porn to the more subtle depictions of ghosts and other poltergeist. It is slightly concerning that, by partaking in a large dose of horror movies over a lengthy period of time, you become less affected by visual violence and you also become more prone to committing acts of violence or acting aggressively. Thinking back now, it does seem apparent that I, at least, had more violent lines of thought back when I watched horror movies frequently.
So, what does it mean to be a horror movie fan? Does it mean that you enjoy various depictions of violence, gore, with a intricate, maybe hyper-sexualized, story line. How do you think it has affected you, in general, if at all? What do you think the benefits of the horror movie genre are over other genres, to you? To the individuals who don't watch horror movies: Have you seen these issues with anyone you know? Is this why you avoid horror movies? What detriments do you think are obvious when you partake in watching horror movies constantly?