In the context of horror film, this is, of course, counter-intuitive as horror film viewers who enjoy horror may not wish to escape the horror and deliberately and proactively approach and seek it, and those that do not enjoy horror and who may serendipitously watch horror engage in other withdrawal behaviors such as shutting the eyes or holding on to a companion they may also leave a cinema or turn off a screen.
The questions that then arise are whether there are specific stimuli or situations, which horror films deploy or recruit which are more likely to induce a fear response and, if so, what are these stimuli and why do they have this effect. The latter stimuli pose no immediate and real physical threat to survival i. These stimuli and situations were those which once posed threats to our ancestors and that we, therefore, developed an evolutionary disposition to avoid or to respond with fear, a form of selective association.
Guns, for example, are not fatal unless used, and our exposure to them is limited; guns are not phobic stimuli and seeing photographs of guns — or seeing guns — does not elicit significant fear, and not the degree of fear that stimuli to which we are evolutionarily predisposed to fear evoke. A person pointing a gun at us, however, with the intention to fire or with the threat of the intention to fire is clearly a direct threat but not one that is evolutionarily created.
One of most common phobias is arachnophobia, and spiders have been a staple of horror films since the s, although only 0.
This predisposition facilitates vigilance occasionally, over-vigilance and we see threat in ambiguous situations to sources of threat or danger with greater attention paid to some stimuli Clasen, ; March et al.
It is a self-protection and survival-enabling mechanism motivating us to confront and, therefore, remove the potential source of threat or flee thereby, removing us from the context in which a threat could result in endangerment. Fear is related to expressions of disgust, and the literature on phobia suggests that the strength of fear for phobic objects is closely related to disgust sensitivity but not trait anxiety Davey, such that people who express abnormal fear of an object also show high degrees of sensitivity to disgusting stimuli but are not dispositionally, highly anxious.
A specific phobia, which appears to be qualitatively and quantitatively different from others and is relevant in the context of horror film, is the fear of blood or blood-injection-injury phobia Wani et al. Individuals experience fear, anxiety, and disgust and avoid or decline medical treatment because of the strength of their phobic reaction Wani et al. This extreme experience may explain why some people feel squeamish at the sight of blood in horror: blood is unique as a stimulus, which evokes a strong fear or disgust reaction.
Fear is the most widely studied emotion in science because it can be easily conditioned, studied, and observed in non-human organisms. There is a substantial literature, which has attempted to explain fear conditioning and learning through reference to its underlying neuropsychology, and much of this work has been conducted on non-human species LeDoux and Hofmann, In humans, much of our understanding of the neurology of fear has derived from neuroimaging research and studies of brain injury.
One of the brain regions involved in fear recognition and experience is the amygdala Martin, ; March et al. No study has specifically examined the effect of exposure to horror film on brain activation, although hundreds of studies have examined the effect of exposure of fear-related stimuli, including films designed to induce fear, on brain activation measured via MEG, PET, fMRI, and EEG. Many studies have examined the consequence of brain injury on the fear response, and one study is especially relevant to horror film as it examined the effect of bilateral amygdala injury on responses to fear-related stimuli in a film-related context Feinstein et al.
In this study, a year-old woman with normal IQ and language showed impaired fear conditioning, impaired recognition of fear in faces, and impaired social-related fear. Feinstein et al. Although she verbally indicated avoidance of the spiders she physically approached them and asked 15 times if she could touch one; at the haunted house a visitor attraction , she volunteered to lead a group of visitors, did not hesitate in walking around, and was not scared by the monsters she scared the actors.
None of the 10 horror film clips elicited fear other film clips designed to elicit other emotions successfully elicited those emotions and she asked for the name of one so that she could rent it. She recognized that most people would be scared by them. This is only comprehensive study of the effect of region-relevant brain injury on the perception of horror films and horror-related stimuli in a single-case study, and while single case studies need to be interpreted cautiously, the study does provide the opening for other studies to confirm the role of these structures in horror appreciation.
One possible extension of this study would be to examine whether amygdala reactivity is associated with enjoyment of horror film those with highly reactive amygdalae may fear or enjoy horror more than those with less reactive amygdalae or whether the amygdala becomes increasingly active with greater stimulation, and the intensity of the experience correlates with the increase in activity while watching. The current review sought to determine why people watch horror film and how exposure to horror film affects behavior.
The conclusions in the previous paragraph are based on a very limited set of data. The studies from which such data have been drawn have varied in sample size, methodology, and materials, and these are three clearly identifiable and major limitations in this field.
Hoffner and Levine have highlighted similar limitations in their meta-analysis. Studies have used a variety — although a very restricted variety — of horror films over 30 years of research, and the films share little in common apart from being classed as horror film.
The Silence of the Lambs, Cannibal Holocaust, The Babadook, Saw, The Blair Witch Project, Psycho, Dracula , and The Devil Rides Out are all horror films, but each has distinctive mechanisms of evoking fear and disgust based on story, film making, plot, characters, sound, performance, visual effects, credibility, and use of music.
No one study can fully take into account our response to horror because not all horror films are the same Oliver, a , b , and this limitation needs to be more clearly recognized and addressed in future work. Hoffner and Levine have concluded that the nature of the media content in these studies can explain the failure to find homogeneity in the correlations between enjoyment of horror media and empathic concern in their meta-analysis.
As noted earlier, when correlations were found for empathy and horror enjoyment, the most consistent correlations found were in those studies in which victimization formed the dominant aspect of the horror stimuli. When these studies were removed, the correlations for the remaining studies fell to almost zero.
The former limitation can be easily resolved via empirical research. This is not to say that some of these elements have not been studied — this review and others have described studies in which they have — but there has been little research which has examined these elements systematically and methodically, and some elements have not been explored at all. It is possible to study non-verbal measures such as movement, EEG, brain activation, GSR, and so on , but these are indirect, correlational measures of what an individual might be thinking or feeling.
Motor behavior, however, may be a very informative indicator of response to horror, as some of the studies reviewed here suggest. Given the current accessibility of film and media generally via smartphones, as well as internet-ready TVs and, of course, computers, one topic of research that has been little studied is whether the medium affects the perception and enjoyment of horror films.
Screen size and its effect on the enjoyment of displayed material have been relatively well-studied see, for example, Grabe et al. In the context of horror, however, it is hypothesizable that increased screen size leads to increased visibility and that this would result in a stronger fright reaction because more of the horror can be seen and seen more clearly.
It is also possible that the augmentation of the screen would also augment the sound an auditory-sound illusion so that bigger screens might affect our perception of horror because of this visual illusion. There is also scope for further research on coping with the effects of watching horror film and of mitigating the fright if the experience is considered too intense or too unmanageable.
Of course, individuals could choose not to watch or could chose to watch selectively if they are in front of the screen. But there may be more imaginative strategies that might be adopted such as the introduction of non-visual, non-verbal, and non-auditory stimuli e.
It is possible that the presence of a pleasant scent might alleviate some of the fright generated by horror film if such alleviation is required either because it distracts or because it creates or elevates positive mood.
There is some evidence that this might be possible Martin, , and this is a question that merits pursuit. The majority of the studies reviewed here has included mono-cultural samples, and the current review was unable to uncover any cross-cultural research on horror enjoyment or preference.
An understanding of the cultural influences on film preference especially horror and the individual differences that may underpin them warrants investigation given that certain genres of horror appear to be more popular and appear more often, in specific cultures: Different cultures place different emphases on certain types of content and Japanese horror with its emphasis on ghosts, the supernatural is an obvious example Balmain, ; McRoy, There is a considerable literature on the difference between collectivistic and individualistic cultures with research suggesting that the psychological responses of individuals from each type of cultural background are different Matsumoto et al.
In the field of horror film perception, experience, and enjoyment, it could be hypothesized that individuals from collectivistic cultures might respond differently to horror and victims in horror than do individuals from individualistic cultures — specifically individuals from collectivistic cultures may express greater fear compared to those from individualistic cultures — and this is an hypothesis that can be easily tested. With interest and appreciation in horror increasing, the scope for undertaking research into horror film has never been more timely.
There is still much to discover and still much to understand. Horror, said Adorno in another context, was beyond the scope of psychology. Without psychology, Dario Argento once said, the horror film does not exist. The author confirms being the sole contributor of this work and has approved it for publication. The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
The author would like to thank Dr Charlie Allbright, Phil Hughes, and four reviewers, especially reviewer 2, for their detailed and thoughtful comments on earlier drafts of this paper, and to Edward Lionheart for planting the seed for this review.
National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Journal List Front Psychol v. Front Psychol. Published online Oct Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Neil Martin, ku. This article was submitted to Cognition, a section of the journal Frontiers in Psychology. Received Feb 7; Accepted Sep The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author s and the copyright owner s are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice.
No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC. Abstract Why do we watch and like horror films? Keywords: horror, terror, fear, film, cinema.
Sound in Horror In addition to the visual and verbal dialogue impact of horror, perhaps one of the most significant elements of horror film is auditory. Why do People Watch Horror? Sensation Seeking The most widely studied trait in the research on horror is sensation seeking.
Empathy Empathy is a multidimensional concept whose components have been defined in different ways but which in general are reflected in two types: a cognitive component e.
Need for Affect A different form of individual difference — need for affect — may also mediate horror film preference and enjoyment, but the literature is limited. Other Personality Traits Other personality traits thought to be implicated in horror film preference or enjoyment include the Big Five, the Dark Tetrad, and repressive coping style. Coping How children cope with horror has been the subject of some research on child development and horror because of the potentially harmful psychological consequences of exposure to frightening stimuli.
Adolescence As children enter adolescence, their reasons for seeking out horror develop and change — they will watch to be thrilled, to rebel because parents have prohibited them , or to enjoy gore because they are interested in how people die Oliver, a , b.
Aging and Horror Enjoyment The majority of the research on the development of horror preference and response to horror film has recruited children and adolescents as participants.
What Causes Fear? Neuropsychology and Horror Film Fear is the most widely studied emotion in science because it can be easily conditioned, studied, and observed in non-human organisms. Conclusions The current review sought to determine why people watch horror film and how exposure to horror film affects behavior. Limitations and Future Directions The conclusions in the previous paragraph are based on a very limited set of data.
Author Contributions The author confirms being the sole contributor of this work and has approved it for publication. Conflict of Interest The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Acknowledgments The author would like to thank Dr Charlie Allbright, Phil Hughes, and four reviewers, especially reviewer 2, for their detailed and thoughtful comments on earlier drafts of this paper, and to Edward Lionheart for planting the seed for this review.
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It's the first "Scream" movie without legendary filmmaker Wes Craven, who died in Craven's work on the film "A Nightmare on Elm Street" introduced a new generation to the genre, including Gillett and Bettinelli-Olpin. Our mortality, it's the thing that we all at the end of the day have in common. And so to get to be in a place where you can have that exercised in a really, you know, in a really real and emotive and communal way," Gillett said.
The science of fear and why we seek it out. Please enter email address to continue. We are familiar with the diagnoses from, for example, forensic psychiatry where different psychoses or personality disorders are assessed from a psychological and social perspective. In society as a whole, little or no discussion revolves around evil anymore.
We simply do not believe in the demonic as a force in itself, perhaps with the exception of some extremely religious environments, Birkvad points out. However, in popular culture — and especially in the world of film — evil is presented as an independent phenomenon through the horror genre. Ideas and myths like Frankenstein provide us with, for example, an explanation for human technological arrogance, where the man-made monster turns on its own creator. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde shows us the human divide of good and bad, while more or less Freud-inspired films and TV series such as "Psycho" and "Twin Peaks" revolve around our notions of dangerous sexuality.
This occurs partly through the familiar frameworks that are found in every proper genre film — including the horror film — and partly through the rituals we build around the viewing experience. In this perspective, the horror film becomes a way to test our personal and collective limits in a safe environment.
If it gets too scary, you can just cover your ears, put your hands in front of your eyes, ease the tension with an amusing quip, or turn to your popcorn bowl for comfort.
Watching a scary film may possibly also function as a distraction from other feelings. Sigmund Freud provides us with three possible explanations for why we experience things that behave abnormally as intimidating:. We nowadays live in an enlightened time, but thoughts like "what if there actually are ghosts" create excitement. It can even cause you to scream or jump. Horror movies are meant to scare you. But for some people with anxiety, they may find horror movies comforting.
According to Brownlowe, there's a good reason why. At the same, it also feels good to go into an experience that seems scary or "risky" and then come out safe and OK. As Brownlowe says, "It challenges our beliefs about risk. In some ways, it can 're-set the thermostat' for people so that things that had seemed intimidating may be easier to deal with in the future. There's a reason why dating coaches will recommend watching a horror movie to get closer to your partner.
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