The Aesthetics of Horror

Article #1:

            “Why Do People Love Horror Movies? They Love Being Scared.”

            There are two different theories that experts have come up with to why people love horror movies. The first theory is that “the person is not actually afraid, but excited by the movie.” The second theory is that “they are willing to endure the terror in order to enjoy a euphoric sense of relief at the end.” These theories have been around for quite some time, and are now being challenged by new research. Eduardo Andrade and Joel Cohen, two researchers from universities, argue that neither of these theories is in fact correct. They say, “We believe that a reevaluation of the two dominant explanations for people’s willingness to consume “negative” experiences (both of which assume that people can not experience negative and positive emotions simultaneously) is in order. The assumption of people’s inability to experience positive and negative affect at the same time is incorrect.”

            In easier words, the two argue that the viewers of horror movies are happy with making themselves unhappy. The thrill of the horror in the movie is satisfying to the viewers. They are both unhappy and happy at the same time. In the article “Why Horror” by Noel Carroll, the author says “…the horror story is driven explicitly by curiosity. It engages its audience by being involved in processes of disclosure, discovery, proof, explanation, hypothesis and confirmation.” It’s the thrill of all of these combined that make the views happy while viewing the film. Curiosity is a feeling that never goes away until you find the answer to the question you were curious about in the first place. With horror films, the director gives you something to be curious about right at the beginning, and thus leaves you wondering up until the last couple of minutes. He gives you hints along the way, which makes your curiosity grow stronger throughout the movie. This keeps you happy and interested until the very end!

            Carroll also touches on this new theory of having the ability to be happy and unhappy at the same time in the article. She says, “It is not that we crave disgust, but that disgust is a predictable concomitant of disclosing the unknown, whose disclosure is a desire the narrative instills in the audience and then goes on to gladden.” I’m not sure when this article was written, but by the looks of it, it seems like it was published before the so -called “new theory” of Andrade and Cohen. So, it appears as if most people now agree that people love horror movies because they love being scared.

Source: University of Chicago Press Journals (2007, July 31). Why Do People Love Horror Movies? They Enjoy Being Scared. ScienceDaily. 

Article #2:

            “Why People Love Horror”

            “People love to be afraid…it’s human nature to look forward to being scared…from the comfort of your sofa…” This article discusses different types of horror. “Horror takes many shapes, it can be psychological horror where you have nightmares or start to question those noises that you hear outside your bedroom window, or in your basement – and even the world around you. Then there is physical horror, the kind that makes you ill, your hand clamped firmly over your mouth and eyes shut, but then opened again, unable to tear yourself away. But the one that tends to get people the most is thrilling horror, which may or may not coincide with psychological horror. Is she going to make it out of the house? Wait! Why is she running down the basement stairs? It’s dark down there! Hey guy, why didn’t you pick up that axe as you walked by it? Are you really going to go outside with nothing to protect yourself after finding three of your friends…dead?”

            It is interesting to read about the different types of horror, because I am pretty much scared of anything. I get scared very easily, and so I would have never thought about the different levels of horror that are working while watching a horror film. Some people are only affected by one type of horror, depending on how much you can tolerate. The powerpoint on The History of Horror discusses a few different types of horror as well, including psychological horror. However, it talks about psychological horror in the sense of a horror film topic, rather than how the viewer is feeling. 

Source: Van Scoyoc, Andrea D. (2006, November 14). AuthorsDen.com. Retrieved May 10, 2008, from Why People Love Horror Web site: http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?AuthorID=47163&id=25283