Why are horror movies appealing? Adrenaline? Shock?

Generally, people enjoy the adrenaline rush of being scared. Risk taking is an inherent part of our make-up, and although men are more well known for it, women enjoy it as well. The ‘bump’ of a good scare makes you feel alive.

Since we don’t go out onto the savannah and kill large animals with a pointed stick anymore, we watch movies with terrifying plot lines to get that same feeling.

Because it’s fun to imagine such crazy, scary, and dramatic things happening in my own life. While watching the movie, I get to fantasize a bit.

Well horror os suspense thriller? Few “horror” movies are actually scary in the least. Like Rob Zombie films.

@Anon_Jihad Rob Zombie films are rape porn disguised as horror.

Schadenfreude.

@MacBean

I disagree. It’s not about pleasure at the misfortunes of others.

For me, true horror (not violence/gore) is about intrigue. I am fascinated by the paranormal and unexplained and those are common factors of horror. I find the scary interesting and I do find it captivating mainly because most scary movies/stories are mysteries where you do not know what is going to happen next.

I think for many people, it’s simply the rush that comes from being scared, but not actually harmed or scared of something in real life. This is why nightmares are so scary because to the dreamer, they are actually happening, and not something in a movie or a book or an imagination. Part of the reason I’m so relieved when I wake up from a realistic-feeling scary dream.

@DominicX “True horror” doesn’t exist. There are subgenres of horror. Splatter, torture porn, psychological, supernatural, creature features, etc. They’re all perfectly valid forms of horror.

Anyway. Horror is my favorite genre, but I don’t get any kind of adrenaline rush. I just get an overwhelming sense of “At least my life isn’t that bad…” Which is why I answered the way I did.

@MacBean

Yes, I know there’s no “true horror”, that’s just what I say in reference to my distaste of “slasher” films because I don’t find violence/gore scary alone. So I meant it in reference to what was truly horrifying for me personally.

“Schadenfreude” just reminded me of the claim that people who enjoy horror are “twisted” or something, which I don’t agree with.

It mostly comes from the “Arousal Theory” that when a person is content and satisfied with his or her life at the moment, they desire an alternate stimiuli to get em going again. This is one idea. But not everyone does it for this reason.

Because it gives us some sort of challenge to face the big villain(monster etc.) psychologically.