Why do we like watching horror films?
YemenExtra
Horror films teach us how to deal with our own anxiety, according to research. Thus, the fear of clowns can be easier to cope with through films like “It” than in real life.
The first of main reasons we like watching horror films is quite elementary,” says film scholar Søren Birkvad of Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences: “Horror films entertain us”.
We like watching horror films simply because it’s entertaining. It acts as a means to fend off boredom.
Personality tests reveal that those who are bored easily often score higher than others on a trait called “sensation seeking.” Several studies show that those who score high in regard to this trait, show an increased liking of horror films.
Thus, some people jump off mountains with parachutes, while others go to amusement parks to enjoy roller coaster rides. Horror film enthusiasts watch films.
Another reason we are drawn to the darkest of film darkness is that the horror film is a way of unravelling evil.
“Formerly religious explanations of evil are nowadays given a diagnosis. One subjects the evil actions to scientific or psychotherapeutic explanatory models,” says Birkvad.
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.
“Evil is reserved for this genre of popular culture because we no longer believe in the compelling explanatory models that the local priest once gave us,” says Birkvad.
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 life.
Testing limits within safe surroundings
A third and last reason, which Søren Birkvad addresses, is what he calls the anthropological and therapeutic utility of horror film; It teaches us to deal with our own anxiety.
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.
“We see it in the way teenage boys occasionally use horror films as part of a kind of manhood test where it’s about keeping one’s composure as much as possible,” says Birkvad.
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.