why we love watching horror movies?

it seems obtuse that so many people would willingly engross themselves in almost two hours of fear, repugnance, and dread.

"why do people pay for this?" "how is this enjoyable?" these are the questions that we often ask.

being a horror movie junkie, it also baffles me why i love watching scary stuff. over the years, i’ve developed quite a number of theories. most are from doing a little research, and a few are of my own creation.

- scary movies stimulate the natural fight or flight response in our body without having to experience the real fear or danger. our body releases adrenaline and other hormones during the reaction, and we like the rush that comes with them. it’s actually sort of addictive. it’s the similar response that we get from doing extreme sports like sky diving or bungee jumping (of course minus the actual danger).

- we are happy to be unhappy. we enjoy being scared. human beings are innately sadistic creatures.

- we want to experience fear in a controlled setting. such an experience may prove enjoyable, since the fear can be controlled, and is limited to a fictional form of escapism.

- we get the kick out of the special affects used to create a horror movie.

- we watch them for the shock value. people love surprises.

- we want to just lose control. our lives tend to be dull, or at least monotonous. when we watch horror movies, an alternative reality is being presented that plays upon our worst fears. in most cases, the protagonist lives to tell the tale. to a certain degree, we expect we’d respond with the same heroism if we were running away from a chainsaw-wielding killer.

- a badly-done drama or comedy can be too excruciating to endure. on the other hand, a badly-done horror can have one moment, one scene, which can prove memorable, forever etched in your mind. horror movies are usually safe movie choices.

- horror genre is a perfect diversion from reality. it makes our problems seem a lot easier to endure when compared against what the protagonists are facing.

i’m sure that there are more probable reasons, but i think i’ve more of less covered the basic ones. below, i’ve listed the horror movies i’ve watched recently. actually i viewed them during the long weekend. i find it funny coz it was holy week and not halloween.

the descent (five out of five stars)
quarantine (four out of five stars)
28 weeks later (three and a half out of five stars)
thinner (two and a half out of five stars)
john carpenter’s vampires (two out of five stars)

next on my must watch list is t2. i just have to drag or maybe bribe someone to watch it with me.