Are you the type of person who enjoys the thrill of a good horror movie? Or perhaps spooky films are more likely to give you nightmares? Love them or loathe them, most people have an opinion about scary movies.
During this Halloween season, many enjoy watching the latest horror flicks or rewatching classics such as Nosferatu, Jaws, and Poltergeist. What are the physiological and psychological reasons behind the desire to be scared?
The word “horror” derives from the Greek word phryke (“shudder”) and describes the spine-tingling physical manifestations of shivering, shuddering, and getting goosebumps (Martin, 2019). Nowadays, horror refers to our emotions, those intense feelings of fear, shock, or disgust. There are two types of horror. A genuine sense of horror is a protective mechanism that is intended to make us feel afraid because it is advantageous to our survival. Then there is “art horror,” the fictional kind, that is created for entertainment purposes. This refers to novels, stories, plays, video games, or movies that explore forbidden, evil, and violent aspects of life (and death). Fictional horror is marked by the presence of the paranormal or the unknown and is often centered around a villain or monster, especially supernatural creatures such as demons, vampires, werewolves, and zombies.
Horror movies impact our minds. They are designed to evoke fear, shock,........