Horror Film Research

By Karan Sandhu

Contents

• Why people watch Horror films

• Attraction Of Horror

• Psychology Of Fear

Why People Watch Horror Films Q: Why do people watch horror films?

A: Horror films have been attracting viewers since the beginning of cinema. According to some psychiatrists, the modern horror film serves many of the same functions for the adolescent that the fairy tale serves for the child, for instance to warn of evil in familiar places. Horror films are designed to elicit strong emotional reactions from viewers, including fear and dread; and this they do. Nearly everyone reports having been disturbed at some time by an image from a film or television program.

The appeal of horror depends on characteristics of the viewer, the film, and the viewing circumstances.

The viewer and the film

Researchers have identified various motives for viewing horror films, including the need for excitement, the desire to feel intense emotions, and distraction from everyday concerns. Although dramatic films can fulfill some of these needs, movies depicting violence and horror have features that other forms of drama do not, including the violation of social norms and the portrayal of events seldom seen in real life.

People rarely view horror films alone. Violent entertainment appeals primarily to males, and it appeals to them mostly in groups. For many young people and adults, horror films are a topic of conversation, a source of shared experience, and a means of self-presentation. Not everyone will like the blood and gore, but many may continue to watch because of other goals, such as demonstrating their ability to tolerate it, or the desire to master the threatening images.

One study identified three factors that were important in the appeal of horror films to males aged 15-45: the excitement generated by the film (called "sensation-seeking" by psychologists, the enjoyment of stimulation or physiological arousal), the wish to see the destruction found in horror films, and the satisfying resolution usually found at the end of the film.

The setting

Horror films are typically viewed in comfortable, familiar surroundings with friends, or at least co-viewers, nearby. Violent entertainment is less appealing when one is under genuine threat or experiences fear or anxiety prior to viewing.

When humor accompanies the film, emotional reactions are milder. Viewers can limit the effects of disturbing images by distracting themselves by looking away, thinking about something else, or analyzing the film dispassionately, like a film critic. When the violence is too real, when cues to its unreality, like music or film editing, are removed, violent entertainment loses much of its appeal.

Jeffrey Goldstein, Ph.D.Department of Social &Organizational PsychologyUniversity of Utrecht, The Netherlands

How this will help with my trailer• Target Audience:

Knowing why people watch horror films, will help with the making of my trailer because I can acknowledge why they want to watch it, what they achieve from watching it and who wants to watch it.

What I have learnt from the previous slide is that, people want to watch horrors because they feel the need for excitement, they want to experience the intense feelings and also distract themselves from their everyday lives. This will help me when making my trailer because I can make scenes which will make the audience attracted and get them to feel the excitement.

People may feel they have accomplished something by watching horror films. One of them may be that they have let go of their fears. This will also help with the trailer as I can research for fears that people have.

The people that may want to watch it would be young teens, who want to feel the excitement. They may also be influenced by their friends who want to watch it just for the sake of watching it, due to it being a ‘horror’. Young adults may want to watch it because they want to get over their fears. The research from the previous slide shows that people tend to not watch horror films alone. This can help me make a trailer that would attract a group who will be excited to watch it.

“Violent entertainment is less appealing when one is under genuine threat or experiences fear or anxiety prior to viewing.”

This tells me that I should maybe think of making a trailer that would be unrealistic in the world we live in. However I then need to think if it is too unrealistic, will people watch it?

“Violent entertainment primarily appeals to males”

This shows that if I decided to make a violent film trailer, it would mostly appeal to males. This would be a factor to consider because this would mean my trailer would be targeted at a niche market and would have to be very specific.

Attraction Of Horror Investigators generally use one of two theories to explain why people like horror movies. The first is that the person is not actually afraid, but excited by the movie. The second explanation is that they are willing to endure the terror in order to enjoy a euphoric sense of relief at the end. But, a new study by Eduardo Andrade (University of California, Berkeley) and Joel B. Cohen (University of Florida) appearing in the August issue of the Journal of Consumer Research argues that neither of these theories is correct.

"We believe that a revaluation 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," explain Andrade and Cohen in their study.They continue: "The assumption of people's inability to experience positive and negative affect at the same time is incorrect.“

In other words, the authors argue that horror movie viewers are happy to be unhappy. This novel approach to emotion reveals that people experience both negative and positive emotions simultaneously -- people may actually enjoy being scared, not just relief when the threat is removed. As the authors put it, "the most pleasant moments of a particular event may also be the most fearful.“

Andrade and Cohen developed and utilize a new methodology to track negative and positive feelings at the same time. Their method could apply to other experiences that seem to elicit terror, risk, or disgust, such as extreme sports."When individuals who typically choose to avoid the stimuli were embedded in a protective frame of mind, such that there was sufficient psychological disengagement or detachment, they experienced positive feelings while still experiencing fearfulness," the authors explain.

Reference: Eduardo B. Andrade and Joel B. Cohen. "On the Consumption of Negative Feelings" Journal of Consumer Research: August 2007. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070725152040.htm

Psychology Of Fear

• What is Fear?

An unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

Why do people watch it and fear? According to Glenn Sparks, PhD, a professor and associate head of the Brian Lamb School of Communication at Purdue University, one reason for the appeal is how you feel after the movie. This is called the excitation transfer process. Sparks' research found that when people watch frightening films, their heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increases.

After the film is over, this physiological arousal lingers, Sparks said. (We’re just not aware of it.) That means that any positive emotions you experience – like having fun with friends – are intensified, he said. Instead of focusing on the fright you felt during the film, you recall having a great time. And you’ll want to come back for more, he said.

However, if your experience was negative, you might not. For instance, let’s say you were on a date that wasn’t going well or you got into a car accident on your way home, Sparks said. Again, because your lingering arousal heightens any emotions you experience, the negative feelings might sway you to skip a scary flick in the future.

Conclusion

• From the research I have gathered, I know now that the main reason in why people watch horror movies is to have the feeling which is an intense emotion. Others watch it for the sake of watching it and I have gathered that these are mainly young teenagers who want to have fun. Every horror film will have an audience and it shows there will always be a market for this film genre.