Why Do You Jump In A Horror Movie?

Why Do We Watch Horror Films?

To put it quite simply, for those who enjoy horror films, they love a good scare once in a while and actually love to be frightened, or else they would not watch horror films at all. Individuals choose their entertainment because they want it to affect them in some way, which is incredibly true for horror lovers, as these films tend to have major effects in the film and on the viewer. The scary thing is that we want these effects and a fair resolution in the end, such as the enemy or bad guy to get what’s coming to them. Even if someone chooses to watch these films, the images are still disturbing to them (and many others), but consumers have the ability to pay attention to as much or little as they desire to control what effect it has on them, including mentally and emotionally.

Dr. Glenn Walters wrote in theJournal of Media Psychology that there are three predominant factors that make horror movies captivating for the audience. These three factors are tension created in the film such as suspense, terror, or gore, relevance and how relatable the film is personally to an individual or to society, and its unrealism. He believes these are three factors that make horror movies not only terrifying for the viewer but appealing as well, hence why we enjoy them so much.