People who do not watch horror movies may find horror film buffs strange. They often cannot understand why the others would enjoy seeing demons possessing the minds of girls or serial killers stalking teens. There is a scientific logic to seeing horror films that is associated with a feeling of being safe and comfortable. Watching horror films is scary at the time but can be cathartic after the fact.
Professor Andrew Scahill talked to Healthline regarding horror film viewing, including a bit of horror history and how expert observers of this genre have changed their views over time. For your information, Scahill is a professor who specializes in movie research. Initially, the experts felt that horror would have a bad effect on people, particularly kids, but there are now other ways of thinking that offer different perspectives.
Scahill stated that according to the so-called surrogacy theory, horror movies let us control our concerns about death with surrogate experiences. When watching a horror film, we may be scared somewhat but know that we have a sense of safety in comfy cinema hall seats. As for Scahill, letting yourself be triggered when you are somewhere safe can be a therapeutic process. Check which horror films are now playing in Los Angeles theaters, and try seeing how watching one of those affects you.
There is much anxiety about the future in 2021, so it is odd that people now watch more horror shows and movies. As per Business Insider, 2021 saw a 194% increase in horror film sales as compared to the year before. Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion was the most-viewed film of 2021 and is about a global epidemic. According to several experts, the Steven Soderbergh film gave viewers an idea about how an epidemic would happen in real life.
Some people view these movies as a form of distraction from actual issues. The University of Chicago’s PhD candidate Coltan Scrivner told CNET that anxious people love horror content for that reason. As per Scrivener’s research, people who have anxiety are more likely to be horror film buffs.
The film is potentially stressful and can elicit instinctive responses to threatening situations, but many viewers feel safe as it happens in a fictional world. Horror films could teach us in what ways to utilize those situations, so we know the better way to deal with stress in real life.
You cannot coerce people to see specific forms of content. Nevertheless, if you experience more stress or anxiety than usual, then it would not be a bad idea to watch a psychological horror film. Then, you might learn a trait about yourself that you do not know now as well as coping mechanisms for real-life issues.
