Have you ever wondered why horror movies are so intriguing, and what happens when you watch one?
The universal emotions of fear of injury, illness or death within the unpredictability of the plotline make it one of the most exciting genres. Fear is the driving principle, or “mitochondria”, of horror movies which results in eerie discomfort and disgust. Even when the audience isn’t exposed to real threats, a 3D view or a theatrical experience is enough to fool the brain’s fear mechanism and initiate the body’s fight/flight/freeze response [1].
We feel intense fear even in unrealistic and imaginative situations where we can never get hurt, as though you are the one witnessing the apparition in the basement. Such a vicarious phenomenon leads to an emotional transfer of feelings where you start to empathize with the protagonist and feel what they’re going through in the present [1]. When we face such a fictitious apparition in the abandoned basement, we experience a place and plausibility illusion. The human brain is strongly capable of creating conscious, internal, and fake scenarios which need to be constantly distinguished from external reality. When the brain cannot accurately distinguish between internal and external thoughts and experiences, it falls prey to such vicarious experiences that stem from the place and plausibility illusion [1].
When the brain cannot predict what will happen next during suspense, we become unnerved as being apprehensive of the unknown is one of the most fundamental fears [2]. Such literal and thematic unpredictability and darkness in any situation instantly activate our body’s fear mechanism, i.e. fight/flight/freeze response. Fear response to danger in many ways is unconscious, automatic, and reflexive and often precedes the processing of contextual information of safety, explaining why we are startled even in situations that cannot cause us direct harm. Humans are genetically predisposed to fear specific life-threatening conditions where fear acts as “survival intelligence” [1]. It alarms the body and starts to prepare the body’s survival resources, such as increasing your heart rate, releasing dopamine and adrenaline, and muscle-clenching [1].
Research shows that the amygdala (a part of the brain responsible for the fight/flight response) responds to startling situations in less than 120 milliseconds [1]. This is much faster than the prefrontal cortex’s (a part of the brain responsible for planning and decision making) situational analysis. So, whenever we experience ‘enjoyable fear’, it results from an automatic response generated by the amygdala followed by a later realization of the reality of the situation by the executive systems of our brain. The fight/flight/freeze response leads to the release of mood-altering hormones like endorphins, leading to a calm and happy feeling once the characters are safe. Since the dangers feel unpleasant and unsafe, you enjoy the safety of their being gone. This may lead the viewers to seek more of such sensations [1].
However, the human body cannot be entertained by horror movies all the time. They can trigger PTSD survivors or even lead to PTSD among some first-timers or children [3]. Although this genre is known for causing brief anxiety in viewers, it can also lead to prolonged anxiety or generalized anxiety disorders [3]. In a research study, it was observed that watching horror movies from a young age instilled phobias, fear of darkness, and sleeping problems among some viewers. Since the body’s fear mechanism is already activated and vulnerable, it can also instill additional fears when presented with previous fears [1] [4]. For example, initially you were only scared of the dark, but after watching the Piranha, you pick up an additional fear of water. Furthermore, when the body falls short of its survival resources, the risks of heart attack and panic attacks increase [3]. Desensitization refers to the process whereby repeated exposure to a particular stimulus leads to a decrease in emotional responsivity to that stimulus. So, on the other hand, watching too many horror movies at a young age can ‘desensitize’ some viewers making them less sensitive and less empathic [5].
Nevertheless, the impact of horror movies can be controlled. Watching this genre can be less frightening during the daytime or with lights on, which considerably eliminates the opportunities to incur the ‘fear of the unknown/dark’. If you are not a fan of this genre, avoid watching it before bed. To take the edge off, you can also mute or lower the volume of some intense and suspenseful scenes. It is also strongly suggested to stop watching such movies the moment they turn too frightening. You can also watch it in breaks to lessen the anxiousness caused by the same [4].
References
[1] Nummenmaa, L. (2020). Psychology and Neurobiology of Horror Movies.
[2] Winter, B. (2014). Horror Movies and Cognitive Ecology of Primary Metaphors. Metaphor and Symbol, 151-170. (Smith, 1998, #)
[3] Rubin, T. (1993). The Horror Reaction and It's Reaction. The American Journal Of Psychoanalysis, 53, 55-63.
[4] Irem Sultana, I. I. (2021). Effects Of Horror Movies On Psychological Health Of The Youth. Global Mass Communication Review. Vol. VI. No I, 1-11.
[5] Stacy l. Smith, E. D. (1998). Harmful effects of Exposure to Media Violence: Learning of Aggression, Emotional Densensitization and Fear. Human Aggression, 167-202.
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