What makes horror so appealing

The mixture of relevance creating a personal connection, a reason for us to feel invested in the survival of the protagonist or the events unfolding and unrealism the separation from what we are seeing can be used to explain what allows us to watch graphic, gore-filled films like, while turning away from similar real-life imagery in documentaries or news reports.

One subjects the evil actions to scientific or psychotherapeutic explanatory models. In society as a whole, little or no discussion revolves around evil anymore. However, in popular culture - and especially in the world of film - evil is presented as an independent phenomenon through the horror genre. When it comes to extreme acts and horrific events, we like to describe them as inhumane or evil. Whilst in our day to day lives, as religion has widely played less and less of a role in our understanding of how things work and our motivations, so too has the concept of evil diminished.

Clark suggests that the fictional nature of horror films allows us as viewers a greater sense of control through placing psychological distance between us and the violence we watch. Dr Jeffrey Goldstein , professor of social and organisational psychology at the University of Utrecht was quoted as saying:. You choose your entertainment because you want it to affect you. That's certainly true of people who go to entertainment products like horror films that have big effects.

They want those effects The bad guy gets it. Many of the shadows in the film were painted directly on the set, which helped highlight the unnatural and creepy mood. Other effects that were used to reinforce evil, were strong and grotesque makeup and crooked camera angles.

Among these were people from the film branch. With this, the development of cinema received a further boost, not least of which the horror film in Hollywood. Danish films are doing well despite the financial crisis. This is due to the Danish film model with collective leadership, a flat organisational structure and a strong system for education and funding. Sound and music in films do more than merely enhance our experience of a film's narrative. They can also affect the ways in which we perceive ourselves and how we act.

Horror films teach us how to deal with our own anxiety, according to research. Photo: SF Studios. Sigrun Dancke Skaare. December - Why do so many of us go out of our way and even pay good money to consume frightening entertainment?

Even though horror movies are fake, watching them can trigger a very real fight-or-flight response, some experts say. Despite the absence of any real threat, many people still feel a sense of accomplishment when they finish a horror movie. Horror movies give you a glimpse at how life-threatening situations might play out, which can make you feel more prepared for actual danger. What do other people do when they find themselves facing some particular kind of threat or challenge?

In addition to giving you a playbook of sorts, experts say watching horror movies can help you practice coping strategies. Horror is pleasurable to many people because it lets us play with negative emotions and develop coping strategies.

We learn what it feels like to be truly afraid, and we learn how to handle negative emotion. How, then, does horror work? My research suggests that horror works by exploiting an ancient set of biological defence mechanisms—an evolved fear system. That system evolved to protect us from danger, and we share it with other animals. Rats, goats, and marmots, all exhibit fearful behaviour.

We even see it in snails and flies. Read More: Wolves love and fear forest roads. But humans are uniquely imaginative, and we use our evolved imagination to travel into virtual worlds that are full of danger. When we read a horror novel or watch a horror film, we respond to the dangerous and horrifying situations that are being depicted.

We identify with the fictional characters who confront terrifying threats. We feel revulsion at the sight or description of the rotting zombie, and terror at the depiction of a tentacled Lovecraftian monster.