While some people prefer romance or fantasy, others delight in the frights of horror movies. A study published in the journal Scientific Reports sheds light onto why people enjoy such terrifying tales.
Researchers at the University of Pécs in Hungary suggest that this penchant could be explained by the excitement of fear itself. In their study, they explore how curiosity about morbid subjects plays a key role in driving people to watch horror movies, as do the realism of the scenes and the intensity of the fear they feel.
For the purpose of their research, 558 participants were asked to fill out online questionnaires about their movie-watching habits, emotional regulation, curiosity about morbid subjects, beliefs in the supernatural, sensitivity to disgust, and sensation-seeking personality traits.
The participants then watched 10 short scenes from different horror movie sub-genres, ranging from supernatural and psychological to monster movies. After each scene, they rated their experiences in terms of excitement, pleasure, fear, disgust and realism.
The results are revealing: feelings of fear, the realism of scenes, and curiosity about morbid subjects are all strong predictors of excitement and pleasure. In other words, for some viewers, the more realistic these films are, the more exciting and entertaining they are.
Fear is particularly associated with excitement and pleasure, while scenes that evoke a strong sense of disgust tend to diminish the viewer’s pleasure, without necessarily reducing excitement. Or, as lead researcher Botond Kiss put it: “Excitement is influenced by perceived fear, while enjoyment can be influenced by perceived disgust.”
The study even dispels a long-held cliché by suggesting that horror movie fans are not necessarily thrill-seekers. And whatever their personal beliefs in the supernatural or their sensitivity to disgust, these parameters didn’t seem to influence viewers’ reactions, either.
“As for horror consumers who are thrill-seekers, they perceive fear-induced adrenaline as rewarding,” Kiss added.
It is important to note the limitations of this study: most of the participants are horror fans and, therefore, already had a certain taste for this genre.
“Moreover, the different genres of horror films presented were quite different. Just think about how different the content of a psychological horror film and a zombie one would be. So, in the future, it might be worth taking this into account,” Kiss acknowledged.
According to the researcher, their long-term goal is to identify certain motivations for why people consume such content.
“We have the opportunity to identify the factors that influence the perception of disgust and fear. This could be important in understanding specific real-life phobias where both fear and disgust are of particular importance,” he concluded.