I have a confession to make: I love horror; movies, books, television shows, it doesn’t matter. I can’t make it through the week without my fix of horror escapism. As a very introspective person, I have often wondered why this is the case; why am I drawn to this specific genre? After a productive pondering session, I think I have come up with four compelling reasons horror is such a well-loved genre (at least to me).
1. It’s edgy.
Do you remember being an emo teenager? Wearing skull and crossbone jewelry with punk rock band T-shirts and writing angsty lyrics in a journal? If you’re nodding you probably loved those things because they made you feel like a badass. They gave you a false sense of security; as if because you embraced the danger and angst you couldn’t be hurt by them.
2. It helps with anxiety.
Or at least it does with mine. There’s an old Persian proverb:
“I never complained of the vicissitudes of fortune, nor suffered my face to be overcast at the revolution of the heavens, except once, when my feet were bare, and I had not the means of obtaining shoes. I came to the chief of Kufah in a state of much dejection, and saw there a man who had no feet. I returned thanks to God and acknowledged his mercies, and endured my want of shoes with patience.”
Happy comedy stories don’t make me feel better or less anxious. I need a story where the characters are dealing with something more difficult than I am dealing with. That perspective helps me to shift focus. No matter what I am dealing with it’s not as terrible as facing off against hordes of the undead. I can also turn off or put down the story if I decide to, which gives me control over the horror when I can’t do that with my real-life circumstances.
3. It’s a psychological purge.
According to Aristotle, horror stories allow people to purge negative feelings and emotions in a socially acceptable way. Instead of violently lashing out at a real human we instead enjoy watching things happen to fake humans. You might say horror is a kinder alternative to murder-sports like hunting and fishing. Horror also appeals to the sensation-seeking part of our brains. The rush of adrenaline and fear is intense and unleashes extreme emotions that can be arousing and addicting.
4. It’s realistic.
We live in a scary world. Children are dying, animals are being abused, humans are killing each other over petty differences, we have a new president, nuclear weapons, etc. Maybe zombies aren’t real, but they represent real horrors. And for those of us who are not easily fooled, horror provides a convincing escapism.
To conclude, I have presented four reasons that I love and need horror. Do any of them resonate with you? Do you have other thoughts?
1. It’s edgy.
Do you remember being an emo teenager? Wearing skull and crossbone jewelry with punk rock band T-shirts and writing angsty lyrics in a journal? If you’re nodding you probably loved those things because they made you feel like a badass. They gave you a false sense of security; as if because you embraced the danger and angst you couldn’t be hurt by them.
2. It helps with anxiety.
Or at least it does with mine. There’s an old Persian proverb:
“I never complained of the vicissitudes of fortune, nor suffered my face to be overcast at the revolution of the heavens, except once, when my feet were bare, and I had not the means of obtaining shoes. I came to the chief of Kufah in a state of much dejection, and saw there a man who had no feet. I returned thanks to God and acknowledged his mercies, and endured my want of shoes with patience.”
Happy comedy stories don’t make me feel better or less anxious. I need a story where the characters are dealing with something more difficult than I am dealing with. That perspective helps me to shift focus. No matter what I am dealing with it’s not as terrible as facing off against hordes of the undead. I can also turn off or put down the story if I decide to, which gives me control over the horror when I can’t do that with my real-life circumstances.
3. It’s a psychological purge.
According to Aristotle, horror stories allow people to purge negative feelings and emotions in a socially acceptable way. Instead of violently lashing out at a real human we instead enjoy watching things happen to fake humans. You might say horror is a kinder alternative to murder-sports like hunting and fishing. Horror also appeals to the sensation-seeking part of our brains. The rush of adrenaline and fear is intense and unleashes extreme emotions that can be arousing and addicting.
4. It’s realistic.
We live in a scary world. Children are dying, animals are being abused, humans are killing each other over petty differences, we have a new president, nuclear weapons, etc. Maybe zombies aren’t real, but they represent real horrors. And for those of us who are not easily fooled, horror provides a convincing escapism.
To conclude, I have presented four reasons that I love and need horror. Do any of them resonate with you? Do you have other thoughts?
