Why Do Horror Movies Scare Us?

[Anonymous]

The most interesting part of horror movies is that even though we know it's just fiction, we get scared while watching. Actually, what makes us scared is not the movie but the things which are hidden deep inside of us.

Metaphorical perception

Fear is a metaphorical perception just like pleasure and hurt. Fear can be different according to the (concrete/intangible) danger. Reasons are obvious for a concrete danger but the other one is awakened by being effected by para-conscious dangers.

We can name the feeling we get when we watch a horror movie as an intangible one because there is no real danger. So, we can describe the fear we get while watching a horror movie as a process of struggling with the things that are pent up subconsciously. So, that fear is a kind of protection so we can avoid real danger.

What is the biggest fear embedded in our subconscious?

If you realize most horror movies are about religion- a common one is exorcism. It's because lot's of people have fears about these things.

[CristopherC]

Horror movies scare us because they're designed in every way to evoke those sorts of emotions. Some of the best horror movies use our scientific understanding of fear to their advantage. All species have instinctual fears based on their evolutionary origins. Without fear, you won't feel uneasy and be careful... and then you're way more likely to die. Fear is a safe defense mechanism to aid the survival of a species... And a lot of tactics used in movies play directly into this.

There are relatively few threats to humans nowadays in the form of predator (besides other humans), and that's why we tend to fear the unknown... the supernatural... aliens... whatever it might be.

There are good documentaries out there on fear, horror and its evolutionary roots.

[Anonymous]

i was hoping that after raeding thisi would b able to watch a horror movie and then b able to sleep at night. i get scared sooooo easily! im a 28 year old who is still afraid of the dark, even! its nuts! i tell myself that its just a movie and there is nothing to b scared of, yet i am still terrified and can't sleep and cannot be in the dark.
excellent take!

[SnowflaketheWolf]

There’s something about horror that speaks directly and instinctively to Us. It's some kind of psychological thing in our minds.

[Saoirse_Nua]

Yes that is so true it is like having a "Safe Zone" for fear.