Countdown to Halloween

Not too long ago, I watched a particularly awful horror movie and, for the first time in my life, I had to ask myself, “Why do I watch this garbage?”  The plot was predictable, the acting was bad and the violence was excessive.  When I realized those are the characteristics of many horror movies, I began to seriously question why I love them so much.   I always have and, at this point, I suppose I always will.

I’m not the only one who loves horror movies or they probably wouldn’t continue to get made.  On the WebMD website, Richard Sine states, “…you may be puzzled about why people put themselves through the ordeal of watching such movies.”  As he points out, and as I realized while doing research, “Many behavioral researchers share your puzzlement”. 

Assuming that horror movies are fundamentally about fear, there are a multitude of psychological and physiological explanations for why we enjoy being scared.  Norman N. Holland, Ph.D asks, “Why would we enjoy having the most negative of negative emotions, fear?”  It’s a phenomenon of which I read mention in several places and it’s called the “horror paradox”.

The horror paradox might best be described by Science Daily, "A bedrock assumption in theories that explain and predict human behavior if people's motiviation to pursue pleasure and avoid pain.  How can this be reconciled with the decision to engage in experiences known to elicit negative feelings, such as horror movies?  It certainly seems counterintuitive that so many people would voluntarily immerse themselves in almost two hours of fear, disgust and terror.  Why do people pay for this?  How is this enjoyable?"

These are the questions I want to examine in my countdown to Halloween.   I’m going to look at historical cycles of horror films as well as at least ten different theories about why we love horror movies.  And when I say, “we”, or course I mean, “I”.  After all, the blog is called “It Came from Beneath My Mind”.

I’ll also post some other fun stuff along the way.  I’ve got a comics-to-movie comparison of 30 Days of Night and a feature about the archetype for the lesbian vampire, Carmilla.  I’m sure there will be some other reviews and surprises, as well.  Please join me and check back frequently.  I can’t promise something new every day between now and October 31, but I can promise you mostly treats and very few tricks.

Sources:
WhyWe Love Scary Movies, Richard Sine, WebMD, 10-25-2007
WhyAre There Horror Movies?, Norman N. Holland, PhD, This Is Your Brain on Culture, 1-4-2010
Why Do People Love Horror Movies? They EnjoyBeing Scared,  Science Daily, 7-31-2007