By: Shiva Karmakar
It may be past “spooky season,” however there is never a bad time when horror movies can not be watched. There are many genres, following movies, books, and video games, but one of the preferred genres is horror or psychological thrillers. Many prefer the thrill provided by horror media, but what does this imply? Does this mean these types of people are questionable? There is plenty of research that shows how horror media are liked by a community of people who thrive on the thrill and suspense provided, which is a fascinating area to explore.
The horror genre first came along in the late 1800s when movies took a turn for the entertainment aspect. Most of the horror present during that time was only found within movie theaters, revolving around beasts of the swamp or a blood-sucking romantic. This gradually began into the modern-day horror we know and love today. People who prefer other forms of horror look for it in video games, texts, and maybe even art. No matter the media, they all have one thing in common: bringing the viewer into the world of these terrifying situations. If one enjoys these types of media, they like imagining themselves in such scenarios in the comfort of their own home. They may create their own ways of surviving the terror or simply criticize the actions of the protagonist within the media. Three general types of people enjoy such a genre: The Adrenaline Junkie, the White Knuckler, and the Dark Copper.
The adrenaline junkie is one who gets excited after viewing a media where there is a life-threatening situation or for the suspense itself. This relates to the people who imagine themselves in such scenarios and create their own way of escaping from the threat. The general effect of horror media is the fight or flight response, which releases adrenaline even to the viewer. Releasing this response causes some people to feel a burst of energy and levels of dopamine. The goal of these people when watching such movies is to release their stress and improve their mood in general.
The white knuckler refers to people who try to de-escalate the situation presented to them by looking at it from a different perspective. For example, one may see a character in an unpleasant scenario, and their reaction might be laughter at a particular point which would have been easily ignored. There are not a lot of commentaries to give to these types of people since their reactions to such horror movies are described as “boring” or anti-climatic.
Finally, the dark copper refers to one who overlooks their own problems by focusing on a direct one, such as the ones present in horror movies. These types of people have more of an emotional connection to the horror genre since they tend to dissociate themselves from the current events occurring in their lives. However, instead of ignoring their own issues completely, they try to find help through media to which they can somewhat relate. By watching such movies, they tend to answer questions about their own problems by exploring extreme scenarios.
A long history follows the genre, and it has evolved into horror movies and video games being viewed by a wide range of people. Horror movies evolved from physical threats to psychological thrillers, which will clearly develop into deeper levels as the genre is continued. There is much more behind the horror genre than just jump scares and unnecessary buildups, where more technical aspects can be found.