While researching some different aspects for my 3rd screenplay, (still trying to decide between comedy, biopic or horror) I have been doing some serious thinking about just what is it that attracts us to horror films; or what it is about them that scares us. Terror is defined as an intense, sharp or overmastering fear. I believe that the true films that stand out in our genre are films that terrorize, horrify, and have the ability to gross you out at least twice during each film.
I found a very interesting article in the Journal of Media Psychology that breaks up horror films into seven different psychological theories of accomplishment.
- Psychodynamic
- Catharsis
- Excitation Transfer
- Curiosity/ Fascination
- Sensation Seeking
- Dispositional Alignment
- Gender Role Socialization
- Societal Concern
Each of these attributes when combined correctly influence our decisions on viewing certain horror films over others and in a greater general consensus more successful than others.
Psychodynamic or psychoanalysis is the use of symbolism and other general figures to impact the viewer on several different levels simultaneously. It is important that we view archetypes or primordial images that reside in our collective unconscious as dangerous and fearful. In other words we are genetically programmed to be afraid of the unknown; to be afraid of sharks, aliens, snakes, spiders and more generally the darkness. Many films use this underlying force to excite and strike fear into their audience but few do so in such a way that create a truly terrifying experience. I believe Jaws to be the true champion of this universal theme.
Catharsis is the opportunity to purge oneself of certain negative emotions. By viewing horror films people can get away from the doldrums of everyday life by experiencing fear and utilizing their imaginations to escape. There have been numerous studies on people of the effects of viewing violent media and content and the subsequent acts of aggression that could be triggered by exposure to such images, most of which show a negative correlation, yet we continue to watch horror and action films. I have seen hundreds of horror films and haven't killed anyone. Yet certain themes do seem to resonate in the subconscious and by viewing such acts of violence, and the watcher of such films can purge the negative emotions toward society by mentally exhausting one's self through film... But hey, that's just my two cents.
Excitation Transfer is a variation on the overall views on catharsis and the surrounding emotions. It has been proven that the viewers of horror films can be psychologically aroused and intrigued by the simple viewing of a terrifying movie. People become excited, and during the stressful scenes of a rather effective film, the viewer will experience a wide variety of emotions and physiological effects. Heart rates rise, breathing can accelerate and in extreme cases the brain will actually emit endorphins when the stress of the plot-line is resolved. This is hard to believe, but if a movie really freaks you out.. your brain will reward you when the antagonist is killed at the end.
Horror films can have positive side effects like curiosity/ fascination, which is often triggered by an exploitation of of societal norms and everyday experiences. This effect is especially pronounced when certain "rules" are broken throughout the course of a film and the characters are punished for their actions. We all know that the slutty girl is going to get the ax and the pothead will not make it into the third act. It has been proven that people respond favorably when these type characters, whom are the norm violators, are butchered. When you break it down, it is a little hard to believe that some high school student really deserves to be stabbed with a fire-poker just for smoking some herb, but in the eyes of outstanding society... they deserve it...???
Now I believe I probably fall into the next category of sensation seeking. As far back as I remember I somewhat enjoyed being totally freaked out as a kid after watching scary movies. The move that got to me the worst probably was Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. Yea yea, I know... it's not scary whatsoever, but for some reason it really got to me. My family had a cheater PPV box growing up, which I blame for my fascination with movies, but it also gave my the opportunity for multiple viewings of the same movie. When Freddy's Dead came out I was so excited to finally see the film... then I don't think I slept for like three days. But I kept watching the movie whenever it was on. I was a thrill seeking little dude and just couldn't get enough of it even back then. I wish I could resurrect that feeling nowadays but hopefully one of my screenplays will affect America's up and coming youth.
Dispositional alignment is the overall judgement of certain scenes the audience is likely to adopt. People are less likely to give a shit if the girl who sleeps with the jock gets a machete to the face than they would be if an innocent 6 year old boy got it instead. The viewer will actually adapt a positive view of the violence toward the slutty girl and not toward the child, which could make or break an entire film.
Gender Role socialization, just the fact that a psychologist had to point this out and I didn't even think of it makes me laugh. Guys like to watch horror films with girls because they get scared and try to clutch onto them. Girls like it when guys are the master or their domain and show no fear whatsoever. Horror films provide this atmosphere for everyone to enjoy. It is a shame that the lame ass MPAA is slapping R and NC-17 ratings on everything causing half of the largest demographic for horror, 14-34, not to be included. I believe that this does in fact have a significant impact on the financial success of certain films.
You also never really think about it, but horror films seem to mimic the hot button issues of the times. The early creature features of the 1950's reflect a timid society in the shadow of the nuclear era, the slasher's of the 1980's reflect the fear of authority figures and the subtle essence of cold war totalitarianism. An effective horror film will have this subtext and be able to relate to the subtle issues plaguing modern societies.
All in all this blog post is a mere reflection of just how the themes and contexts of our favorite films can be broken down and generalized into a successful venture into the fear and the unknown. My next post will analyze the allure of popular horror cinema and their effectiveness in establishing terror...
Tension, relevance, and unrealism.
-Cjevy
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