Why do we like horror movies?
The human psyche is truly an extraordinary thing. On one side, we require constant balance, a perfect harmony by which we experience our lives, and on the other side, we want a little bit of SPICE.
When we first became interested in the opposite sex, you might have been surprised that those harmonious elements of everyday life couldn't cut it, and we learned that a healthy relationship needs to have its ups and downs. Whether you consider yourself a confident lover or a more laid-back kind of person, relationships become boring if everything is okay all the time. That is not to say that romantic relationships should be toxic or one-sided, but that the attraction between people exponentially grows when activities between people induce thrill and an out of the comfort zone kind of feeling.
This is the exact reason why, in the first few months of a new relationship, we strive to do our best. Not only show ourselves in a good light, but to make first dates interesting and somewhat challenging. This thrill or adrenaline rush is exactly what we seek in horror movies, doing illegal activities, or something out of the ordinary in our lives and our relationships.
Some of us like to be disturbed more than others, for example, adrenaline junkies who go into mountain climbing without protective gear, or deep-sea divers who search for that constant adrenaline surge. Some people simply enjoy being a few steps from the demise because it makes them feel alive. I am certainly not that kind of person (my palms sweat just by watching a TikTok video of some guy climbing a tall building).
This explanation for people like me cannot be enough to justify the potential dangers of such activities, and I will try to explain these extreme behaviors in another blog post.
However, here I will quickly mention three reasons why disturbing things are sometimes enjoyable for risk-averse people like myself. For some strange reason, many people love watching horror movies, and some even cannot watch any other genre and consider other types of movies boring or monotonous.
Apart from a good plot and character development, horror movies bring some elements that cannot be found in other genres:
1) Creativity
The horror genre has evolved faster than any other film genre in the last few decades. This fact can be tested by watching an older horror film. I tried watching the original Exorcist and was surprisingly disappointed. I regularly remind myself to pay respect to those movies since they were the first of their kind, and made people leave the theater when they first aired. Films like Psycho paved the way for all the popular serial killers we know (and love) today.
Nevertheless, we can see an exponential creative progress of horror movie plots, camerawork, etc., in the last few decades.
Classic antagonists used to be monsters and serial killers, and within a few years, they became concepts and ideas. This proves that directors are striving to push the boundaries of what we would consider interesting and/ or terrifying. No other genre (except sci-fi) has the potential to push creativity to its limits.
2) Fear (in a safe environment)
One of the main reasons for the massive popularity of horror films is their ability to induce fear in their audience. Adrenaline junkies may laugh at us for wanting to stay in and consume adrenaline in forms other than jumping out of an airplane (without risking our lives). But every one of us loves the adrenaline to some degree at least.
The key reason why we would rather do it at home than at the bottom of the Mariana Trench is that we want to be in control when experiencing it. Being in control is the key to the enjoyment of such thrills. We can turn off the movie or at least pause it if we feel overwhelmed. We can always cover our eyes with a blanket or a pillow, and we can safely balance on the edge of our comfort zone without exposing ourselves to real threats.
3) Escape by comparison
Another reason for enjoying such movies is definitely psychological. Our lives can and almost surely will get pretty difficult at times. While the whole idea of a good life is learning how to get stronger to carry the burden of life, it is okay to escape from time to time. Great movie directors will tell you that movies provide this escape from reality, making us forget about the hardships and trials of our lives. Some movies provide this relief with great stories, characters, and plot twists, but horror movies provide it by letting us compare our lives with the lives of the protagonist. Scenes and plots in horror movies can be extremely gruesome and appalling, so our daily struggles seem far more manageable in comparison.
Horror movies combine all three of those things in one. With their creativity, they can get you to an entirely new world. A terrifying world where your life is truly in danger, making your everyday tasks much more manageable.
In summary:
There are three main reasons why people, even those who aren’t adrenaline junkies, enjoy horror movies:
- Creativity – Horror has evolved rapidly, pushing the boundaries of storytelling. From classic monsters to abstract concepts, the genre thrives on innovation and imagination.
- Fear in a Safe Space – Horror allows us to experience fear while staying in control. We can pause the movie, cover our eyes, or stop watching entirely; something impossible in real-life, dangerous situations.
- Escape by Comparison – Horror puts our daily struggles into perspective. Watching someone flee from supernatural danger or life-threatening scenarios can make our real-life problems seem smaller and more manageable.
In the end, horror films offer a unique combination of emotional release, creativity, and controlled fear that few other genres can match.