I watch a lot of horror. I’ve probably seen most of what the genre has to offer, save for some obscure Asian films (but I’m working on it). Recently I’ve caught myself thinking I very rarely feel disturbed or ‘scared’ by horror films. It is true that one becomes desensitised, but I think that’s not the whole story. The gorier it gets (or, in psychological horror, the closer we are to the climax), the more I anticipate the payoff, and of course, if something is truly sudden, I might flinch (though I don’t recall that happening in a while). But I’ve started to wonder if anyone actually feels anything close to stress stimuli from horror, or is it just Adrenalin? I feel like gore occasionally elicits disgust, we feel more sympathy for the characters, the greater the peril (if it’s competently done, of course), but does mental stress ever really come in?
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First off, what one finds scary is very subjective. So while one movie or moment might be scary to some, it can be hilarious or just do nothing to another. But I think we all have some kind of deep fear and it’s not always easy for a movie to bring that out for us unless that fear us something as simple as “being scared of the dark” for example.
Also - but you probably know that - horror doesn’t have to be scary. Of course it’s good when it can be, but the horror genre is often misunderstood by many who feel like they have to walk away from a horror film having been scared for it to be a great horror film. That’s simply not the case. And i would partly also refer once again to the above paragraph, for example. As for me, I very rarely am scared from horror anymore. I do feel on the edge of my seat sometimes. But not scared. I wouldn’t even call it rare. I would be close to calling it never. However, when I watched It Follows in the cinema I was completely shocked to see that I could still be scared from a movie. And that might have been “my moment” as I talked about in the first paragraph. That there was some kind of deeper fear I did not know about and that this movie somehow found that and presented the moment perfectly. The moment was when that big tall guy just came out of nowhere from the dark in the hallway. I hadn’t seen the trailer so the moment came out of nowhere. I felt a genuine shock wave go through me and a short burst of what I think must’ve been real fear. A couple of seconds later it was all fine though, but right in the moment I felt what I think a lot of horror fanatics search for or at least wonder about. |
I think that a fair part of it is just each person's disposition. When watching films I just don't have much of a startle reflex. However, I do know several people who either have a strong startle reflex (and so are genuinely scared by jump scares or sudden violence) or people who are very sensitive about suspense/danger/spooky stuff. Some of them to the point that they actually don't enjoy horror sometimes because it's too intense and ventures into an uncomfortable level of unease.
Sometimes I think I'd enjoy horror a little more if my brain allowed itself to be more emotional while watching them. I'm a very emotional person and I watch movies with my heart more than my head, but when it comes to horror my analytical, "detached observer" part takes over. I don't know if that's a subconscious defense mechanism or if it's that I like horror so much that I can't help analyzing them as I watch. I agree with you that the feeling I feel while watching horror is suspense and not "scared." Only one film ever scared me genuinely, and that was when I watched Black Christmas late at night while home alone and in a weird mood. On the other hand, it annoys me when people say that a horror movie "wasn't even scary". Horror comes in all forms and plenty of horror movies aren't scary to me, per se, but are still pretty great. |
Originally Posted by MovieMeditation (Post 2116724)
First off, what one finds scary is very subjective. So while one movie or moment might be scary to some, it can be hilarious or just do nothing to another. But I think we all have some kind of deep fear and it’s not always easy for a movie to bring that out for us unless that fear us something as simple as “being scared of the dark” for example.
Originally Posted by MovieMeditation (Post 2116724)
Also - but you probably know that - horror doesn’t have to be scary. Of course it’s good when it can be, but the horror genre is often misunderstood by many who feel like they have to walk away from a horror film having been scared for it to be a great horror film. That’s simply not the case. And i would partly also refer once again to the above paragraph, for example.
Originally Posted by MovieMeditation (Post 2116724)
As for me, I very rarely am scared from horror anymore. I do feel on the edge of my seat sometimes. But not scared. I wouldn’t even call it rare. I would be close to calling it never. However, when I watched It Follows in the cinema I was completely shocked to see that I could still be scared from a movie. And that might have been “my moment” as I talked about in the first paragraph. That there was some kind of deeper fear I did not know about and that this movie somehow found that and presented the moment perfectly.
The moment was when that big tall guy just came out of nowhere from the dark in the hallway. I hadn’t seen the trailer so the moment came out of nowhere. I felt a genuine shock wave go through me and a short burst of what I think must’ve been real fear. A couple of seconds later it was all fine though, but right in the moment I felt what I think a lot of horror fanatics search for or at least wonder about. |
Originally Posted by Takoma11 (Post 2116725)
I think that a fair part of it is just each person's disposition. When watching films I just don't have much of a startle reflex. However, I do know several people who either have a strong startle reflex (and so are genuinely scared by jump scares or sudden violence) or people who are very sensitive about suspense/danger/spooky stuff. Some of them to the point that they actually don't enjoy horror sometimes because it's too intense and ventures into an uncomfortable level of unease.
Originally Posted by Takoma11 (Post 2116725)
Sometimes I think I'd enjoy horror a little more if my brain allowed itself to be more emotional while watching them. I'm a very emotional person and I watch movies with my heart more than my head, but when it comes to horror my analytical, "detached observer" part takes over. I don't know if that's a subconscious defense mechanism or if it's that I like horror so much that I can't help analyzing them as I watch.
Originally Posted by Takoma11 (Post 2116725)
I agree with you that the feeling I feel while watching horror is suspense and not "scared." Only one film ever scared me genuinely, and that was when I watched Black Christmas late at night while home alone and in a weird mood.
On the other hand, it annoys me when people say that a horror movie "wasn't even scary". Horror comes in all forms and plenty of horror movies aren't scary to me, per se, but are still pretty great. I need to watch Black Christmas again at some point. |
Originally Posted by AgrippinaX (Post 2116722)
I watch a lot of horror...I’ve started to wonder if anyone actually feels anything close to stress stimuli from horror, or is it just Adrenalin? I feel like gore occasionally elicits disgust...but does mental stress ever really come in?
You mentioned stress, and stress & anxiety is what I feel when I watch innocent victims being tortured/killed in a horror film. Personally I hate feeling that stress and anxiety that's why I don't like horror...BUT I wonder if fans of horror actually enjoy those feeling of stress and anxiety? I'd be really interested in hearing from horror fans on this topic. |
Originally Posted by Citizen Rules (Post 2116733)
Good topic! I've been thinking about this too. Specifically I wonder about what emotions does intense horror/slasher films elicit in people?
Originally Posted by Citizen Rules (Post 2116733)
You mentioned stress, and stress & anxiety is what I feel when I watch innocent victims being tortured/killed in a horror film. Personally I hate feeling that stress and anxiety that's why I don't like horror...BUT I wonder if fans of horror actually enjoy those feeling of stress and anxiety?
I'd be really interested in hearing from horror fans on this topic. |
Originally Posted by Citizen Rules (Post 2116733)
Personally I hate feeling that stress and anxiety that's why I don't like horror...BUT I wonder if fans of horror actually enjoy those feeling of stress and anxiety?
I'd be really interested in hearing from horror fans on this topic. But there is a certain type of horror movie that I do love for the emotions that it evokes in me. I would say that stress and anxiety are half of the equation, but the other half is the explosive resolution of those negative emotions. I'm fully guilty of strongly preferring "happy ending" horror movies--the ones where at the end the bad guy takes a machete to the head. For me the journey through the film brings about a kind of catharsis: you feel scared in the moment, and there may be casualties along the way, but you can survive a bad situation. It's an emotional arc that makes me feel good. It's not so much a literal comparison of my circumstances to the ones in the film ("at least I'm not being chased by an axe-wielding maniac--I'm just a little depressed!") as it is seeing an allegorical representation of a bad situation and bonding with a main character who perseveres through it. Everyone has a different level of "pleasurable stress". For example, I actually get too stressed out by something like a rollercoaster. I really do not like the sensation of moving fast. It is not a pleasurable stress for me. For some people I think that horror films produce the "just right" level of stress. |
Re: Horror not ‘scary’ most of the time?
I've seen uncountable horror movies and have to admit that scares have been rare since I reached adulthood. So, why? Well, for me, horror movies work because it reminds me that there are worse things than real life, like supernatural demons, machete killers, giant spiders, werewolves, or whatever.
The closer a horror movie gets to reality, the more likely I am to turn it off. There's enough real crap that I don't need movies about that, but monsters and demons are no real threat, so I enjoy the cheap thrill that comes along with a threat that doesn't really exist. |
Originally Posted by skizzerflake (Post 2116757)
The closer a horror movie gets to reality, the more likely I am to turn it off. There's enough real crap that I don't need movies about that, but monsters and demons are no real threat, so I enjoy the cheap thrill that comes along with a threat that doesn't really exist.
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I've watched horror movies almost all my life and I can honestly say I watch them because I enjoy them, but they don't scare me. I've mentioned it on the site a number of times but the only films to have ever scared me are The Entity when I was about 9 (and I still think about that film sometimes even though I've not seen it in at least 20 years) and Pinocchio, which I didn't finish watching because I was too scared and still don't want to watch.
TBH, I don't think many people who love horror films actually find them scary and, for many of them, I don't think it's because they've been desensitised so much as, like me, they get something else from it. For me, there's something comforting about many horror film, but especially from the 70's and 80's. Nostalgia definitely plays it part for me. |
Originally Posted by honeykid (Post 2116784)
I've watched horror movies almost all my life and I can honestly say I watch them because I enjoy them, but they don't scare me. I've mentioned it on the site a number of times but the only films to have ever scared me are The Entity when I was about 9 (and I still think about that film sometimes even though I've not seen it in at least 20 years) and Pinocchio, which I didn't finish watching because I was too scared and still don't want to watch.
TBH, I don't think many people who love horror films actually find them scary and, for many of them, I don't think it's because they've been desensitised so much as, like me, they get something else from it. For me, there's something comforting about many horror film, but especially from the 70's and 80's. Nostalgia definitely plays it part for me. |
Re: Horror not ‘scary’ most of the time?
Yeah personally I've found that a lot of horror from 2000 to today, are just all jump-scares and boo-frights... monsters and stuff, shown on screen immediately, or even in the trailers.
Look at the 70s, 80s, 1990s... all jump scare movies and slashers did well. And there was a lot of them too compared to only a handful of psychological stuff. It's no different today. Jump-scares sell tickets... Psychological stuff tends to get forgotten about, regardless of reviews... Babadook, Don't Breathe (underrated), The Lighthouse... The psychological stuff didn't fair quite as well in terms of ticket sales and a lot of what's revered today, was panned at the time like The Shining, The Exorcist, The Thing. The most successful movies though tend to be based on jump-scares... The first Paranormal Activity was ok... the rest were all just jump scares. All of the Conjuring Universe is slow camera pans, followed by......... jump scares. All of the Insidious Universe is slow camera pans, followed by......... jump scares. IT Chapter 2 went for more jumps scares. Instantly made it less interesting than the first part. Instantly forgettable A Quiet Place did too. It started ok, then went jump-scares at the end. I say "instantly forgettable" because I was looking forward to this movie before it was released... and just now, I had to Google it to remember what it was called. Judging by the trailers the sequel is looking to be all jump scares as well. It'll make a killing at the box office no doubt... because jump-scares. You have to remember as well that most of the cinematic audience, the ones who buy the tickets... made the Transformers movies a success so it's gonna be tough to get them to watch The Thing or The Shining, when they have another Jason Voorhees or Godzilla movie to occasionally squeal at. |
Re: Horror not ‘scary’ most of the time?
Love horror but for me they've not really been scary since I was a kid and I put that down to whether or not they get my imagination going into hyperdrive or not. When I was a single-digit entity the proper edition of The War Of The Worlds made me scared of an eye-tentacle coming into my bedroom at night for weeks - and that wasn't even a horror movie per se. Sadly as an adult I just don't seem to have that same fertile imagination so whilst I still adore a decent atmosphere, love tension/suspense, enjoy buckets of gore and even react to the occasional jump scare (when done well) I can't say I find any movies scary any more. Doesn't mean to say I can't and don't enjoy the heck out of them though :yup:
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Originally Posted by Chypmunk (Post 2116793)
... When I was a single-digit entity the proper edition of The War Of The Worlds made me scared of an eye-tentacle coming into my bedroom at night for weeks...
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This is a really good topic.
For me the story is important in any genre. So if a horror movie, which is traditionally expected to scare you, doesn't scare me but provides me a well made story, then I am still content. The other emotion would be discomfort, something which I felt while watching The Witch. But the most uncomfortable and scared I felt was while watching a movie called Jagten The Hunt and it is not a horror movie, but as someone who likes kids it made me scared as hell to the point that I keep a distant from children cause you never know when your harmless kindness towards a child might be perceived in the wrong manner. On a side note, a recommendation to @AgrippinaX if you are looking for new and good horror movies to watch. https://youtu.be/sN75MPxgvX8 Trailer has English subs. |
Originally Posted by The Rodent (Post 2116796)
Spielberg's movie wasn't that scary was it?
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Originally Posted by AgrippinaX (Post 2116804)
I’m pretty sure we’re talking about the old version, the 1953 film. I think it was more horror-leaning than the 2005 Spielberg version, but as everyone has said here, I agree it’s subjective.
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Originally Posted by WrinkledMind (Post 2116797)
. But the most uncomfortable and scared I felt was while watching a movie called Jagten The Hunt and it is not a horror movie, but as someone who likes kids it made me scared as hell to the point that I keep a distant from children cause you never know when your harmless kindness towards a child might be perceived in the wrong manner.
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Originally Posted by WrinkledMind (Post 2116797)
This is a really good topic.
For me the story is important in any genre. So if a horror movie, which is traditionally expected to scare you, doesn't scare me but provides me a well made story, then I am still content.
Originally Posted by WrinkledMind (Post 2116797)
The other emotion would be discomfort, something which I felt while watching The Witch. But the most uncomfortable and scared I felt was while watching a movie called Jagten The Hunt and it is not a horror movie, but as someone who likes kids it made me scared as hell to the point that I keep a distant from children cause you never know when your harmless kindness towards a child might be perceived in the wrong manner.
Originally Posted by WrinkledMind (Post 2116797)
On a side note, a recommendation to @AgrippinaX if you are looking for new and good horror movies to watch.
https://youtu.be/sN75MPxgvX8 Trailer has English subs. |
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