... like I'm 5 years old
Horror movies can be a bit like roller coasters. Some people love them, while others can't understand why anyone would willingly subject themselves to such an experience. The key to understanding why some people enjoy horror movies is to look at the way our bodies respond to fear. When we watch a horror movie, our heart rate increases, our adrenaline levels spike and we become more alert. This is the same "fight or flight" response that our ancestors would have experienced when faced with a real-life threat, like a saber-toothed tiger. But in the safe environment of a movie theater or our living room, we know that the threats on screen aren't real. This allows us to enjoy the thrill of being scared without any real danger.
Imagine going on a roller coaster. The steep drops and sharp turns can be scary, but you enjoy the ride because you know you're strapped in and safe. Watching a horror movie is like riding a roller coaster from the comfort of your own home.
... like I'm in College
To delve a bit deeper, enjoying horror movies is not just about physical reactions. Emotionally, horror movies can provide an outlet for feelings of fear and anxiety that we may not otherwise get to express. In our everyday lives, we often suppress these negative emotions, but horror movies give us a socially acceptable way to experience and release them. Furthermore, there is a psychological concept known as "excitation transfer". This theory suggests that the intense arousal caused by fear can intensify other emotions we're feeling, such as happiness or relief, once the scary scene is over. This can create a euphoric feeling that some people find highly enjoyable.
If we were to explain the enjoyment of horror movies using Lego bricks, think of each brick as a different element of the movie. Some bricks represent the suspenseful music that builds tension, others represent the eerie settings, and some represent the scary monsters or villains. As the movie progresses, these bricks are stacked together to create a structure of fear and anticipation. But the beauty of this Lego structure is that it can be taken apart at any moment. At the end of the movie, or when the lights come back on, we can dismantle the structure, brick by brick, and return to safety. This ability to control our exposure to fear, to build it up and then take it apart again, is part of what makes watching horror movies such a unique and enjoyable experience for some.
... like I'm an expert
From a more expert perspective, the enjoyment of horror movies can be linked to the concept of morbid curiosity. Morbid curiosity, a phenomenon deeply ingrained in human psychology, is our interest in threatening scenarios, which is why we slow down to look at car accidents or read about true crime. Horror movies tap into this curiosity by providing a safe and controlled environment to explore frightening scenarios. Furthermore, psychologists have suggested that the "horror movie enjoyment" can also be a form of sensation seeking. Sensation seekers are individuals who crave novel and intense experiences, and horror movies certainly fit the bill.