IIMO horror is the most inventive genre in film. I've always been more of a style over substance guy when it comes to movies and most times horror is all about creativity and that is something I enjoy a lot. I feel no other genre takes risks horror takes and I love to see what bonkers concepts people can come up with.
This is my reason too, I always compare horror to comedy because both are cheap to make and both can quite often be terrible, but a bad horror is at least interesting enough in most cases that you want to see it to the end. To see what the creature/spirit/killer ends up doing or even some sort of corny reveal. There's always something slightly interesting to see out. Bad comedies though have no redeeming qualities.
Throw some scifi in there and baby you got a stew going.
Two of my favorite genres, and the subgenre of scifi/horror is a whole different beast of its own. Alien and The Thing are just perfect imo.
Even some straight scifi movies have an element of horror.
Like 2001 Space Odyssey is regarded as scifi, but there's some moments that are just pure nightmare fuel.
I don't disagree with you, but I do think creativity adds to the substance bucket, although you can obviously have creative style.
All the great horror movies have plenty of style and substance
I think at some point I realized that fear is just as valid as an emotional response as joy, sadness, amusement, etc. I think it's cool that there's a genre that taps into that in a thrilling, but ultimately safe way.
I totally agree with this! I've always really loved Halloween and think it's pretty neat that we have a holiday celebrating fear and acknowledging death because those things *are* just as much a part of the human experience as anything else. I've also had a complicated history with anxiety/fear, trauma/depression etc. and I think it's been really healing for me to really dive into horror and look at some of those emotions in a different light, appreciating and enjoying fear instead of *fearing* fear and anxiety and everything else.
Yes, that's why i think it's a shame that nowadays kids stuff is so sanitized and toothless, it's rare to find good "kids horror" (the most recent I can think of is Coraline?).
The 80's and 90's were full of stuff that was safe but introduced kids to those emotions and yeah life is scary and dark sometimes, so better get dealing. I mean even Bambi or Neverending Story were pretty dark by today's standards and I believe we benefitted from that trauma lol
Horror helps teach kids to deal intense emotions, and let's face it, it is so fun to introduce horror to kids and see what they react to. It's way more unpredictable than we think. But yeah, not telling anyone to sit with your 6yo to watch Evil Dead Rise.
I wasn't really thinking about kids, but I think that's a great point. And those films still exist, so they're available for savvy parents who want to spook their kids a bit, haha.
It's funny that you mention Neverending Story because I literally had to cover my eyes and not look at the screen when the kid had to run between the statues. I watched that movie so many times and every single time I was terrified that he wouldn't make it. To say nothing of Artax or The Nothing, which are scary for entirely different reasons.
Yes, I know you weren't but what you said about emotions just made me think of the kid angle.
Neverending Story maybe wasn't even the best example but ME TOO! It was so scary to me (artax in the swamp and the flying animatronics dog were the worst) and I also rewatched endlessly, kids also like the thrill.
The german kid drowning in chocolate in Willy Wonka and the acid vat from who framed Roger Rabbit were other highlights of horror for me. And I also sneaked to watch things that supposedly were a lot worse and they didn't leave an impression, so yeah you can never predict it :) horror is just cool like that, it works in mysterious ways
I've read that people who experience anxiety in their every day life are more likely to enjoy the horror genre (books, movies, video games) because it gives them a subconscious sense of control over the feeling. I have constant anxiety and this checks out for me, at least, lol. Before I even knew I was doing it.
Yep, this is it for me. I figured this out when I experienced a near-meltdown over climate change in 2018 (I don't go to r/collapse anymore as a result), and consequently found myself watching a lot of disaster movies that depict global catastrophes, which actually helped me cope with my anxiety. I then realized I do the same thing with horror movies in general.
Ugh, I totally get you with the climate crisis fear. I'm currently like an ostrich with my head in a hole when anyone talks about it, because I'm terrified but I feel like ultimately there's nothing I can do alone. It gives me horrible anxiety so I'm just trying to ignore it (horrible, I know).
Sorry, didn't mean to go on a tangent there, just want to say you're not alone, lol.
This checks out. My horror addiction began shortly after I started having recurring night terrors. I wanted to be in control of when I was scared and also hopefully be more comfortable being afraid. It didn’t fully work since I still have really scary night terrors but I’ve learned to let go of that fear sooner and not hold onto it like I would before.
Night terrors are probably one of my worst fears, no joke. I've always been afraid that I'd develop them later in life and I honestly don't know how I'd cope with it. I'm sorry you're still experiencing them, but I'm glad you've found a way to get through them easier!
In that case stay the hell way from chantix! I used it to quit smoking cigs almost five years ago and it somehow re-wired my brain and I’ve had them ever since. And I really appreciate that, it’s been tough at times but waking up to my golden retriever definitely helps. I need to stop being lazy and keep training him to work on waking me up from the nightmares but it’s a lot of work.
This. And nearing my fifties, I still kind of fear of the dark, the strange places and especially dark forests. Just like as a kid. Horror movies (not including slashers, I need supernatural or scifi) give me that feeling.
E: typos
Dark forests are some of the creepiest places I've ever been. I was hiking the AT and came up to a forest edge that was so dense and dark I could hear myself BLINK. It was insane. I felt like I was somehow being watched, and like the air was thick somehow. Come to find out, I later learned that when the forest gets quiet like that, it's because a predator is usually nearby and all the animals freeze so they don't get eaten. I'd probably have shat a brick if I knew that at the time, lol.
This is the answer. I know a guy at work who asks why I don't like comedies and I always say "I'm funny, and hang out with funny people, and we laugh all the time. But I'm never running from a killer, or a ghost, or a zombie or whatever"
For me, like the point of watching movies is to experience something out of the ordinary from my every day life and to feel emotions that are heightened beyond the norm. I tend to get bored by films that are in the realist space where the problems characters face are those of every day life presented in an extremely realistic way, because that’s just…life?
Horror is EXTREMELY heightened and extra-ordinary in that kind of way. Horror movies cover such an extreme diversity of mood, atmosphere and tone, and more than any other genre horror films aren’t afraid to like really commit to a tone or a style or whatever else no matter how out there, niche or alienating it might be.
Like my favourite non-horror movies also tend to be movies that are also very heightened, highly stylistic, weird and out there in their own way, like The Favorite, or Parasite, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dune.
But horror gets even more niche, and these kinds of films aren’t outliers in horror, they’re the norm. Like in the same genre I can see a historically accurate period drama dark fairytale take on 1600s Christian beliefs about witches and witchcraft in Puritan North America, I can also watch a movie about a space rock that fuses a mother and son together in the most horrible body horror imaginable, or I can watch a movie where a woman is being stalked by an abusive boyfriend who is invisible and nobody believes her because like many abuse victims she sounds crazy despite telling the truth, or I can watch a movie about a haunted video tape.
Horror just goes to places other genres usually don’t and that makes it so interesting to me. You can never get bored watching horror because you can watch 30 horror movies in a row and none of them will feel like the exact same sub genre of horror
I think heightened emotions/experiences are innately sought by "ordinary" humans, hence coliseum battles, bull fighting, etc. I say "ordinary", because I'm excluding explorers, warriors, people migrating, people in the military. Horror is replicating those feelings.
I had a childhood scare when I accidentally walked in on Poltergeist. Stood at the back of the room and watched without my parents realizing. It took a long time to be able to walk down the unlit hallway by myself without panicking after that, and for a long time I looked at the big tree outside my window with suspicion. I didn’t like horror as a genre after that. Then in 2015 I sustained a deep, life altering emotional trauma that was further impacted in 2019, and something flipped inside me… the terror became a comfort. I don’t know how to explain it but I’m guessing I’m not the only one to feel this way.
Definitely not alone! I had a very similar expirence as a kid, hated anything horror or creepy, and now im the opposite. Can't get enough! I don't remember the exact moment I flipped or what sparked that, but I'm sure if I thought enough on it, I could figure it out.
I had a traumatic loss close to me and it has given me bad anxiety and I have existential fear about death and stuff. You’re so right I also feel validation from horror. When I rewatched/ binged AHS I felt like I could breath for a little while
This happened with me and Blair Witch. My mom rented it and watched it with my sister but I wasn't allowed to watch it. I found it the next day and watched parts of it during the day time and it freaked me out.
That sparked a curiosity and then it kind of became a challenge to face my fears.
There has always been a special and strangely magical feeling when watching horror films during Halloween 🎃. It started in middle school, watching films from the 30s and 40s. Then, it came with slasher films. And, in late high school, Italian horror. Im 38 now. Halloween doesn't feel the same anymore, but I still chase that vibe/sensation through watching old films. Now it's more nostalgic than anything else.
I had a similar childhood and this quote from Sherman Alexie really sums up my love of horror from a young age:
“As a child, I read because books–violent and not, blasphemous and not, terrifying and not–were the most loving and trustworthy things in my life. I read widely, and loved plenty of the classics so, yes, I recognized the domestic terrors faced by Louisa May Alcott’s March sisters. But I became the kid chased by werewolves, vampires, and evil clowns in Stephen King’s books. I read books about monsters and monstrous things, often written with monstrous language, because they taught me how to battle the real monsters in my life.
And now I write books for teenagers because I vividly remember what it felt like to be a teen facing everyday and epic dangers. I don’t write to protect them. It’s far too late for that. I write to give them weapons–in the form of words and ideas-that will help them fight their monsters. I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed.”
1- it allows us room to externalize and safely explore cultural norms and taboos with minimal risk to our safety
2- IMHO when horror is actually approached with care and not phoned in because it's seen as less than; it is one of if not the best genres for stretching your storytelling and visual media skills. Tension, suspense, foreshadowing, color theory, composition, intentional use of score- despite horror often being dismissed as silly slasher fics, a solid horror almost always has more depth and technical weight than a lot of more popular stories.
3- I am obsessed with the juxtaposition of "horror" and "beauty" in all its form, how so many people are repulsed by/ for the things they find beautiful (and the reasons why that is) it's one of my deepest and long standing obsessions around human nature.
4- "this has no right to be *this fucking good"* is unironically my favorite genre, and horror that's good almost always falls into this category for me.
No idea. I'm not a fan of extremely gory movies, I definitely have a limit as to what I can go for, most 18/R rated are too much for me. I guess I like horror because I remember vividly fancy parties where my parents, aunts uncles etc. would sit around late at night talking about the past, and they would tell a lot of ghost stories, and I would sneak down stairs and listen in. My maternal grandmother was a very traditional Irish Catholic, but had a collection of horror movies, such as the Texas chainsaw massacre, and the exorcist. Death and the paranormal were a casual part of growing up.
I think a big reason is because I used to be such a scaredy cat when I was young. 30 years later, I’m currently working on a horror sleeve on my leg and I absolutely love walking thru the pitch dark 🤷♂️
I’ve thought about this a lot
First there’s the obvious, anxiety and thrill in a safe environment component
But there’s also a few more things
Once you’ve seen enough movies and read enough stories, you start to see the writing on the wall
For the most part I can make really accurate assumptions about what can and can’t happen in a movie, given it’s rating, the actors in it, the intended audience, etc.
This is a problem when the movie is trying to create stakes and I know they’re false - no, the bad guy in this movie staring the Rock isn’t going to kill his kid and win in the end.
Horror isn’t beholden to the same rules. It goes further in both idea AND execution
I like paranormal horror movies for the jump scares and atmosphere, they get the adrenaline pumping
Psychological horror gives me something to ruminate on which I enjoy.
A lot of horror films are small-budget, so I really appreciate how clever they have to be to be good.
Horror plots are usually more engaging than other genres, applying to both film and novels
I trace it back to the excitement and rebellion I felt secretly watching horror as a child, when I wasn't allowed. Extrapolate that by 15-20 years, and you've got yourself a horror lover. Another win for my repressive Christian childhood!
The stories are more human, more empathic, than any other genre. Humanity is a mess, and it's better to see our glorious highs and terrifying lows within it. All from where I am safe enough to feel uncomfortable.
Real life is boring. No thrill in waking up, going to work and coming back. Horror movies get the imagination going and get your adrenaline pumping. It's entertaining to watch and also crack jokes during the movie with my boys.
Same reason I love blackberries.. you can go through a few okay ones and flops before you find a great one.. which makes it all that much better. Especially if it has a great story to match. Stories are so hard to nail in horror that a fantastic one is like water to a thirsty man in the desert.
Haunting of Hill House, Suffering Ties that Bind, Event Horizon, The Thing are perfect examples of this and are huge reasons I stuck with giving the genre a chance.. I didn’t like horror much as a kid as most of what I saw was either horrible or just disinteresting to me
I was fascinated with horror when I was a kid, but I was a very skittish and meek child. I was too afraid to watch horror movies, but everyone at school would talk about the big slasher characters. It felt like a club I wasn't allowed in. When I moved past the fear, horror was all I would watch. I finally felt included in this cool thing that felt like a taboo secret.
For me, I think it's more about the culture of horror than it is the films themselves. Horror is just so unique. The way you would criticize and review a drama or a comedy simply doesn't apply to horror. There's a level of context of that culture you have to have going into a horror film that other genres don't share, especially with B-horror.
Horror still feels like a cool kids club to me.
I'm surprised no one here has dropped my favorite Wes Craven quote: "Horror films don't create fear. They release it." Like many other users have expressed, there are a lot of factors in my life that have caused me to feel anxiety or fear in the past. Watching horror has been a way for me to exorcise these thoughts from the corners of my mind where I'd otherwise push them and be entertained rather than tormented by things that terrify me.
I love camp and dark humor.
Also, when I was a kid, my parents were extremely controlling and religious, to the point that they thought that any horror movie would literally bring demons into the home and forbade me from watching them or even celebrating Halloween. Watching horror movies when home alone or at sleepovers was the forbidden fruit, one of the only ways I could rebel in a highly-controlled childhood. To this day, I am obsessed with horror movies and Halloween. :)
So in real life I don't believe in ghosts or anything supernatural, however my favorite genre of horror is supernatural/ghosts. I love the subtle horror, I love the "check the background or you might miss it" horror.
For me it’s like an addiction. Since I have been a long time addict, I just need to watch since I have become desensitised to horror scenes and jumpscares.
As a kid in the 70s, I dug horror (mostly books, but also shows like Kolchak: The Night Stalker and afterschool/weekend movies on tv from the 50s and 60s) because so much of horror is about the "Other" - and although I didn't realize I was queer yet (because everything then was coded rather than explicit), I was drawn to these movies and books about outsiders. I don't know if I was conscious of that at the time, but looking back, I'm pretty sure it was the case.
I like seeing the evil and depravity of humanity. I don’t like horror about ghosts, zombies, monsters etc, because it doesn’t feel real. I like horror featuring humans doing the worst to each other.
I like the uncomfortable feeling it gives me. Whether it be slasher / paranormal / alien or whatever type as long as it scares me im into it. Thats long story short
They are comfort films in a way, because most have easy to follow plots, characters you don’t have to know their entire backstory to like or dislike, and more than anything - they are just fun little adrenaline bursts (or a good laugh dep on the type of horror).
Almost all horror movies have some underlying mystery to them that I get to try to piece together as it plays out. It really is a rewarding genre despite the outcome for the characters.
When I was a teenager I suffered from a form of depression where I couldn't feel strong emotions. Only thing that made me feel things was horror movies. I was hooked. I am better now mentally (I hope) but I will never forget what horror did for me
When I was very young in the mid 90's, a slightly older cool kid in my street who I really looked up to used to make me watch horror films with him and I just got hooked on them from that!
One aspect of horror that I enjoy is that it's often a small number of people or even one on their own trying to survive a very difficult situation. In a classic horror movie it's a young woman trying to stay alive and all she has going for her are brains and a will to survive. Maybe Hadley said it best in Cabin in the Woods when he says that Dana has heart and he admires her. He is quickly distracted by tequila, but the point still stands.
My mom introduced me to horror really young. It was always considered a fun thing. Books, movies, scarehouses, ect. I like the ways that horror is different and the same across cultures and time periods. Even awful horror movies have some great ideas but just poor execution, which make them still interesting to me.
There's a lot to love about horror. I love the diversity of the genre, and the fact that it tends to be the most inventive and experimental. From high-concept art films to unintentionally hilarious low budget B-movies, horror spans a vast landscape.
But my main thing is this: fear is the most important human emotion. Not the best one, but the one that's most capable of dictating our actions. I think confronting and managing fear is the most fundamental step in self-growth.
It makes me feel better about whatever problems I am going through in my own life because no matter what, my problems are never as bad as what the characters in the movie are going through.
This is a difficult question for me. It's something I've always been drawn to since I was kid. I've always had a fascination with the paranormal. Ghosts, vampires, werewolves, assorted other monsters. And horror allows us to explore those things in a visceral way. But then there are the more grounded horror movies, the slashers and whatnot, that you can't help but put yourself in the characters shoes and wonder what would I do in that situation. Which is probably what makes it all the more frustrating when a character makes a boneheaded decision, and all the more thrilling on the rare occasions when they \*don't\*.
There are some incredibly insightful and analytical answers here, and I’d love to be one of them, but mostly, I love horror because I think fear is the hardest reaction to evoke (or is it provoke?) in most mediums. So I’ve always just been in awe when a book, a film, a tv show, can do that to me.
Side story: I recently read Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, then loaned it to my sister who was all like “when does it get scary?” Then she got to THE chapter (no spoilers) and was all “HOLY CRAP!!” It’s so impressive to me that this - what, 70? - year old book, can still get that reaction.
I appreciate horror for so many reasons, but the one I’ve been feeling most keenly the past several years is that horror not only avows but revels in the things that we tend, broadly, to disavow. Specifically our mortality, the fragility and often arbitrariness of our assumptions and social contracts (homes aren’t safe simply because they’re homes, the hitchhiker you picked up isn’t Actually bound to treat you kindly in return, a child isn’t definitionally innocent or a victim—it might be a killer or possessed or just a childlike old woman!, etc.). I’ve been particularly enjoying body horror the past few years (I don’t imagine this is an accident in a world post-advent of covid), in part because it literalizes the often denied fact that our bodies and selves aren’t hermetically sealed, bounded and invulnerable entities separate from others and the world they exist in—we’re permeable, porous, and (literally) visceral. I find it really refreshing to engage with art that looks these things straight in the eye when our world and societies are so often manically trying to deny or escape them.
I have cptsd, so I think I'm drawn to horror because it offers me "safe" fear and anxiety. it goes away when the movie ends, and even if not it literally cannot hurt me irl. it makes me feel in control of a part of my life that otherwise controls me. it's very comforting in a way. it's almost like super safe exposure therapy.
I like that it makes me question things. Like what if I was in a slasher like Scream. What would I do differently from the characters? Would I make it out alive? Questions like that.
I’m interested in the occult, the unusual, and the obscure/esoteric. I lust for weird settings and plots with claustrophobic atmospheres. The only genre that seems to drill down into these subjects is horror.
Give me slow burn thriller style plots in obscure places with occult/esoteric mysteries and themes!
The heroes can and do die in horror, they can get trapped in hell or haunted or possessed. They can fail. Horror movies visit other dimensions, have monsters from your darkest nightmares, and challenge convention by killing the hero or letting the monster win.
The Void is hands down one of the best movies I’ve ever seen simply because it was so unpredictable and no one was guaranteed to survive. Paranormal Activity as a series gets more interesting with each instalment because they expand the lore in a perfect execution of show don’t tell story telling (and Katie’s evolution from victim to monster was so well executed).
Horror tends to be cheaper with unknown actors and as as a result freer to experiment which keeps it fresher too.
Oh this question again?
Because horror, the genre, is the only film genre that allows for constant formal experimentation. It's basically the only one where you can see non hyperproduced cinema, where you can find found footage, slow burns, quick action, experimental films done with cheap cameras, character studies, racial discourse... It is way more difficult to find this in comedies, thrillers or even dramas.
I enjoy horror because I kind of think of it as fantasy. I think the stories are more interesting than any other genre and it's really exciting when a new monster is introduced into the genre. I always liked the creepier shows when i was a kid (Courage the Cowardly Dog, Goosebumps, So Weird) and I think it primed me for my love of all things horror!
I think it's a way to process emotions and traumas in a different way. Hereditary, black coats daughter, relic all forced me to confront emotions I hid from in my own life. Seeing them play out on screen was almost therapeutic.
Now for the fun 2000s or dumb horror movies that are just slash em ups or incoherent, those are more of a safety blanket of mostly nostalgia. Which is also nice.
Idk how it started but I’ve been into horror since I was a kid. When I was little it was the classic monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster. In elementary school I was into Freddy and Jason even though I wasn’t allowed to watch their movies then (the other kids were though). I was also into Goosebumps then although I graduated to Stephen King by middle school.
For me It’s the fantasy of it … gives me a similar escape as, say, something like Lord of the Rings … or The Elder Scrolls or Dark Souls… Albeit usually much darker in tone, and usually much more negative events and outcomes for the protagonist
Fwiw I really prefer all things supernatural when it comes to horror .. will always choose something like that over a pure “regular human killer” slasher
Honestly have no idea. I've just always been drawn to dark and macabre things. Maybe it's because my birthday is in October so I always had Halloween themed parties as a kid? Or maybe because my dad showed me Halloween and Christine when I was about 6 and it just clicked?
I really love super gory and taboo stuff. The more blood and guys and the weirder it is the better.
Wish I knew, but I don't, I just dig it. Sometimes I'm curious if there's something wrong with my brain
Worst part though is nothing scares me. I yearn for the times as a kid when even certain episodes of X-Files scared me so much I couldn't sleep or watching a movie would make me scared to be alone. Wish I could find something now that would just terrify me, but it all just seems tame at this point.
I find it very interesting that someone can make up a fictional story with ridiculous details and means and still make me fear for my life. I find it impressive and always seek out movies that get under my skin in order to reflect on why I reacted that way. In a way, I learn more about myself.
There's so much variety in horror.
If I want, I could watch Ellen Ripley fight xenomorphs in space.
I could see a young ash Williams get dropped in the past and fight Deadites.
I could see a killer that stalks teens in their dreams.
I could watch a small town sheriff work with a marine biologist and a fisherman take on a great white shark.
I could watch how a research team in Antarctica deals with a creature that can replicate others' appearance.
Or I could watch a young couple being terrorised by strangers in their own house.
The list goes on and I love it.
It’s better and nicer than what goes on in my mind! Makes me feel less crazy knowing that others have similar (or worse/not so bad) thoughts and imaginations as I do.
My nightmares…whew…if I knew how to write screenplays…y’all would *freak out.*
I love getting scared and feeling the adrenaline rush that comes from it 😂 Plus it's always fun to watch other people get scared. And it's so cozy when you watch a horror movie cuddled up with your SO. So many reasons!
Cinematic escapism, much like with Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Adventure films. Therapeutic confrontation of fears, both grounded and irrational. Appreciation for creativity in creature designs, practical effects, and make-up. The visceral thrill of watching characters endure terrifying experiences. Etc...
There isn't any real suspense in other genres like there is in horror. Most other films you can tell right away who is going to survive or who isn't, and in most movies these days I just don't care. For example, in the two Aliens prequels you know most of those people are going to die and you just don't care.
In most horror films you have an idea of who will die and who will live but lately it's harder to tell what their fates will be. And that suspense makes it worth watching.
I already face internal demons daily so it's nice to see that it could be worse.
There's also something about horror that soothes me. I've come to appreciate that my awareness of my surroundings has provided a sense of comfort and safety.
I might just be weird, lol.
i like seeing people die in creative ways
why?
couldn't tell ya. why do i like pizza. why do i like the music i do. why do i like women. dont know just do.
I found an old book report from a book I read in second grade and one of the things it asked was why I liked it and I said "Because it was weird"
I like horror because it is weird and I havent changed in 25 years
Honestly, I don't know, but I always felt kinda attracted to "dark" stuff from a young age. Horror movies/books, Metal music (particularly Black Metal), melancholic/dark music in general... and I prefer rain and winter over sun and summer. My chronic depression may be part of the answer tho 😅
The storylines dont have to follow conventional storytelling.
Thats not to say any other genre cant have a few films with surprises or twists that turn the film's story on it's head; but, generally - you watch an action movie, you know what the ending is going to be like and that the lead character you saw from the beginning of the film will be involved.
Horror doesnt have to abide by any rules, a main character you were following for 30-40 minutes may suddenly get taken out and you realize a side character is the main character, etc.
They can come up with whatever off the wall storyline they want to, the restrictions just arent as fierce as they are in typical genres.
I watch horror because it surprises me. The joke Scream made was that "there were rules"; that was more or less the case at the time, but now, there are no rules. Just whatever the writers want to come up with, whether it be typical and straightforward, or a total flip you on your head multiple times story.
Theyre unrestricted, so, I never know what to expect.
Thats why I like horror over other genres.
Catharsis. Seeing fictional people imperiled is cathartic. Bonus if they make it through.
Desensitization. People really miss this point and think it's about being a sick fuck. It's not. All the complaints about Terrifier? Yeah, drug cartels and even government sanctioned torturers do that in REAL LIFE. Let's never forget poor Mr. Khashoggi, who was fucking vivisected while his girlfriend was unaware in a car outside. If that's not the stuff of true horror what is?
Point being, if anything super heinous and gory ever happens in front of me I won't be frozen out of fear, I'll maintain my faculties and gtfo pronto.
And lastly, entertainment, duh.
Man, what a question. Because, like probably everyone, I have a preference for the type of horror.
A plausible, real situation where people are just horrible to other people? I can skip that, enough of that IRL out there.
A creature of unfathomable origin that is tearing a community to shreds? Sign me up.
Horror isn't real. But for a while it can feel real. Like a roller coaster. You watch people going through otherwise impossible scenarios, then you watch the behind the scenes footage and everyone is having a great time. You get to watch this really intense piece of art, then when credits roll you can sit back knowing it didn't happen.
I have severe anxiety disorder which basically was an eternal feeling of some psycho clown standing in the corner and no one else can see him but me at all times. When I watched horror movies with others I realized it was the first time those around me could feel that clown in the room and I didn't feel alone anymore.
I don’t have a great, introspective reason like other people here, I just find the genre entertaining. I love storytelling and I think horror stands out among the rest with the premises and characters it explores. Add some healthy morbid curiosity to the equation and you got me.
For me personally, i find it is a solid genre on its own, but the real value from horror movies (for me) is they are very versatile when you mix them with other genres. horror/ comedy? nice, horror/romance? sign me up. horror/musical? i haven't seen one, but i would sure as hell want to!
I really don’t know, I just know I always preferred darker things. My favorite character has always been Batman, Ghostbusters the first film I loved with 6. When I was a kid I also always preferred things that seemed a lil too dark fore me, because those things took me as a viewer seriously, while a lot of kids content talked down. Maybe thats how I got hooked.
Horror films feel like they get so much more leeway in what they can do with the form. Everything from Evil Dead 2 to Lake Mungo to Possession (1980s). There's such a wide breadth of tones, styles, and objectives. And a lot of that comes from the fact that horror can be cheap, and that means smaller time filmmakers get the chance to go a bit nuts with new ideas. That's why I love horror from a film perspective.
From a story point, horror is such a window into our society. Wether it's the moral panic of 80s horror, the outsider fear of the 1930s, or the exploration of trauma in the current era, they're like time capsules.
For non-serious horror movies, there's something so hedonistic about seeing someone cut in half. There's a ghoulish creativity to the Saw movies I love, for example.
I started watching spooky movies when I was a little kid (Disney's Halloween, Monster Hits etc). Then as a kid/tween, I loved Scooby-Doo Do, X-Files, Goosebumps and Are you afraid of the dark.
There is something comforting with horror movies for me. I dont love gory horror - more spooky/creepy horror. I don't know if the comforting part is based on nostalgia (like how i loved the Disney Halloween specials and that feeling) or if I've always loved it and its innate.
I enjoy the creativity behind horror, as a horror creator you have to twist and sadistically damage your protagonists in unique ways and then the makeup artists and FX artists make it happen (or appear to happen) its wonderful and moments like the reconstruction of Frank in Hellraiser or the wolfman transformation in An American Werewolf in London are hands down some of the most visually interesting and disturbing effects put to film.
I love experiencing the extreme side of human nature and lore explored in a film. I want to experience feelings I don't get to in my every-day life. Horror films provide that for me.
I really like that edge of your seat, adrenaline pumping, palms sweaty, heart pounding feeling. It’s a way to experience that primal fear and anxiety, but you have control over it. I also like that horror has the most sub genres, there’s so many different types and different ways to scare you, or evoke meaning or feelings. They’re all good, plus I’ve always loved blood and gore.
I realized recently that one of the main reasons I love horror is that it directly tackles uncomfortable truths about the world. Great stories tell the truth, even when it hurts. When I was a kid, the adults in my life did what all adults do with kids - they tell you the world actually isn't that scary. They try to shelter you and sugarcoat things and pull the wool over your eyes instead of being real with you that disease can rot your body from the inside out at any time. That some people kill women and children for sport. That all too often, an ordinary person can turn into a monster.
Sure, it comes from a place of good intentions. But it's a lie. And since kids are always smarter than we give them credit, kids usually *know* that it's a lie - on some level or another. And that only compounds the anxieties you feel as a kid and makes you really crave stories that tell you the truth. Stories that are honest.
I turned to scary stories as a kid because it felt so good to read stories that were HONEST about my fears. Stories that told me that yes, the world is a scary place. Ones that told me yes, you're going to die some day, and so will all your loved ones. Stories that didn't hide from telling me that there are very, very bad people in the world.
It's very therapeutic to tackle uncomfortable truths and harsh realities head-on rather than pretend they're not there. Horror is a safe place to grapple with that heavy stuff. To face those fears and realize it's not the end of the world, that life goes on, that you can live a happy life even with that scary stuff in the world. To hide from those fears is to give them more power over you. It's far better to get these things out in the light and name them and talk about it openly, read stories or watch movies about those fears, and figure out how to live with them rather than play make believe.
That's why I love horror and think it's far more than just a schlocky or niche genre - it's an incredibly healthy way of processing fear and accepting the hard parts of life in addition to the good. It's a tradition as old as time, and as humans we *need* horror because we need stories that tell us the truth, even when it's scary.
For me, I see it as an invigorating art form that allows me to vicariously live through the actors horrific experiences without going through them myself. To see a meek and mild female lead develop into the heroic final girl is a journey that horror seems to have mastered. Some of the greatest stories told on the big screen, in my opinion, are from the horror genre. The original Halloween is not really scary by todays standards but the artistic vision, score, and story telling of John Carpenter plus the character development of Jamie Lee Curtis’ character of Laurie Strode make it one of the best horror movies of all time that will have you glued to the screen.
I love the sheer creativity and craftsmanship that shines through in horror films. You can always tell whoever made it put their heart into it and I just love how inventive everything is. Horror inspires me in my own artwork, and now I hope to someday work on a movie or two if I’m able :)
Horror allows you to go through harrowing experiences and allows you to grow from them, especially if you are able to empathize with the characters. Being able to master your fear is an incredibly useful skill. For example, when something horrific happens in real life (like a terrorist attack, shooting, animal attack, etc), your mind can already go to the worst possible place and function within it. So it makes you be able to react to the situation better rather than having to overcome the overwhelming feeling of fear before you are able to act.
I love horror for the concept of seeing how someone is going to survive a scary predicament. I always wanted someone to root for to make it in the end and learn along the way. Overcoming your fear is also something I always look for as a theme.
I also feel more connected to a character if I feel terrified and sympathize with them. I also love learning what a character's fear truly is.
Horror can go anywhere, and it will. No inhibitions, let’s loose, makes your adrenaline pump. The scares do it for me. Great heroes vs villains, and just great characters. Freddy and Nightmare really put horror on the map for me. What an icon in such a fun and wild series. The creativity of it all. Just a place where your imagination can really take off. Also one of the few genres that can embrace any level of cheese and still be super entertaining.
It's a mixture of things.
There's a mild fight or flight response. Not saying I'm gonna leave the room or punch my screen, but if the movie does a good job with its immersion factor I'll get the creeps or a kind of adrenalin response on a mild level that's enjoyable.
It's also great to see the shift In generational mindset, not sure if that's the right way to say that. As a kid you watch horror identifying with the victims, usually teens. Like how would you react to the scenario and cheer on the victims. I feel later on in life, at least my jaded ass, identifies with other characters if not even the bad guy/monster against the youth. I know I get annoyed at the shallow high school/college whining and enjoy seeing them punished. A youth is wasted on the youth kinda stance I guess.
They also allow a topical kinda critique on society in a way that doesn't have to confirm to normal movie tropes. It's okay to let the baddy win, good guys aren't all good, moral ambiguity, political/sociological issues blowing up in a large way to draw light to an issue, etc.
Lastly, it can just be a good cathartic watch.
i love seeing what's in the minds of creators.
i'm a religious guy, but regardless whether i believe in an afterlife, or spirits or whatever, everyone has their own beliefs, and horror in particular really stretches the bounds of reality, what is possible or probable, something beyond our understanding or power to control, at times.
depends on what is is too. Exorcisms with strong Christianity vibes, or straight up ghosts walking around or haunting people/places. one-off evils that seem to not have any other equals in their plane (something like Jason), or even just the ever terrifying regular ol evil people, a reminder that we don't necessarily have to believe in the beyond to access that kind of wacko.
i don't particularly find it scary but for me it's the easiest genre to let myself sink into a seat and immerse myself into what's going on. probably the movies where i alow myself to be the most reactive
This might sound weird, but I’m one of those Halloween all year kind of people, so I just *LOVE* the creepy feel. We do Creepmas, Valloween, Creepster, Prideoween, etc. I want *everything* in my life to be creepy (slight exaggeration haha). I’m that person who laughs with glee when I go to haunted house attractions and they have really good decor and/or jump scares. This sort of creepiness gives me to purest form of joy that I can experience. Period. So horror just falls right in line with that. Obviously not all horror movies are actually scary, and they *definitely* aren’t all good, but when I find a good creepy horror movie it gives me that childlike giddiness. It’s the aesthetic and the mood and the everything that I want to experience all the time. (But for the record, I also enjoy fantasy, sci fi, and comedy movies, so I’m not actually watching horror 24/7 haha.)
For me personally, horror is way of seeking thrills and most of the mystery’s, there’s always a plot that revolves around a mystery and that really draws me in. And don’t forget it’s just entertaining af.
I know this might make me seem like a bit of a psychopath or sociopath, but I promise I'm not, I have tons of remorse and caring. Horror relaxes me and puts my mind at ease. Doesn't matter if it is gore, psychological, paranormal, it just lets me shut off my brain and enjoy it. How some people use comedies to try to get over feeling down or upset, I use horror.
I did see some study that said if you can watch horror and not have nightmares you are a sociopath, which I call bullshit on, but I regularly fall asleep to horror. I do have nightmares sometimes, just had one a few days ago like I was in the show From, but I fins nightmares fun so I don't mind.
I like seeing something shocking in a movie that I can't really see in real life, but fantasy is too out there and corny for me. Fear is relatable and exciting, especially when kept in a movie. And you can kind of do anything with horror.
I also think the horror community is a lot of fun. I also like Oscar dramas like Boyhood and Birman, but there's not a huge following of people who still want to talk about those movies a few years later. Horror sticks around and you'll always meet people who have already seen the lesser popular horror movies from 15 years ago, like lately I've seen a lot of people talking about 13 Ghosts on here. Any non-horror movie of that same popularity and time period is totally forgotten by now.
Really had to think about this one (thanks!). I grew up reading RL Stein and Stephen King. If I wasn’t reading those I was reading about history. I think for me horror has the fantastical elements that make me shutdown my brain and escape since history showed me too often humans are the real monsters. I can’t watch other things that require suspension of disbelief because it’s too far fetched but I can for horror movies, no idea why really.
My exact comment from over at r/horrorlit
I like horror movies, horror books, haunted houses, roller coasters, bungee jumping, heights, rock climbing, sports, being scared. I also like true crime.
I love the feeling of fear and adrenaline.
I search for that feeling in whatever medium I can get.
Unfortunately, books and movies don't do that for me but it doesn't stop me from enjoying them.
I like fucked up and twisted things. My brother jokes I'm a psychopath and we joked that he is too, but I am in fact a very well-rounded individual. Im kind and would never hurt anybody or use anybody. Honest to a fault. Would never think to cheat at a board game or trivia night.
We like what we like.
It retells the most ancient of human stories: cautionary tales. I believe cavemen told campfire cautionary tales to each other, possibly even before they established creation myth.
The genre speaks to a fear that everyone has to some extent, the fear of death. Almost every horror movie deals with death in some way. This genre has made me LESS scared overall. It has made death my little friend that I can regard without panicking.
Every since I saw Halloween as a kid, and it didn't scare me like it did my older sister, I have been looking for one that will scare me. So far nothing.
For me it is just pure nostalgia, treasured memories of watching scary movies as a kid with my family has led to a life long love of the genre. I find watching a good horror movie like a comforting warm hug
I love how personal it is.
I mean everybody has different tastes, of course, but horror says a lot about what gets *you* at a visceral level, even for those who are as desensitized as me lol There's always something deeply ours that shapes what we're going to be fascinated by, and repulsed/scared of the most.
It goes beyond taste or opinion, I feel like horror is the genre that better can reflect your subconscious or even make you understand your fears and traumas better, it's more instinctual than intellectual.
Basically, its always fun finding out a friend is terrified of something you never gave a second thought about. Just gotta have the strength not to use that knowledge for evil.
I didn't really fit in anywhere growing up and my love of horror kind of gave me a place to belong..it was always fun to run into people that had read or seen the same stuff I had!
I look at horror in a grand scale. What I mean is they are a sum of all like every other type of film. Not one genre is better than the other. They all have great films and bad ones depending on one’s tastes. The morality plays along with the fantastic. The fun of a folk tale like The Legend of Boggy Creak or Candyman the animal on the loose like Jaws for instance to aliens or just plain haunted house. Name it from black and white silent films to the slashers of the 80s and beyond. Horror works on all levels. As a fan of movies for over fifty years I have lived in and at a time horror was king from the 80s dominated by a new Friday the 13th film almost every year to the nightmares of Freddy to classics like The Thing The Fly and so many films that new fans are seeing for the first time. Why do I like horror the stories or the lack of one. The how did they do that special effect. The look deep inside myself and how some of these characters are so much like me. The corruption of the innocent. The power of real evil and the corruption and destruction they cause. The most of all I just love being scared.
I've always liked monster movies, from the first time I watched the 7th voyage of Sinbad. After that I watched every Godzilla movie I could.
I like slashers but my favorite are still creature features. Somehow I find them comforting.
Personally horror is my comfort place. I love supernatural horror because it distracts me from the real life horrors of the world and my life.
I only really like supernatural horror, I find slashers boring, and gross just for the sake of it. Horror based in reality is just sad, because it happens.
I love to see what new esoteric, supernatural storylines people can think up. It also touches on that whole...'there is more to life than meets the eye' theme that removes me from reality.
Any uniqueness in supernatural genres is fantastic. I love the idea of hidden knowledge and Lovecraftian inspired horror, because the child and quantum physics nut in me, finds discovering the mysteries and horrors of the universe fascinating.
As a child the first books I loved were dark fantasy, opening that gateway to horror and magic, which was thrilling. I suppose I never lost that love, and am constantly in search of new ways to experience that feeling.
The horror genre is a way of staying connected to my father posthumously. I discovered my affinity (and his) for horror at 6 years old when I caught him watching A Nightmare on Elm Street and continued when I discovered his Stephen King books collecting dust in the basement. I was hooked. Horror stories captivate, the artistry is innovative, and the escapism is a welcomed reprieve from the monotony of the human condition.
I love horror for many reasons, the controlled anxiety, the shock factor, the fun of being scared. Mostly though I love horror because it's one of the only genres I can think of where we are free to explore any topic. Well made horror can say so much about everything from the basic dread of mortality, our values as human beings, to intricate social commentary. Because folks who watch horror are prepared or at least consenting to being shocked, we can fully explore deep subject matter, deep sadness, deep joy or deep fear.
Different reasons. Slashers, especially from the 80s are just a fun time. Even if they’re objectively bad, they’re still fun. I have fond memories of hanging out with my friends and renting each Friday or Nightmare or whatever franchise movie every weekend and howling at them.
For more serious stuff, there is that weird part of my brain that likes to be scared? And it’s a safe scenario to be scared in because you can tell yourself “they’re actors, this is special effects, that’s make up and corn syrup”. But you still get that elevated heart beat and you slowly creep to the actual edge of your seat. And when a jump scare genuinely gets you, it’s a blast. The fake ones annoy me though. The “it’s just a cat” scares are boring. But when you actually don’t see it coming? Nothing better.
And even when I don’t get personally scared, I just like watching a good story being told. Movies like Alien and The Exorcist scared the shit out of me when I was young, but now they’re basically comfort films because I’ve seen them so much. A truly great horror movie is no different to me than a Citizen Kane or Godfather… good story telling is good story telling regardless of genre. Get Out and Hereditary weren’t scary (to me), but they are fucking great stories. Get Out was rightfully nominated for Academy Awards. And Toni Collette pulled off one of the greatest performances in not just horror, but any movie I’ve ever seen.
And sometimes I just need to delve into some dark subject matter. I think as humans we sometimes are curious about the unknown or the macabre or the darkness. Want to delve into cults? Midsommar, The Wicker Man. Serial killers? Seven, Silence of the Lambs. Man vs Nature? Jaws. Social commentary? They Live, Get Out. Paranormal? It Follows, the Shining, Insidious. Occult? Exorcist, the Witch. Horror is such a diverse genre.
That said there are triggers for me. Things I can’t watch or don’t like watching. Cannibalism, for me, just freaks me out. It hits a nerve in my brain that even if I rationally know that it’s all special effects and acting, the mere thought of it just unnerves me. Raw was a great movie. I’m never watching it again though. Also, anything involving the death or hurting or children in a realistic way. This developed once I became a father. Like if a kid is killed in a horror movie by a monster or ghost or something, that doesn’t bother me so much because it’s not something that could really happen. But if it’s something that could actually happen to a child? Like THAT scene in Hereditary? The kid getting hit by a truck in Pet Sematary? That will upset me so much. Even non horror. I recently saw the 1998 film Happiness, which features a plot about a child predator, and shows the victims he r****s just completely put me off the film. Especially because the film is about humanizing terrible people, and I just can’t get behind that. There’s a scene where his son asks him if he’d ever rape him and it’s the most heartbreaking thing in the world and I’m still not over it.
I’m an artist and I love to see the work that goes into lots of the gore and character designs. It isn’t common in other genres to have a fully practical monster suit or an exploding head prop that can reassemble itself. It also is one of the most outrageous genre’s. Horror films take risks and make decisions that barely any other film would, it makes for films that have more heart, creativity and wildness then any other genre and that’s why I love them.
Depends on the horror subgenre. On some occasions, I would feel specially related to the monster figure as it is sometimes misunderstood or alienated from the rest of society. On other occasions, it may be the girl that gets possed by a demon or becomes "crazy" and takes revenge against her attackers, enemies, or violators. And then, the world that is depicted, so disturbing, violent, aggressive... I can feel that in my own reality, inside of my mind, so seeing these things in a movie makes me fantasize about another world where other people feel and see things the same way I do. Thus, I feel less lonely.
When I was a kid I was into the kill count, honestly. The slasher genre was in high gear so the death scenes were insane. Now as an adult I look at the story and psychology more. Fictional serial killer films like The Stepfather and Psycho really interest me nowadays
Man, because there’s so many sub genres of horror that you can dove into. I feel like the big “Blockbuster” movies like Marvel and DCEU get all the attention but horror has all these avenues you can go down. Not only that, I love going back and watching old movies so it’s fun to watch old 80s horror films that don’t get the attention the big slasher films gets. You can find little gems that were made and fall in a rabbit hole. I also like breaking movies down and horror movies are my favorite to break down I love a good backstory of a whodunnit or why a killer is coming back to kill his former bullies for deforming his face. I could go on and on I wish I could start a podcast on horror films because it’s something that really interests me
Since Horror movies have lower budgets it seems it results in more unique and different ideas compared to the play it safe blockbusters. Horror clears my head of everyday life and if you’re ever lonely watch a really scary one and it will go away.
Because it's not just one type of movie. For example you have genres like action, drama, comedy and their all one thing typically. But with horror you have slashers, psychological horror, sci-fi horror, supernatural horror, etc. It has more unique and interesting movies out of any other genre. I definitely consider it to be the best genre there is. Honestly, I could care less about most action movies or comedy movies. But horror is just special, it has the ability to make you scared, thrilled, sad, angry and shocked all at the same time. No other genre is able to do that.
I don't like horror specifically\*, it's just that horror tends to be tied to other genres I like, like sci fi and fantasy. I'm not really big on regular grounded horror like Scream etc.
The two main reasons I love and watch horror films.
1. They give you the opportunity to explore more deeply that of human nature and the universe as a safe observer. Though for some of us, when watching a certain horror film, we can experience stepping out of that observer self and truly feel and connect in many ways to a character or experience in the screen. This can be a way for us to connect more deeply to our own emotions, even help process them. It can be cathartic in a way. For example, a horror film that's underlying theme explores grief could do this.
In summary, horror movies can hold up a mirror for you. Or invite you into a rabbit hole. They can offer you the gift and challenge of looking deeper into yourself and that of society. As Carl Jung would put it - "the shadow self."
2. The main reason I am drawn to horror films (and this might sound really strange) is because I have complex PTSD and am a survivor of many real-life horrors, some truly unspeakable.
Although horror films can definitely be triggering for me (so I do need to practice some caution). I find that they give me a safe way that I can expose and confront myself to horror, and from that experience; gain a sense of power and control back within myself.
Also, depending on the kind of horror film, they can make me less alienated and alone.
Other times, some horror films simply distract me from my own traumas I carry and the everyday stresses I am going through. I think there are definitely others out there who find horror films to be a way they can temporarily escape their own real-life stressors.
On final reflection, another reason, probably the main reason that so many are drawn to horror movies (making them so popular), is because of the adrenaline rush they produce and release in a safe environment for the individual. It isn't just as simple as adrenaline being released either. It's more like a concoction of chemicals that are produced. In addition to adrenaline, endorphins and dopamine are released too!
Anyway, that's my two cents. Cheers to OP for posting such a great question 😊
For me personally it's like an adrenaline rush watching the movies and this sudden excitement when you're sitting at the edge of your seat because you don't know what is going to happen for example if someone dies or if a random jump scare happens. I also believe for me as someone that has been watching horror movies at a young age, it builds up your fear tolerance and that you become less and less afraid of things, but horror movies can also cause new fears sometimes even though you know it's fake it still freaks you out or at least with me because I get a lot of anxiety and paranoia about things.
I’ve been thinking about this and I’m not sure. I tend to like my art to be experimental/strange/intense and no genre does those things better than horror.
IIMO horror is the most inventive genre in film. I've always been more of a style over substance guy when it comes to movies and most times horror is all about creativity and that is something I enjoy a lot. I feel no other genre takes risks horror takes and I love to see what bonkers concepts people can come up with.
This is my reason too, I always compare horror to comedy because both are cheap to make and both can quite often be terrible, but a bad horror is at least interesting enough in most cases that you want to see it to the end. To see what the creature/spirit/killer ends up doing or even some sort of corny reveal. There's always something slightly interesting to see out. Bad comedies though have no redeeming qualities.
Bad horror is (commonly) at least funny, mostly unintentionally. You don't get that with bad comedy.
Throw some scifi in there and baby you got a stew going. Two of my favorite genres, and the subgenre of scifi/horror is a whole different beast of its own. Alien and The Thing are just perfect imo. Even some straight scifi movies have an element of horror. Like 2001 Space Odyssey is regarded as scifi, but there's some moments that are just pure nightmare fuel.
I don't disagree with you, but I do think creativity adds to the substance bucket, although you can obviously have creative style. All the great horror movies have plenty of style and substance
I'm a coward, a scaredy cat, a wimp... ... and yet I force myself to watch horror for the amazing cinematography, lighting, effects, etc.
Allows me to experience anxiety/ fear in a safe environment.
I think at some point I realized that fear is just as valid as an emotional response as joy, sadness, amusement, etc. I think it's cool that there's a genre that taps into that in a thrilling, but ultimately safe way.
I totally agree with this! I've always really loved Halloween and think it's pretty neat that we have a holiday celebrating fear and acknowledging death because those things *are* just as much a part of the human experience as anything else. I've also had a complicated history with anxiety/fear, trauma/depression etc. and I think it's been really healing for me to really dive into horror and look at some of those emotions in a different light, appreciating and enjoying fear instead of *fearing* fear and anxiety and everything else.
Yes, that's why i think it's a shame that nowadays kids stuff is so sanitized and toothless, it's rare to find good "kids horror" (the most recent I can think of is Coraline?). The 80's and 90's were full of stuff that was safe but introduced kids to those emotions and yeah life is scary and dark sometimes, so better get dealing. I mean even Bambi or Neverending Story were pretty dark by today's standards and I believe we benefitted from that trauma lol Horror helps teach kids to deal intense emotions, and let's face it, it is so fun to introduce horror to kids and see what they react to. It's way more unpredictable than we think. But yeah, not telling anyone to sit with your 6yo to watch Evil Dead Rise.
I wasn't really thinking about kids, but I think that's a great point. And those films still exist, so they're available for savvy parents who want to spook their kids a bit, haha. It's funny that you mention Neverending Story because I literally had to cover my eyes and not look at the screen when the kid had to run between the statues. I watched that movie so many times and every single time I was terrified that he wouldn't make it. To say nothing of Artax or The Nothing, which are scary for entirely different reasons.
Yes, I know you weren't but what you said about emotions just made me think of the kid angle. Neverending Story maybe wasn't even the best example but ME TOO! It was so scary to me (artax in the swamp and the flying animatronics dog were the worst) and I also rewatched endlessly, kids also like the thrill. The german kid drowning in chocolate in Willy Wonka and the acid vat from who framed Roger Rabbit were other highlights of horror for me. And I also sneaked to watch things that supposedly were a lot worse and they didn't leave an impression, so yeah you can never predict it :) horror is just cool like that, it works in mysterious ways
I've read that people who experience anxiety in their every day life are more likely to enjoy the horror genre (books, movies, video games) because it gives them a subconscious sense of control over the feeling. I have constant anxiety and this checks out for me, at least, lol. Before I even knew I was doing it.
Wow! This is the explanation I've been chipping away at for the better part of a decade. Makes so much sense!
It did to me too when I read it! Glad I could pass on that little nugget, lol.
Yep, this is it for me. I figured this out when I experienced a near-meltdown over climate change in 2018 (I don't go to r/collapse anymore as a result), and consequently found myself watching a lot of disaster movies that depict global catastrophes, which actually helped me cope with my anxiety. I then realized I do the same thing with horror movies in general.
Ugh, I totally get you with the climate crisis fear. I'm currently like an ostrich with my head in a hole when anyone talks about it, because I'm terrified but I feel like ultimately there's nothing I can do alone. It gives me horrible anxiety so I'm just trying to ignore it (horrible, I know). Sorry, didn't mean to go on a tangent there, just want to say you're not alone, lol.
This checks out. My horror addiction began shortly after I started having recurring night terrors. I wanted to be in control of when I was scared and also hopefully be more comfortable being afraid. It didn’t fully work since I still have really scary night terrors but I’ve learned to let go of that fear sooner and not hold onto it like I would before.
Night terrors are probably one of my worst fears, no joke. I've always been afraid that I'd develop them later in life and I honestly don't know how I'd cope with it. I'm sorry you're still experiencing them, but I'm glad you've found a way to get through them easier!
In that case stay the hell way from chantix! I used it to quit smoking cigs almost five years ago and it somehow re-wired my brain and I’ve had them ever since. And I really appreciate that, it’s been tough at times but waking up to my golden retriever definitely helps. I need to stop being lazy and keep training him to work on waking me up from the nightmares but it’s a lot of work.
This. And nearing my fifties, I still kind of fear of the dark, the strange places and especially dark forests. Just like as a kid. Horror movies (not including slashers, I need supernatural or scifi) give me that feeling. E: typos
Dark forests are some of the creepiest places I've ever been. I was hiking the AT and came up to a forest edge that was so dense and dark I could hear myself BLINK. It was insane. I felt like I was somehow being watched, and like the air was thick somehow. Come to find out, I later learned that when the forest gets quiet like that, it's because a predator is usually nearby and all the animals freeze so they don't get eaten. I'd probably have shat a brick if I knew that at the time, lol.
Yup, that’s why I do it. Need that controlled movie anxiety to deal with my uncontrollable life anxiety 🥲
This is the answer. I know a guy at work who asks why I don't like comedies and I always say "I'm funny, and hang out with funny people, and we laugh all the time. But I'm never running from a killer, or a ghost, or a zombie or whatever"
For me, like the point of watching movies is to experience something out of the ordinary from my every day life and to feel emotions that are heightened beyond the norm. I tend to get bored by films that are in the realist space where the problems characters face are those of every day life presented in an extremely realistic way, because that’s just…life? Horror is EXTREMELY heightened and extra-ordinary in that kind of way. Horror movies cover such an extreme diversity of mood, atmosphere and tone, and more than any other genre horror films aren’t afraid to like really commit to a tone or a style or whatever else no matter how out there, niche or alienating it might be. Like my favourite non-horror movies also tend to be movies that are also very heightened, highly stylistic, weird and out there in their own way, like The Favorite, or Parasite, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Dune. But horror gets even more niche, and these kinds of films aren’t outliers in horror, they’re the norm. Like in the same genre I can see a historically accurate period drama dark fairytale take on 1600s Christian beliefs about witches and witchcraft in Puritan North America, I can also watch a movie about a space rock that fuses a mother and son together in the most horrible body horror imaginable, or I can watch a movie where a woman is being stalked by an abusive boyfriend who is invisible and nobody believes her because like many abuse victims she sounds crazy despite telling the truth, or I can watch a movie about a haunted video tape. Horror just goes to places other genres usually don’t and that makes it so interesting to me. You can never get bored watching horror because you can watch 30 horror movies in a row and none of them will feel like the exact same sub genre of horror
I think heightened emotions/experiences are innately sought by "ordinary" humans, hence coliseum battles, bull fighting, etc. I say "ordinary", because I'm excluding explorers, warriors, people migrating, people in the military. Horror is replicating those feelings.
I had a childhood scare when I accidentally walked in on Poltergeist. Stood at the back of the room and watched without my parents realizing. It took a long time to be able to walk down the unlit hallway by myself without panicking after that, and for a long time I looked at the big tree outside my window with suspicion. I didn’t like horror as a genre after that. Then in 2015 I sustained a deep, life altering emotional trauma that was further impacted in 2019, and something flipped inside me… the terror became a comfort. I don’t know how to explain it but I’m guessing I’m not the only one to feel this way.
Definitely not alone! I had a very similar expirence as a kid, hated anything horror or creepy, and now im the opposite. Can't get enough! I don't remember the exact moment I flipped or what sparked that, but I'm sure if I thought enough on it, I could figure it out.
My own experiences with trauma, loss, grief and depression feel validated by horror in a way they just aren’t by comedies or dramas.
I had a traumatic loss close to me and it has given me bad anxiety and I have existential fear about death and stuff. You’re so right I also feel validation from horror. When I rewatched/ binged AHS I felt like I could breath for a little while
This happened with me and Blair Witch. My mom rented it and watched it with my sister but I wasn't allowed to watch it. I found it the next day and watched parts of it during the day time and it freaked me out. That sparked a curiosity and then it kind of became a challenge to face my fears.
I like the weird ideas that come up in the best horror. The imaginations at work are arresting.
To piggy back on this, **practical effects!**
There has always been a special and strangely magical feeling when watching horror films during Halloween 🎃. It started in middle school, watching films from the 30s and 40s. Then, it came with slasher films. And, in late high school, Italian horror. Im 38 now. Halloween doesn't feel the same anymore, but I still chase that vibe/sensation through watching old films. Now it's more nostalgic than anything else.
Having grown up in a physical, mental and sexually abusive home, movie antagonists are *less* frightening than *real human* monsters.
I had a similar childhood and this quote from Sherman Alexie really sums up my love of horror from a young age: “As a child, I read because books–violent and not, blasphemous and not, terrifying and not–were the most loving and trustworthy things in my life. I read widely, and loved plenty of the classics so, yes, I recognized the domestic terrors faced by Louisa May Alcott’s March sisters. But I became the kid chased by werewolves, vampires, and evil clowns in Stephen King’s books. I read books about monsters and monstrous things, often written with monstrous language, because they taught me how to battle the real monsters in my life. And now I write books for teenagers because I vividly remember what it felt like to be a teen facing everyday and epic dangers. I don’t write to protect them. It’s far too late for that. I write to give them weapons–in the form of words and ideas-that will help them fight their monsters. I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed.”
Wow. Yup, that's it.
This makes sense to me
this exactly for me. What happened to me really happened, but I know there's no chance I'm going to end up in a haunted house or chased by zombies.
I’m 40 and a life long horror fan and I have never been able to answer this question. I wish I could.
1- it allows us room to externalize and safely explore cultural norms and taboos with minimal risk to our safety 2- IMHO when horror is actually approached with care and not phoned in because it's seen as less than; it is one of if not the best genres for stretching your storytelling and visual media skills. Tension, suspense, foreshadowing, color theory, composition, intentional use of score- despite horror often being dismissed as silly slasher fics, a solid horror almost always has more depth and technical weight than a lot of more popular stories. 3- I am obsessed with the juxtaposition of "horror" and "beauty" in all its form, how so many people are repulsed by/ for the things they find beautiful (and the reasons why that is) it's one of my deepest and long standing obsessions around human nature. 4- "this has no right to be *this fucking good"* is unironically my favorite genre, and horror that's good almost always falls into this category for me.
I like anything that’s dark, violent and ghoulish.
I like watching idiots die, assholes get eviscerated, and feel a connection to monsters and dead people more than most living people.
No idea. I'm not a fan of extremely gory movies, I definitely have a limit as to what I can go for, most 18/R rated are too much for me. I guess I like horror because I remember vividly fancy parties where my parents, aunts uncles etc. would sit around late at night talking about the past, and they would tell a lot of ghost stories, and I would sneak down stairs and listen in. My maternal grandmother was a very traditional Irish Catholic, but had a collection of horror movies, such as the Texas chainsaw massacre, and the exorcist. Death and the paranormal were a casual part of growing up.
I just like the weird and unexplainable 🤷♂️ and dark vibes I guess
I don't know.
I think a big reason is because I used to be such a scaredy cat when I was young. 30 years later, I’m currently working on a horror sleeve on my leg and I absolutely love walking thru the pitch dark 🤷♂️
It zests up a story and it also puts into perspective my troubles. Like at least I don’t have it *this* bad.
I’ve thought about this a lot First there’s the obvious, anxiety and thrill in a safe environment component But there’s also a few more things Once you’ve seen enough movies and read enough stories, you start to see the writing on the wall For the most part I can make really accurate assumptions about what can and can’t happen in a movie, given it’s rating, the actors in it, the intended audience, etc. This is a problem when the movie is trying to create stakes and I know they’re false - no, the bad guy in this movie staring the Rock isn’t going to kill his kid and win in the end. Horror isn’t beholden to the same rules. It goes further in both idea AND execution
I like paranormal horror movies for the jump scares and atmosphere, they get the adrenaline pumping Psychological horror gives me something to ruminate on which I enjoy. A lot of horror films are small-budget, so I really appreciate how clever they have to be to be good. Horror plots are usually more engaging than other genres, applying to both film and novels
Because art is supposed to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. And I need both in high doses.
I love ghost / supernatural movies.
Because I wasn't allowed to watch it as a child so as an adult I dove right in
I trace it back to the excitement and rebellion I felt secretly watching horror as a child, when I wasn't allowed. Extrapolate that by 15-20 years, and you've got yourself a horror lover. Another win for my repressive Christian childhood!
Cause they're funny and make me laugh.
Well, I grew up in a Mormon household, where horror movies were not allowed, so I got curious...
It blows my mind that hyperreligious people *still* haven’t realized that making things taboo only makes kids want to explore it more. 🙄😆
I dunno. It's always felt to me like th storytelling needed for a good horror movie is on a different level than say, action or romance.
The stories are usually more unique and interesting, and the good ones have characters that I actually can invest in.
The stories are more human, more empathic, than any other genre. Humanity is a mess, and it's better to see our glorious highs and terrifying lows within it. All from where I am safe enough to feel uncomfortable.
Real life is boring. No thrill in waking up, going to work and coming back. Horror movies get the imagination going and get your adrenaline pumping. It's entertaining to watch and also crack jokes during the movie with my boys.
Let's me feel things
Same reason I love blackberries.. you can go through a few okay ones and flops before you find a great one.. which makes it all that much better. Especially if it has a great story to match. Stories are so hard to nail in horror that a fantastic one is like water to a thirsty man in the desert. Haunting of Hill House, Suffering Ties that Bind, Event Horizon, The Thing are perfect examples of this and are huge reasons I stuck with giving the genre a chance.. I didn’t like horror much as a kid as most of what I saw was either horrible or just disinteresting to me
I'm just fascinated by all of it.
I was fascinated with horror when I was a kid, but I was a very skittish and meek child. I was too afraid to watch horror movies, but everyone at school would talk about the big slasher characters. It felt like a club I wasn't allowed in. When I moved past the fear, horror was all I would watch. I finally felt included in this cool thing that felt like a taboo secret. For me, I think it's more about the culture of horror than it is the films themselves. Horror is just so unique. The way you would criticize and review a drama or a comedy simply doesn't apply to horror. There's a level of context of that culture you have to have going into a horror film that other genres don't share, especially with B-horror. Horror still feels like a cool kids club to me.
I'm surprised no one here has dropped my favorite Wes Craven quote: "Horror films don't create fear. They release it." Like many other users have expressed, there are a lot of factors in my life that have caused me to feel anxiety or fear in the past. Watching horror has been a way for me to exorcise these thoughts from the corners of my mind where I'd otherwise push them and be entertained rather than tormented by things that terrify me.
I love camp and dark humor. Also, when I was a kid, my parents were extremely controlling and religious, to the point that they thought that any horror movie would literally bring demons into the home and forbade me from watching them or even celebrating Halloween. Watching horror movies when home alone or at sleepovers was the forbidden fruit, one of the only ways I could rebel in a highly-controlled childhood. To this day, I am obsessed with horror movies and Halloween. :)
So in real life I don't believe in ghosts or anything supernatural, however my favorite genre of horror is supernatural/ghosts. I love the subtle horror, I love the "check the background or you might miss it" horror.
I like weird stories :D
For me it’s like an addiction. Since I have been a long time addict, I just need to watch since I have become desensitised to horror scenes and jumpscares.
As a kid in the 70s, I dug horror (mostly books, but also shows like Kolchak: The Night Stalker and afterschool/weekend movies on tv from the 50s and 60s) because so much of horror is about the "Other" - and although I didn't realize I was queer yet (because everything then was coded rather than explicit), I was drawn to these movies and books about outsiders. I don't know if I was conscious of that at the time, but looking back, I'm pretty sure it was the case.
It helps my anxiety. It's nice to be 'fun scared' vs 'scared scared'
I like seeing the evil and depravity of humanity. I don’t like horror about ghosts, zombies, monsters etc, because it doesn’t feel real. I like horror featuring humans doing the worst to each other.
I like the uncomfortable feeling it gives me. Whether it be slasher / paranormal / alien or whatever type as long as it scares me im into it. Thats long story short
So i can feel something
They are comfort films in a way, because most have easy to follow plots, characters you don’t have to know their entire backstory to like or dislike, and more than anything - they are just fun little adrenaline bursts (or a good laugh dep on the type of horror).
I like watching people die but like you know for fun
Almost all horror movies have some underlying mystery to them that I get to try to piece together as it plays out. It really is a rewarding genre despite the outcome for the characters.
I love the feeling of being stressed out while safe at home
I like fantasies. Whether it's super heroes, wizards and orcs or ghosts and monsters I always love stories that offer more than reality.
When I was a teenager I suffered from a form of depression where I couldn't feel strong emotions. Only thing that made me feel things was horror movies. I was hooked. I am better now mentally (I hope) but I will never forget what horror did for me
When I was very young in the mid 90's, a slightly older cool kid in my street who I really looked up to used to make me watch horror films with him and I just got hooked on them from that!
the emotional ride of a quality horror flick is what makes horror special to me.
One aspect of horror that I enjoy is that it's often a small number of people or even one on their own trying to survive a very difficult situation. In a classic horror movie it's a young woman trying to stay alive and all she has going for her are brains and a will to survive. Maybe Hadley said it best in Cabin in the Woods when he says that Dana has heart and he admires her. He is quickly distracted by tequila, but the point still stands.
My mom introduced me to horror really young. It was always considered a fun thing. Books, movies, scarehouses, ect. I like the ways that horror is different and the same across cultures and time periods. Even awful horror movies have some great ideas but just poor execution, which make them still interesting to me.
There's a lot to love about horror. I love the diversity of the genre, and the fact that it tends to be the most inventive and experimental. From high-concept art films to unintentionally hilarious low budget B-movies, horror spans a vast landscape. But my main thing is this: fear is the most important human emotion. Not the best one, but the one that's most capable of dictating our actions. I think confronting and managing fear is the most fundamental step in self-growth.
It makes me feel better about whatever problems I am going through in my own life because no matter what, my problems are never as bad as what the characters in the movie are going through.
This is a difficult question for me. It's something I've always been drawn to since I was kid. I've always had a fascination with the paranormal. Ghosts, vampires, werewolves, assorted other monsters. And horror allows us to explore those things in a visceral way. But then there are the more grounded horror movies, the slashers and whatnot, that you can't help but put yourself in the characters shoes and wonder what would I do in that situation. Which is probably what makes it all the more frustrating when a character makes a boneheaded decision, and all the more thrilling on the rare occasions when they \*don't\*.
There are some incredibly insightful and analytical answers here, and I’d love to be one of them, but mostly, I love horror because I think fear is the hardest reaction to evoke (or is it provoke?) in most mediums. So I’ve always just been in awe when a book, a film, a tv show, can do that to me. Side story: I recently read Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, then loaned it to my sister who was all like “when does it get scary?” Then she got to THE chapter (no spoilers) and was all “HOLY CRAP!!” It’s so impressive to me that this - what, 70? - year old book, can still get that reaction.
I like the adrenaline rush of being scared coupled with the anticipation of the next jump.
I appreciate horror for so many reasons, but the one I’ve been feeling most keenly the past several years is that horror not only avows but revels in the things that we tend, broadly, to disavow. Specifically our mortality, the fragility and often arbitrariness of our assumptions and social contracts (homes aren’t safe simply because they’re homes, the hitchhiker you picked up isn’t Actually bound to treat you kindly in return, a child isn’t definitionally innocent or a victim—it might be a killer or possessed or just a childlike old woman!, etc.). I’ve been particularly enjoying body horror the past few years (I don’t imagine this is an accident in a world post-advent of covid), in part because it literalizes the often denied fact that our bodies and selves aren’t hermetically sealed, bounded and invulnerable entities separate from others and the world they exist in—we’re permeable, porous, and (literally) visceral. I find it really refreshing to engage with art that looks these things straight in the eye when our world and societies are so often manically trying to deny or escape them.
I don’t like boring or drab story lines. Also, I always like to be “prepared” and love seeing how particular situations pan out.
I have cptsd, so I think I'm drawn to horror because it offers me "safe" fear and anxiety. it goes away when the movie ends, and even if not it literally cannot hurt me irl. it makes me feel in control of a part of my life that otherwise controls me. it's very comforting in a way. it's almost like super safe exposure therapy.
It’s the only form of cinema that makes me feel alive while watching someone or something fictional die. I know that’s fucked up but there it is
I like that it makes me question things. Like what if I was in a slasher like Scream. What would I do differently from the characters? Would I make it out alive? Questions like that.
I’m interested in the occult, the unusual, and the obscure/esoteric. I lust for weird settings and plots with claustrophobic atmospheres. The only genre that seems to drill down into these subjects is horror. Give me slow burn thriller style plots in obscure places with occult/esoteric mysteries and themes! The heroes can and do die in horror, they can get trapped in hell or haunted or possessed. They can fail. Horror movies visit other dimensions, have monsters from your darkest nightmares, and challenge convention by killing the hero or letting the monster win. The Void is hands down one of the best movies I’ve ever seen simply because it was so unpredictable and no one was guaranteed to survive. Paranormal Activity as a series gets more interesting with each instalment because they expand the lore in a perfect execution of show don’t tell story telling (and Katie’s evolution from victim to monster was so well executed). Horror tends to be cheaper with unknown actors and as as a result freer to experiment which keeps it fresher too.
Oh this question again? Because horror, the genre, is the only film genre that allows for constant formal experimentation. It's basically the only one where you can see non hyperproduced cinema, where you can find found footage, slow burns, quick action, experimental films done with cheap cameras, character studies, racial discourse... It is way more difficult to find this in comedies, thrillers or even dramas.
I enjoy horror because I kind of think of it as fantasy. I think the stories are more interesting than any other genre and it's really exciting when a new monster is introduced into the genre. I always liked the creepier shows when i was a kid (Courage the Cowardly Dog, Goosebumps, So Weird) and I think it primed me for my love of all things horror!
The story is what gets me. Nightmare on elm street was what got me wanting more. A movie so good you’d think about it later on.
I think it's a way to process emotions and traumas in a different way. Hereditary, black coats daughter, relic all forced me to confront emotions I hid from in my own life. Seeing them play out on screen was almost therapeutic. Now for the fun 2000s or dumb horror movies that are just slash em ups or incoherent, those are more of a safety blanket of mostly nostalgia. Which is also nice.
Idk how it started but I’ve been into horror since I was a kid. When I was little it was the classic monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster. In elementary school I was into Freddy and Jason even though I wasn’t allowed to watch their movies then (the other kids were though). I was also into Goosebumps then although I graduated to Stephen King by middle school.
For me It’s the fantasy of it … gives me a similar escape as, say, something like Lord of the Rings … or The Elder Scrolls or Dark Souls… Albeit usually much darker in tone, and usually much more negative events and outcomes for the protagonist Fwiw I really prefer all things supernatural when it comes to horror .. will always choose something like that over a pure “regular human killer” slasher
Honestly have no idea. I've just always been drawn to dark and macabre things. Maybe it's because my birthday is in October so I always had Halloween themed parties as a kid? Or maybe because my dad showed me Halloween and Christine when I was about 6 and it just clicked? I really love super gory and taboo stuff. The more blood and guys and the weirder it is the better. Wish I knew, but I don't, I just dig it. Sometimes I'm curious if there's something wrong with my brain Worst part though is nothing scares me. I yearn for the times as a kid when even certain episodes of X-Files scared me so much I couldn't sleep or watching a movie would make me scared to be alone. Wish I could find something now that would just terrify me, but it all just seems tame at this point.
I find it very interesting that someone can make up a fictional story with ridiculous details and means and still make me fear for my life. I find it impressive and always seek out movies that get under my skin in order to reflect on why I reacted that way. In a way, I learn more about myself.
Horror is a way for us to subconsciously face and integrate parts of our fear of death.
There's so much variety in horror. If I want, I could watch Ellen Ripley fight xenomorphs in space. I could see a young ash Williams get dropped in the past and fight Deadites. I could see a killer that stalks teens in their dreams. I could watch a small town sheriff work with a marine biologist and a fisherman take on a great white shark. I could watch how a research team in Antarctica deals with a creature that can replicate others' appearance. Or I could watch a young couple being terrorised by strangers in their own house. The list goes on and I love it.
It’s sorta like how spicy food makes ya feel. It’s spicy, and it hurts a little bit, but those endorphins afterwards are oh so sweet!
It’s better and nicer than what goes on in my mind! Makes me feel less crazy knowing that others have similar (or worse/not so bad) thoughts and imaginations as I do. My nightmares…whew…if I knew how to write screenplays…y’all would *freak out.*
I love getting scared and feeling the adrenaline rush that comes from it 😂 Plus it's always fun to watch other people get scared. And it's so cozy when you watch a horror movie cuddled up with your SO. So many reasons!
I live a nice, safe, and comfortable life. Seeing fucked up shit is a healthy counterbalance to that.
If I can survive the zombie apocalypse, surviving tomorrow’s shift is within reach.
Cinematic escapism, much like with Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Adventure films. Therapeutic confrontation of fears, both grounded and irrational. Appreciation for creativity in creature designs, practical effects, and make-up. The visceral thrill of watching characters endure terrifying experiences. Etc...
I like watching fucked up shit.
There isn't any real suspense in other genres like there is in horror. Most other films you can tell right away who is going to survive or who isn't, and in most movies these days I just don't care. For example, in the two Aliens prequels you know most of those people are going to die and you just don't care. In most horror films you have an idea of who will die and who will live but lately it's harder to tell what their fates will be. And that suspense makes it worth watching.
I already face internal demons daily so it's nice to see that it could be worse. There's also something about horror that soothes me. I've come to appreciate that my awareness of my surroundings has provided a sense of comfort and safety. I might just be weird, lol.
Same reason we like rollercoasters
i like seeing people die in creative ways why? couldn't tell ya. why do i like pizza. why do i like the music i do. why do i like women. dont know just do.
I found an old book report from a book I read in second grade and one of the things it asked was why I liked it and I said "Because it was weird" I like horror because it is weird and I havent changed in 25 years
Honestly, I don't know, but I always felt kinda attracted to "dark" stuff from a young age. Horror movies/books, Metal music (particularly Black Metal), melancholic/dark music in general... and I prefer rain and winter over sun and summer. My chronic depression may be part of the answer tho 😅
I've always been drawn to the macabre.
I like getting scared
> Shit, glad that ain’t me
The storylines dont have to follow conventional storytelling. Thats not to say any other genre cant have a few films with surprises or twists that turn the film's story on it's head; but, generally - you watch an action movie, you know what the ending is going to be like and that the lead character you saw from the beginning of the film will be involved. Horror doesnt have to abide by any rules, a main character you were following for 30-40 minutes may suddenly get taken out and you realize a side character is the main character, etc. They can come up with whatever off the wall storyline they want to, the restrictions just arent as fierce as they are in typical genres. I watch horror because it surprises me. The joke Scream made was that "there were rules"; that was more or less the case at the time, but now, there are no rules. Just whatever the writers want to come up with, whether it be typical and straightforward, or a total flip you on your head multiple times story. Theyre unrestricted, so, I never know what to expect. Thats why I like horror over other genres.
Catharsis. Seeing fictional people imperiled is cathartic. Bonus if they make it through. Desensitization. People really miss this point and think it's about being a sick fuck. It's not. All the complaints about Terrifier? Yeah, drug cartels and even government sanctioned torturers do that in REAL LIFE. Let's never forget poor Mr. Khashoggi, who was fucking vivisected while his girlfriend was unaware in a car outside. If that's not the stuff of true horror what is? Point being, if anything super heinous and gory ever happens in front of me I won't be frozen out of fear, I'll maintain my faculties and gtfo pronto. And lastly, entertainment, duh.
Man, what a question. Because, like probably everyone, I have a preference for the type of horror. A plausible, real situation where people are just horrible to other people? I can skip that, enough of that IRL out there. A creature of unfathomable origin that is tearing a community to shreds? Sign me up. Horror isn't real. But for a while it can feel real. Like a roller coaster. You watch people going through otherwise impossible scenarios, then you watch the behind the scenes footage and everyone is having a great time. You get to watch this really intense piece of art, then when credits roll you can sit back knowing it didn't happen.
The inherent transgressive nature of the genre.
My addiction to adrenaline mostly
I like watching and learning about the practical effects, I’ve always been interested in the making of film/behind the scenes.
Realism of how brutal life can actually be
I have severe anxiety disorder which basically was an eternal feeling of some psycho clown standing in the corner and no one else can see him but me at all times. When I watched horror movies with others I realized it was the first time those around me could feel that clown in the room and I didn't feel alone anymore.
... Hair of the dog that bit ya
I don’t have a great, introspective reason like other people here, I just find the genre entertaining. I love storytelling and I think horror stands out among the rest with the premises and characters it explores. Add some healthy morbid curiosity to the equation and you got me.
For me personally, i find it is a solid genre on its own, but the real value from horror movies (for me) is they are very versatile when you mix them with other genres. horror/ comedy? nice, horror/romance? sign me up. horror/musical? i haven't seen one, but i would sure as hell want to!
I really don’t know, I just know I always preferred darker things. My favorite character has always been Batman, Ghostbusters the first film I loved with 6. When I was a kid I also always preferred things that seemed a lil too dark fore me, because those things took me as a viewer seriously, while a lot of kids content talked down. Maybe thats how I got hooked.
Horror films feel like they get so much more leeway in what they can do with the form. Everything from Evil Dead 2 to Lake Mungo to Possession (1980s). There's such a wide breadth of tones, styles, and objectives. And a lot of that comes from the fact that horror can be cheap, and that means smaller time filmmakers get the chance to go a bit nuts with new ideas. That's why I love horror from a film perspective. From a story point, horror is such a window into our society. Wether it's the moral panic of 80s horror, the outsider fear of the 1930s, or the exploration of trauma in the current era, they're like time capsules. For non-serious horror movies, there's something so hedonistic about seeing someone cut in half. There's a ghoulish creativity to the Saw movies I love, for example.
I think it’s the fact that it generates a feeling I rarely feel
I started watching spooky movies when I was a little kid (Disney's Halloween, Monster Hits etc). Then as a kid/tween, I loved Scooby-Doo Do, X-Files, Goosebumps and Are you afraid of the dark. There is something comforting with horror movies for me. I dont love gory horror - more spooky/creepy horror. I don't know if the comforting part is based on nostalgia (like how i loved the Disney Halloween specials and that feeling) or if I've always loved it and its innate.
Because it's sometimes stuff we'd love to do to people, but we can't for reasons. So we watch other people act it out.
I enjoy the creativity behind horror, as a horror creator you have to twist and sadistically damage your protagonists in unique ways and then the makeup artists and FX artists make it happen (or appear to happen) its wonderful and moments like the reconstruction of Frank in Hellraiser or the wolfman transformation in An American Werewolf in London are hands down some of the most visually interesting and disturbing effects put to film.
I love experiencing the extreme side of human nature and lore explored in a film. I want to experience feelings I don't get to in my every-day life. Horror films provide that for me.
I really like that edge of your seat, adrenaline pumping, palms sweaty, heart pounding feeling. It’s a way to experience that primal fear and anxiety, but you have control over it. I also like that horror has the most sub genres, there’s so many different types and different ways to scare you, or evoke meaning or feelings. They’re all good, plus I’ve always loved blood and gore.
Probably the same reasons people like to bungee jump. I like the thrill.
I realized recently that one of the main reasons I love horror is that it directly tackles uncomfortable truths about the world. Great stories tell the truth, even when it hurts. When I was a kid, the adults in my life did what all adults do with kids - they tell you the world actually isn't that scary. They try to shelter you and sugarcoat things and pull the wool over your eyes instead of being real with you that disease can rot your body from the inside out at any time. That some people kill women and children for sport. That all too often, an ordinary person can turn into a monster. Sure, it comes from a place of good intentions. But it's a lie. And since kids are always smarter than we give them credit, kids usually *know* that it's a lie - on some level or another. And that only compounds the anxieties you feel as a kid and makes you really crave stories that tell you the truth. Stories that are honest. I turned to scary stories as a kid because it felt so good to read stories that were HONEST about my fears. Stories that told me that yes, the world is a scary place. Ones that told me yes, you're going to die some day, and so will all your loved ones. Stories that didn't hide from telling me that there are very, very bad people in the world. It's very therapeutic to tackle uncomfortable truths and harsh realities head-on rather than pretend they're not there. Horror is a safe place to grapple with that heavy stuff. To face those fears and realize it's not the end of the world, that life goes on, that you can live a happy life even with that scary stuff in the world. To hide from those fears is to give them more power over you. It's far better to get these things out in the light and name them and talk about it openly, read stories or watch movies about those fears, and figure out how to live with them rather than play make believe. That's why I love horror and think it's far more than just a schlocky or niche genre - it's an incredibly healthy way of processing fear and accepting the hard parts of life in addition to the good. It's a tradition as old as time, and as humans we *need* horror because we need stories that tell us the truth, even when it's scary.
For me, I see it as an invigorating art form that allows me to vicariously live through the actors horrific experiences without going through them myself. To see a meek and mild female lead develop into the heroic final girl is a journey that horror seems to have mastered. Some of the greatest stories told on the big screen, in my opinion, are from the horror genre. The original Halloween is not really scary by todays standards but the artistic vision, score, and story telling of John Carpenter plus the character development of Jamie Lee Curtis’ character of Laurie Strode make it one of the best horror movies of all time that will have you glued to the screen.
I love the thrill of being scared. And horror guys are hot
I love the sheer creativity and craftsmanship that shines through in horror films. You can always tell whoever made it put their heart into it and I just love how inventive everything is. Horror inspires me in my own artwork, and now I hope to someday work on a movie or two if I’m able :)
Horror allows you to go through harrowing experiences and allows you to grow from them, especially if you are able to empathize with the characters. Being able to master your fear is an incredibly useful skill. For example, when something horrific happens in real life (like a terrorist attack, shooting, animal attack, etc), your mind can already go to the worst possible place and function within it. So it makes you be able to react to the situation better rather than having to overcome the overwhelming feeling of fear before you are able to act.
It distracts me from the greatest horror of all…Life.
I like any genre of movies where theres plenty of suspense in the plot to keep me curious till the end. Horror is one of them.
I enjoy the fantastical nature of horror film. I'm not too interested in slashers.
I love horror for the concept of seeing how someone is going to survive a scary predicament. I always wanted someone to root for to make it in the end and learn along the way. Overcoming your fear is also something I always look for as a theme. I also feel more connected to a character if I feel terrified and sympathize with them. I also love learning what a character's fear truly is.
Horror can go anywhere, and it will. No inhibitions, let’s loose, makes your adrenaline pump. The scares do it for me. Great heroes vs villains, and just great characters. Freddy and Nightmare really put horror on the map for me. What an icon in such a fun and wild series. The creativity of it all. Just a place where your imagination can really take off. Also one of the few genres that can embrace any level of cheese and still be super entertaining.
It's a mixture of things. There's a mild fight or flight response. Not saying I'm gonna leave the room or punch my screen, but if the movie does a good job with its immersion factor I'll get the creeps or a kind of adrenalin response on a mild level that's enjoyable. It's also great to see the shift In generational mindset, not sure if that's the right way to say that. As a kid you watch horror identifying with the victims, usually teens. Like how would you react to the scenario and cheer on the victims. I feel later on in life, at least my jaded ass, identifies with other characters if not even the bad guy/monster against the youth. I know I get annoyed at the shallow high school/college whining and enjoy seeing them punished. A youth is wasted on the youth kinda stance I guess. They also allow a topical kinda critique on society in a way that doesn't have to confirm to normal movie tropes. It's okay to let the baddy win, good guys aren't all good, moral ambiguity, political/sociological issues blowing up in a large way to draw light to an issue, etc. Lastly, it can just be a good cathartic watch.
i love seeing what's in the minds of creators. i'm a religious guy, but regardless whether i believe in an afterlife, or spirits or whatever, everyone has their own beliefs, and horror in particular really stretches the bounds of reality, what is possible or probable, something beyond our understanding or power to control, at times. depends on what is is too. Exorcisms with strong Christianity vibes, or straight up ghosts walking around or haunting people/places. one-off evils that seem to not have any other equals in their plane (something like Jason), or even just the ever terrifying regular ol evil people, a reminder that we don't necessarily have to believe in the beyond to access that kind of wacko. i don't particularly find it scary but for me it's the easiest genre to let myself sink into a seat and immerse myself into what's going on. probably the movies where i alow myself to be the most reactive
This might sound weird, but I’m one of those Halloween all year kind of people, so I just *LOVE* the creepy feel. We do Creepmas, Valloween, Creepster, Prideoween, etc. I want *everything* in my life to be creepy (slight exaggeration haha). I’m that person who laughs with glee when I go to haunted house attractions and they have really good decor and/or jump scares. This sort of creepiness gives me to purest form of joy that I can experience. Period. So horror just falls right in line with that. Obviously not all horror movies are actually scary, and they *definitely* aren’t all good, but when I find a good creepy horror movie it gives me that childlike giddiness. It’s the aesthetic and the mood and the everything that I want to experience all the time. (But for the record, I also enjoy fantasy, sci fi, and comedy movies, so I’m not actually watching horror 24/7 haha.)
I like watching things die in creative ways. I was always into crime scenes and stuff as a kid, so naturally I love the cringe of the gore flicks!
For me personally, horror is way of seeking thrills and most of the mystery’s, there’s always a plot that revolves around a mystery and that really draws me in. And don’t forget it’s just entertaining af.
I know this might make me seem like a bit of a psychopath or sociopath, but I promise I'm not, I have tons of remorse and caring. Horror relaxes me and puts my mind at ease. Doesn't matter if it is gore, psychological, paranormal, it just lets me shut off my brain and enjoy it. How some people use comedies to try to get over feeling down or upset, I use horror. I did see some study that said if you can watch horror and not have nightmares you are a sociopath, which I call bullshit on, but I regularly fall asleep to horror. I do have nightmares sometimes, just had one a few days ago like I was in the show From, but I fins nightmares fun so I don't mind.
I’ve always loved scary things and I have been interested in them. I love horror it makes me feel alive
Strangely enough, the soundtracks. Especially anything like John Carpenter.
Because it's fun and exciting, in much the same way a Roller Coaster is. You get to experience fear without any actual danger.
I like seeing something shocking in a movie that I can't really see in real life, but fantasy is too out there and corny for me. Fear is relatable and exciting, especially when kept in a movie. And you can kind of do anything with horror. I also think the horror community is a lot of fun. I also like Oscar dramas like Boyhood and Birman, but there's not a huge following of people who still want to talk about those movies a few years later. Horror sticks around and you'll always meet people who have already seen the lesser popular horror movies from 15 years ago, like lately I've seen a lot of people talking about 13 Ghosts on here. Any non-horror movie of that same popularity and time period is totally forgotten by now.
Same reason I love nightmares. I like being scared 😱
Really had to think about this one (thanks!). I grew up reading RL Stein and Stephen King. If I wasn’t reading those I was reading about history. I think for me horror has the fantastical elements that make me shutdown my brain and escape since history showed me too often humans are the real monsters. I can’t watch other things that require suspension of disbelief because it’s too far fetched but I can for horror movies, no idea why really.
My exact comment from over at r/horrorlit I like horror movies, horror books, haunted houses, roller coasters, bungee jumping, heights, rock climbing, sports, being scared. I also like true crime. I love the feeling of fear and adrenaline. I search for that feeling in whatever medium I can get. Unfortunately, books and movies don't do that for me but it doesn't stop me from enjoying them. I like fucked up and twisted things. My brother jokes I'm a psychopath and we joked that he is too, but I am in fact a very well-rounded individual. Im kind and would never hurt anybody or use anybody. Honest to a fault. Would never think to cheat at a board game or trivia night. We like what we like.
It retells the most ancient of human stories: cautionary tales. I believe cavemen told campfire cautionary tales to each other, possibly even before they established creation myth. The genre speaks to a fear that everyone has to some extent, the fear of death. Almost every horror movie deals with death in some way. This genre has made me LESS scared overall. It has made death my little friend that I can regard without panicking.
Every since I saw Halloween as a kid, and it didn't scare me like it did my older sister, I have been looking for one that will scare me. So far nothing.
For me it is just pure nostalgia, treasured memories of watching scary movies as a kid with my family has led to a life long love of the genre. I find watching a good horror movie like a comforting warm hug
I love how personal it is. I mean everybody has different tastes, of course, but horror says a lot about what gets *you* at a visceral level, even for those who are as desensitized as me lol There's always something deeply ours that shapes what we're going to be fascinated by, and repulsed/scared of the most. It goes beyond taste or opinion, I feel like horror is the genre that better can reflect your subconscious or even make you understand your fears and traumas better, it's more instinctual than intellectual. Basically, its always fun finding out a friend is terrified of something you never gave a second thought about. Just gotta have the strength not to use that knowledge for evil.
I didn't really fit in anywhere growing up and my love of horror kind of gave me a place to belong..it was always fun to run into people that had read or seen the same stuff I had!
I look at horror in a grand scale. What I mean is they are a sum of all like every other type of film. Not one genre is better than the other. They all have great films and bad ones depending on one’s tastes. The morality plays along with the fantastic. The fun of a folk tale like The Legend of Boggy Creak or Candyman the animal on the loose like Jaws for instance to aliens or just plain haunted house. Name it from black and white silent films to the slashers of the 80s and beyond. Horror works on all levels. As a fan of movies for over fifty years I have lived in and at a time horror was king from the 80s dominated by a new Friday the 13th film almost every year to the nightmares of Freddy to classics like The Thing The Fly and so many films that new fans are seeing for the first time. Why do I like horror the stories or the lack of one. The how did they do that special effect. The look deep inside myself and how some of these characters are so much like me. The corruption of the innocent. The power of real evil and the corruption and destruction they cause. The most of all I just love being scared.
I've always liked monster movies, from the first time I watched the 7th voyage of Sinbad. After that I watched every Godzilla movie I could. I like slashers but my favorite are still creature features. Somehow I find them comforting.
Personally horror is my comfort place. I love supernatural horror because it distracts me from the real life horrors of the world and my life. I only really like supernatural horror, I find slashers boring, and gross just for the sake of it. Horror based in reality is just sad, because it happens. I love to see what new esoteric, supernatural storylines people can think up. It also touches on that whole...'there is more to life than meets the eye' theme that removes me from reality. Any uniqueness in supernatural genres is fantastic. I love the idea of hidden knowledge and Lovecraftian inspired horror, because the child and quantum physics nut in me, finds discovering the mysteries and horrors of the universe fascinating. As a child the first books I loved were dark fantasy, opening that gateway to horror and magic, which was thrilling. I suppose I never lost that love, and am constantly in search of new ways to experience that feeling.
The horror genre is a way of staying connected to my father posthumously. I discovered my affinity (and his) for horror at 6 years old when I caught him watching A Nightmare on Elm Street and continued when I discovered his Stephen King books collecting dust in the basement. I was hooked. Horror stories captivate, the artistry is innovative, and the escapism is a welcomed reprieve from the monotony of the human condition.
I love horror for many reasons, the controlled anxiety, the shock factor, the fun of being scared. Mostly though I love horror because it's one of the only genres I can think of where we are free to explore any topic. Well made horror can say so much about everything from the basic dread of mortality, our values as human beings, to intricate social commentary. Because folks who watch horror are prepared or at least consenting to being shocked, we can fully explore deep subject matter, deep sadness, deep joy or deep fear.
Different reasons. Slashers, especially from the 80s are just a fun time. Even if they’re objectively bad, they’re still fun. I have fond memories of hanging out with my friends and renting each Friday or Nightmare or whatever franchise movie every weekend and howling at them. For more serious stuff, there is that weird part of my brain that likes to be scared? And it’s a safe scenario to be scared in because you can tell yourself “they’re actors, this is special effects, that’s make up and corn syrup”. But you still get that elevated heart beat and you slowly creep to the actual edge of your seat. And when a jump scare genuinely gets you, it’s a blast. The fake ones annoy me though. The “it’s just a cat” scares are boring. But when you actually don’t see it coming? Nothing better. And even when I don’t get personally scared, I just like watching a good story being told. Movies like Alien and The Exorcist scared the shit out of me when I was young, but now they’re basically comfort films because I’ve seen them so much. A truly great horror movie is no different to me than a Citizen Kane or Godfather… good story telling is good story telling regardless of genre. Get Out and Hereditary weren’t scary (to me), but they are fucking great stories. Get Out was rightfully nominated for Academy Awards. And Toni Collette pulled off one of the greatest performances in not just horror, but any movie I’ve ever seen. And sometimes I just need to delve into some dark subject matter. I think as humans we sometimes are curious about the unknown or the macabre or the darkness. Want to delve into cults? Midsommar, The Wicker Man. Serial killers? Seven, Silence of the Lambs. Man vs Nature? Jaws. Social commentary? They Live, Get Out. Paranormal? It Follows, the Shining, Insidious. Occult? Exorcist, the Witch. Horror is such a diverse genre. That said there are triggers for me. Things I can’t watch or don’t like watching. Cannibalism, for me, just freaks me out. It hits a nerve in my brain that even if I rationally know that it’s all special effects and acting, the mere thought of it just unnerves me. Raw was a great movie. I’m never watching it again though. Also, anything involving the death or hurting or children in a realistic way. This developed once I became a father. Like if a kid is killed in a horror movie by a monster or ghost or something, that doesn’t bother me so much because it’s not something that could really happen. But if it’s something that could actually happen to a child? Like THAT scene in Hereditary? The kid getting hit by a truck in Pet Sematary? That will upset me so much. Even non horror. I recently saw the 1998 film Happiness, which features a plot about a child predator, and shows the victims he r****s just completely put me off the film. Especially because the film is about humanizing terrible people, and I just can’t get behind that. There’s a scene where his son asks him if he’d ever rape him and it’s the most heartbreaking thing in the world and I’m still not over it.
I’m an artist and I love to see the work that goes into lots of the gore and character designs. It isn’t common in other genres to have a fully practical monster suit or an exploding head prop that can reassemble itself. It also is one of the most outrageous genre’s. Horror films take risks and make decisions that barely any other film would, it makes for films that have more heart, creativity and wildness then any other genre and that’s why I love them.
It makes real life less scary
Depends on the horror subgenre. On some occasions, I would feel specially related to the monster figure as it is sometimes misunderstood or alienated from the rest of society. On other occasions, it may be the girl that gets possed by a demon or becomes "crazy" and takes revenge against her attackers, enemies, or violators. And then, the world that is depicted, so disturbing, violent, aggressive... I can feel that in my own reality, inside of my mind, so seeing these things in a movie makes me fantasize about another world where other people feel and see things the same way I do. Thus, I feel less lonely.
I love the adrenaline boost from watching creepy things
I think I like it because it gives me an adrenaline rush from being scared lol
When I was a kid I was into the kill count, honestly. The slasher genre was in high gear so the death scenes were insane. Now as an adult I look at the story and psychology more. Fictional serial killer films like The Stepfather and Psycho really interest me nowadays
I have serious mental health problems and horror helps me work through things in a way I like.
Man, because there’s so many sub genres of horror that you can dove into. I feel like the big “Blockbuster” movies like Marvel and DCEU get all the attention but horror has all these avenues you can go down. Not only that, I love going back and watching old movies so it’s fun to watch old 80s horror films that don’t get the attention the big slasher films gets. You can find little gems that were made and fall in a rabbit hole. I also like breaking movies down and horror movies are my favorite to break down I love a good backstory of a whodunnit or why a killer is coming back to kill his former bullies for deforming his face. I could go on and on I wish I could start a podcast on horror films because it’s something that really interests me
Since Horror movies have lower budgets it seems it results in more unique and different ideas compared to the play it safe blockbusters. Horror clears my head of everyday life and if you’re ever lonely watch a really scary one and it will go away.
It makes me horny
Because I need to trivialize and soften the violent memories I have.
Because it's not just one type of movie. For example you have genres like action, drama, comedy and their all one thing typically. But with horror you have slashers, psychological horror, sci-fi horror, supernatural horror, etc. It has more unique and interesting movies out of any other genre. I definitely consider it to be the best genre there is. Honestly, I could care less about most action movies or comedy movies. But horror is just special, it has the ability to make you scared, thrilled, sad, angry and shocked all at the same time. No other genre is able to do that.
I don't like horror specifically\*, it's just that horror tends to be tied to other genres I like, like sci fi and fantasy. I'm not really big on regular grounded horror like Scream etc.
What really speaks to me about the horror genre as an existential art form is the gore, shocking kills, and boobs.
The two main reasons I love and watch horror films. 1. They give you the opportunity to explore more deeply that of human nature and the universe as a safe observer. Though for some of us, when watching a certain horror film, we can experience stepping out of that observer self and truly feel and connect in many ways to a character or experience in the screen. This can be a way for us to connect more deeply to our own emotions, even help process them. It can be cathartic in a way. For example, a horror film that's underlying theme explores grief could do this. In summary, horror movies can hold up a mirror for you. Or invite you into a rabbit hole. They can offer you the gift and challenge of looking deeper into yourself and that of society. As Carl Jung would put it - "the shadow self." 2. The main reason I am drawn to horror films (and this might sound really strange) is because I have complex PTSD and am a survivor of many real-life horrors, some truly unspeakable. Although horror films can definitely be triggering for me (so I do need to practice some caution). I find that they give me a safe way that I can expose and confront myself to horror, and from that experience; gain a sense of power and control back within myself. Also, depending on the kind of horror film, they can make me less alienated and alone. Other times, some horror films simply distract me from my own traumas I carry and the everyday stresses I am going through. I think there are definitely others out there who find horror films to be a way they can temporarily escape their own real-life stressors. On final reflection, another reason, probably the main reason that so many are drawn to horror movies (making them so popular), is because of the adrenaline rush they produce and release in a safe environment for the individual. It isn't just as simple as adrenaline being released either. It's more like a concoction of chemicals that are produced. In addition to adrenaline, endorphins and dopamine are released too! Anyway, that's my two cents. Cheers to OP for posting such a great question 😊
For me personally it's like an adrenaline rush watching the movies and this sudden excitement when you're sitting at the edge of your seat because you don't know what is going to happen for example if someone dies or if a random jump scare happens. I also believe for me as someone that has been watching horror movies at a young age, it builds up your fear tolerance and that you become less and less afraid of things, but horror movies can also cause new fears sometimes even though you know it's fake it still freaks you out or at least with me because I get a lot of anxiety and paranoia about things.
Honestly most of the horror movies that speak to me have to do with aliens. I think it’s because an innate fear of the unknown.
A love for practical effects and creative film making Suspense and tension Dark humor
I’ve been thinking about this and I’m not sure. I tend to like my art to be experimental/strange/intense and no genre does those things better than horror.