- Ghosts: The Shining (1980)
- Aliens: The Thing (1982)
- Vampires: Dracula (1931)
- Werewolves or vicious animals: The Wolfman (1941)
- Demons: The Exorcist (1973)
- Monsters or Zombies: Frankenstein (1931)
- Serial Killers and/or cannibalism: Manhunter (1986)
Horror films have attracted people since the beginning of the cinema industry. It has been said that horror serves the same purpose to adults as fairy tales do to children, for instance to warn of evil in familiar places. As stated above, the purpose of a horror film is to draw a negative reaction from the view and that is exactly what they do; surveys show that everyone has been affected in this way at least once by an image or clip from a horror film. The appeal of horror film to people depend on the people themselves and what characteristics they have, the film itself and the viewing circumstances. I will give more detail on these below.
- The Viewer And The Film: Researchers have found many motives for wanting to watch horror films, including the need for excitement, the desire to feel intense emotions and the distraction from everyday concerns. Although there are other types of films that can fulfill some of these needs, for example Drama, movies that display violence and fear at the same time have effects that a drama cannot like the violation of social norms. Also, people don't often view horror films alone. They particularly appeal to men as it is a common talking point between a group, a means of self-presentation and a source of shared experience. Not everyone will like the blood and gore but many will continue to watch because of other goals such as showing their ability to tolerate it or the desire to master the threatening images. The three main appeals of horror films to males are the excitement generated by the film aka sensation-seeking, the wish to see destruction that is shown in horror movies and the satisfying resolution usually found at the end of the film.
- The Circumstances: Horror films are typically viewed in comfortable, familiar surroundings with friends or co-viewers nearby. Violent entertainment is proven to be less appealing when the viewer is under genuine threat or experiences fear/anxiety prior to viewing, alone. When humor accompanies the film with in a social group of mates, the reaction of fear is milder. Viewers can limit the effects also, by turning away or talking to a friend, even making mockery of the film to make the viewing of it less passionate. When violence gets too real to the viewer, the film will lose appeal so if music and film editing are made minimal or removed it can have a bigger impact on fear and a lesser appeal to the film.
As most of my fears are for real-life situations as opposed to a specific thing it is hard to find a film specifically related to one of my fears. That being said, I still get affected by a horror film in the way it intends to do so when I have negative release of emotions and a build up of anxiety. If I was to state my favourite horror film I would have to say Slither (2006). It's not a traditional film like the Frankenstein films or Dracula films but I like the quirkiness of the plot. The General plot of the film is that a meteorite collides in a small town. Grant finds it and is infected by a parasite worm which installs in his brain and causes him to have a creepy transformation into a monster. His wife, Starla, and a policeman, Bill, will try to stop him and the worms from infecting the rest of the town. Although it is a horror film, it is not that powerful in it's attempt to force me into a release of emotions in a negative way. You could say that this film is not great as a piece of horror because of this reason however I like it for the story itself as opposed to it's ability as a piece of horror. Does a horror film have to be incredibly scary to be labelled good? I say no.
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