Why “scary” is exciting

One of the biggest things talked about during October and close to Halloween is scary movies. What people may not know, though, is why people actually enjoy scary movies so much. Is it because they are just simply interesting to watch? Or is there a deeper meaning behind why exactly scary movies are constantly watched all year round? We´ll take a deeper look. 

 The Psychology of Fear: Exploring the Science Behind Horror Entertainment  

According to the Psychology of Fear, the enjoyment of scary thrillers is not from the fear itself but stems from ¨the physical and emotional release that follows scary situations¨. This means that people enjoy watching horror films so much because of the lessened emotional distress that it gives you from your flight or fight response. When people get triggered into their flight or fight response they may think of it as exciting or new, therefore wanting to do it again. 

    Not only does the emotional and physical release make people love horror films so much, but there are many other reasons as to why as well. According to the site above, it states that there are ¨three primary factors that feed the attraction to horror entertainment itself.¨ The first one is tension, ¨which producers and directors create by including elements of mystery, suspense, gore, terror, and shock.¨ The second factor is relevance, ¨horror films draw from this factor by establishing elements that viewers will identify with. This means that if a person can relate to a movie in some way, there is a more likely chance they will watch it. And the last factor is unrealism, unrealism catches the attention of people who enjoy things that they know are fake or just in general fiction. 

There are a lot of places in Colorado that have evoked scary movies. Here is a list of seven: 

List of 7 movies based on Colorado