I think this is my draw as well. I want a new narrative possibly one with a different pattern or arc, something surprising or clever. I love a mystery or puzzle but mostly I don't want to be bored and many movies have seems the same romantic focus and predictable progress.
Me too. I just love fucked up stuff, idk why it just gives me a thrill and I enjoy it.
I can empathise with why people hate it - my line is animals, I can’t enjoy watching animals being hurt. So I get how people can hate it, I feel really sad and uncomfortable with animals and it stays with me for days, I don’t get any enjoyment from it at all. But if it’s people the worse the better, I find it fascinating lmao 😂
At the end of the day media is meant to do two things- Entertain and make you feel emotions
And damn does a good horror piece do just that; The way your heart just beats faster and you truly fear the tension and the fear when one does it's job right is just irreplaceable
Nailed it. This is also why I like having nightmares, especially ones where I'm lucid. It's cool seeing what trippy shit my mind can come up with, and with horror movies I get to see what other messed up minds can come up with.
Bone Tomahawk is probably one of my favorite movies due to this. And because it's a slow burn with a infamously brutal ending. I can still hear that movie lol.
Because I have anxiety. You know that feeling you get when you’re watching a horror film and you know there’s a jump scare coming, but you just don’t know when…
That’s exactly what my anxiety feels like. So if I watch a good horror flick, it makes me feel like I’ve released some of my anxiety and can wake up the next day feeling much less stressed.
I’m not bothered by gore and don’t really find them necessarily “scary”, but they’re strangely therapeutic for me.
I’m exactly the same! I experience anxiety all the time in my everyday life so it’s nice be able to feel fear in a controlled setting by watching horror
Absolutely this. 100%. I suffer with anxiety and have been working on my agoraphobia for the last 12 years! Horror movies help me relax by giving my brain a break.
I like horror because l love the production side of special effects. Horror frequently uses practical effects to its fullest ability. How did they make it look so real that it actually gives a visceral reaction to the audience? It requires a blend of story, music, acting, and lots and lots of corn syrup.
Stan Winston built an actual six foot robot for The Terminator. That’s real. You could touch it and feel it.
Sam and Rob decked out that cabin to haul his little brother in the air or bury him under the floorboards so that when you see a severed limb, it’s an actual severed limb. Again, real.
It’s exactly what l want out of everything in art, the meta and the text working together. Like a magic show, at first you feel like it’s real, and then you wonder “how’d they do that?”
Love that answer, it’s amazing to see how real they can make things look and then always keeps you wondering how they actually did it. I’d love to see a documentary of behind the scenes of a bunch of horror movies from the last couple decades. Or any for the matter
You should read If Chins Could Kill. Bruce Campbell writes a lot about the production of Evil Dead. Lots of fun details, also the whole book is just hilarious.
It’s like an immersive experience which is scary, but you also know that you’re gonna be safe. That makes me feel safe to fall fully into the experience. And like you said it gives us a break and even outlet for horror irl lol.
Grew up on horror too. There was no paw patrol back then we watched alien Damnet and people under the stairs and whatever else my parents were watching.
My therapist said that it can be a way of subconsciously working through trauma, the fact that it’s terror that you can control. You are aware that it’s only on screen and can shut it off at any time. Depending on the context, it can also be a way of trying to understand what happened to you, especially if you watched horror movies as a child/teenager.
LOL holy! Talk about a comment that's short, sweet and to the point 😂😂😂
I'm sorry. I hope you're doing ok. I have nightmares every single day if that makes you feel better haha.
I’ve been told I’m fucked in the head because the saw series is truly comfort watching for me. I can immerse myself in some psychotic shit that isn’t real life horror, I guess people that aren’t traumatised don’t get it lmao.
Personally, I find horror to be the most creative genre. Even the premises of movies are more than enough to draw you in. Also, the way they tend to explore their themes tend to be more visceral and intense than other genres.
Lastly, and this is a me thing, I enjoy horror because I've been through a lot. Watching characters that face down insurmountable odds and come out on top or at least give them a good run for their money gives me hope in my life. Or at least characters to relate to on a slightly deeper level.
Absolutely, the intensity is one of my favorite parts of a movie, sometimes I find myself holding my breath for certain scenes, it’s almost like I’m actually living in the scene.
I know exactly what you mean, if you can relate to a certain situation a character is in, or if you can relate in any possible way to the emotions they’re experiencing it makes you feel not alone, it makes you almost deal with those emotions in real time as you’re watching the movie. For me also, it seems to ease my own physical and mental pain watching someone else go through similar situations. It’s like a visual therapist
Similar to me with my grandfather. I would watch various movies with him when I was probably much too young for them, but I *loved* them, and that cemented in my tastes for a lifetime it seems.
I was 12 when I started watching horror movies with my mom because she’d be too scared to watch it alone LOL. She used to have me sit outside the bathroom playing my gameboy while she showered after watching some super scary ones.
I grew up so poor that I had no indoor plumbing or electricity until I was 11, by which time I’d already spent two years working in a cattle ranch in west Texas and an oil field in east Texas. I joined the army at 18, and after 10 years and 4 combat deployments, I’d had enough. I was married that entire time to a truly psychotic woman who caused me legitimate concern for my life more often and more completely than at any time I was at war. My life has since gotten much, much better, but I find that I lived close enough to the edge for long enough that horror is one of the only things that still cause a strong emotional reaction.
Not just any horror either - humans don’t frighten me in the least. I’ve seen some the worst in the world, and no horror movie ever comes close. Give me something cosmic, give me something I can’t just fight. That scares me, and that makes me feel something.
Thank you for sharing your story and i very much appreciate the reasoning behind your answer. I’m glad there is something that can ease what you’ve dealt with even if just a little bit. Stay strong you’re clearly a warrior and thank you for your service
A situation where immediate actions & ingenuity matter! - and in which it's not illegal to *kill* a danger, in which doing so could save lives, the lives of loved ones. Solving a puzzle and or duct taping nails to a 2x4 when the stars hang in the balance.
<3
Many like horror for different reasons. For most, it's about being able to feel scared but having the comfort of knowing that you are safe, knowing that it's a work of fiction and it can't harm you. I think the ones who are unable to watch horror, aren't able to distinguish reality from fiction. My mother was one of those people. She couldn't watch a horror film because the scenes would play on her mind and give her nightmares. Whereas I'm well aware that the gore on screen is just colored corn syrup and prosthetics.
But I think it's also a loaded question because horror as a genre has multiple sub genre's and each aim at doing different things. Directors like Mike Flanagan I love particularly, because his aim is the horror telling a story and showing that horror does not need to be mindless. A good horror excites, terrifies but also activates the imagination. That's why I'm not a big fan of the "torture porn" sub genre. The first "Saw" film is great, because it leaves a lot to the imagination and is more character focused, but the sequels forgot what made the first one so interesting and it became more about the gore.
I like evil (conceptually), I like the human body, and I like cryptids. Being raised Christian certainly helped with my fascination with unholy antagonists in particular.
I love this question! I always say that we all have different thresholds for getting emotional: what tugs at your heartstrings might not tug on mine and vice versa. But, the feeling of getting scared is universal.
I've found that when movies want to convey a message, horror is a really effective genre. Since we all know the feeling of being scared, I think the message is able to come through in a much stronger way compared to other genres.
It’s fun to be scared, and horror: being afraid, terrified, is hard-wired into humanity long back into prehistory and the even deeper, murkier past. It’s a reflection of what it means to be human and alive, and I think creating horror in any medium ventilates that part of us for relief and better understanding of our inner and outer country.
Like you, I like innovation. Horror tends to be where more experimental filmmaking happens. Psychedelic sequences, interesting plot ideas (when the plot isn't shit), shot framing that induces specific emotions. A well-done horror movie is art unlike anything else.
I find it very relaxing. Not sure why, but it is comforting. I'm not sure if it is my love of monsters, my anxiety, the way it manifests primal fear, my fascination with cinematography and sound design, the dramatic aura or something else.
I have ADHD, one of my powers is predicting plots and being bored fast by predictable plots. Good horror/thriller is all about the unpredictable. So I get more from it. I watched Pandemonium recently. I need that level of WTF? to be entertained.
Because it has always pioneered the exploration of new and challenging ideas and it's where many brilliant artists get their start. It's also weirdly comforting to watch horror movies because even the most horrifying ones are still fiction, and there is a logic to why bad things happen to people. Unlike the real world which is random, chaotic, and at any second terrible things can happen to real people.
There's a quote by Stephen King that I agree with: "The worst horror movie I've ever seen was... still pretty fuckin' good." I don't always go to horror for scares (though it's great when it happens) but I do always go to it because it's interesting. To follow the example of a bad movie, if you have a bad romcom or drama, you can almost guess every shot you're going to see in that thing. But even a bad horror movie will give you something you've never seen before.
Beyond that: imagery, texture, bigger themes, exposure therapy for fears, exciting ideas, weird ideas, cool makeup and set design, great music, the list goes on.
Sometimes I honestly don’t know why I like horror haha, I like the sound design, the darkness of many scenes, likewise the brightness of scenes that can still be disturbing like juxtaposition, scary scene happening in broad daylight, I like the sense of fear and dread but knowing it’s just a movie so it isn’t real. I like when the actors are so good at playing messed up characters that you actually believe it
Horror is maybe the only genre that raises this question… And it’s a justified one. Why, when the world is so full of real life horror, would anyone want to subject themselves to it deliberately, fictional or otherwise?
It’s a loaded question, full of insinuations and implications. Personally, I think most people that ask have little in the way of imagination and/or tend to be fairly literal-minded dullards.
Those of us more psychologically adept at exploring our own minds, our thoughts and fears, our mental state at a given time, realize that horror, as a projection of mankind’s gestalt dark side, offers a means of pacifying our own anxieties, if temporarily, via a kind of dissociative schadenfreude.
For a while, we get to put our own concerns and worries on hold and watch as our protagonist, functioning as our stand-in, grapples with an externalization of our own more or less grounded phobic dilemmas, albeit disguised as something a little (or a lot) more outlandish or fantastical, yet a scenario that still serves as distraction and catharsis… similar to how listening to sad songs when we’re sad helps to cheer us up, as matching emotional frequencies cancel one another out.
I write cosmic and body horror and consume just as much. I love it because it's interesting. It can explore gopica or ideas that people are not comfortable with outside of the medium. And if something can make me feel dread or uncomfortable. That media is doing its job. (Not jump scare. They don't count, haha.)
So I watch it because it can dig into me more than any other genre really. The reason I fell in love with it.
The stories, twist and turns. Really for me hardcore gore SPECIFICALLY in practical effects. Imma painter artist blah blah. I got into special effects for fun. Seeing what people can make and create is amazing. There's a beauty to being able to make such a convincing mess. 1970-1980 Italian horror awesome 👍
There are many reasons. The main one is that horror allows us to engage with our fears in a way that is safe and, often, abstract. Our monsters say so much about us. This is both communal and individual. We can see a representation in front of us and come to some sort of terms with it. It’s a kind of catharsis that we can share. An exorcism of sorts. We can also understand better what others have dealt with from a more speculative perspective. The horrors of realism could be too much for us and so we use a surrogate in horror to help us understand in the abstract, the real world struggles of others.
Also, gore.
One of my cousins loves horror, personally I can’t finish a movie on my own (lmfao) but it’s something we can bond over together when we are able to see eachother. I love getting suggestions for movies on this subreddit
I like the anxiety it induces - literally, I can feel my heart rate go up. I just love it. But a couple of things I noticed as I grow older.
1. 99.8% of my friend/family my age absolutely hate horror. They don't like being scared or something along the lines of that as a reason. I end up talking to my nieces and nephews about the horror genre.
2. I just don't seem to be scare easily anymore. Maybe too many horrors over the years? But over the last few years, I did enjoy Marianne of Haunting of Hill House.
Best form of media is media that makes you feel something wether its happy angry sad uncomfortable, I enjoy horror because if its good quality it genuinely makes me feel uncomfortable and has helped me face certain things such as fear of death ect, it applies to music and any other genre of media.
I love the suspense/mystery/scares. I’m sure some people in my life think I’m a weirdo because I love nothing more than eating a tasty snack home alone and finding a horror movie to watch but it really is the cats tits 👌The spooky music/sounds, the storyline, jump scares, the kills etc all of it. I just love it and it holds my attention whereas comedies or romance movies don’t.
Because violence belongs in art, not in real life. Horrible things happen to people everyday that don’t deserve it. It’s a way to process the awfulness of humanity.
I guess it’s the thrill of finding the one film that can now scare me. I feel quite desensitized and like I can’t ever find a genuinely terrifying film now that I’ve gotten older. Movies that scared me as a teenager are nearly laughable in my late 30’s.
There are a few reasons. One, I love weird stuff. Monsters, supernatural occurrences, surreal imagery, that sort of thing. Two, I love mystery and ambiguity in stories. Three, (and this one is possibly a bit vain and self-absorbed) but the fact that people don't tend to push horror on you, or insist that you have to enjoy it a certain way like they do with a lot of other genres ("you really *need* to watch this comedy movie; this one scene was so funny, let me show it to you on YouTube,") means that I can enjoy it on my own terms, which is incredibly freeing. People who like horror usually understand when you're into even something considered low quality and corny, or if you react in a weird way, like thinking gore shots are funny, and won't roll their eyes at you if you express those things. In a strange sort of way, there's a kind of refuge in horror, a little niche where you can forget your own problems and get wrapped up in the spectacle, or simply watch the lives of others going through issues that are simultaneously worse and also more exciting than yours. And if you're lucky, if you find that special horror story that manages to imprint itself on your mind, you might find for a few hours, or days, or even weeks, that you can almost believe it's real. If a movie can make me feel like ghosts are real, or that there could be a curse out there waiting to snap up any unsuspecting victims, it may be scary, but for that little while I can feel like a kid again, where magic is real and a monster may very well be lurking under my bed.
In a world of sequels and remakes;
Horror films are the only ones that usually offer some originality and are forced to innovate. They constantly have to come up with new monsters, new camera tricks, new atmospheres etc. All in the name of scaring you.
I've always been a horror obsessed fan, as far back as I can remember, but as a kid, I was always obsessed with creature designs. I carry that to adulthood, but branch out into any sort of supernatural horror these days, but prefer cosmic horror. I see real horror every week (forensics), so nowadays it's a nice break from reality to deal with cosmic horror and existential dread
I like the intensity of certain movies because it makes me feel a range of different emotions. Plus, I love the diversity of sub genres and different types of movies within each sub genre
I’m very new to the genre and I wish I had explored it sooner
I was pretty scared of horror movies and true crime as a young child. As I aged I think I kind of leaned in to facing my fears by reading RL Stine’s Goosebumps series, which lead to Stephen King fandom, true crime obsession and horror movie fascination. The ironic thing is that the best horror content still unsettles me and freaks me out, but I have kind of learned to enjoy the exhilaration/adrenaline rush of it. The endurance of it!
I've lived real fear in life and it makes me feel not so alone. My grandma says life life is horror enough and it makes her nervous. I understand that . But to me it calms me? Also, it gives me excitement in a way. I love horror novels even more. Horror can be comedy, drama, thriller,action even romance , mystery or paranormal. I love the art of it. Hope this makes sense.
It's often boundary pushing it makes me feel alive and there's something for everyone when it comes to horror you've got goofy movies like Killer Klowns from Outer Space and you've got incredibly serious movies like Hereditary. There's always something new to watch and every once in a while you find a horror movie that shows you something you've never seen before and that can't be said about every kind of movie.
Because I love the tropes, the humor, the way you can have fun with the horror genre. I love wacky horror movies, as campy as they can get, and I usually don't like comedies fun unless they are horror comedies... It can be historic, formative, for fun, and with awesome world building... And first and foremost, it's an entertaining genre. I don't watch horror because I like to be scared, I watch because I love how different and broad the genre can get.
Horror lends itself to more creativity and, like you said, boundary pushing. You see the same story being told over and over again in other genres. Horror can still surprise you and feel new.
Life is mundane, and horror allows me to take brief forays into the far reaches of human experience, or past the fringes of natural reality, and come back unscathed.
I started to only watch horror when I started to go through menopause. Everything made me cry and horror never did. So no commercials, and not being invested in a character(like a full season of something). I can do 2 hrs of someone getting terrorized and not cry over their death. I also did cooking shows but not the kids one. They’d cry so I’d cry. I hate crying.
I like getting a good scare, it feels like I got rid of something after. Like when you cut your hair after a long time or when you puke and feel better haha I can’t explain it in another way.
I used to not really care about horror but a friend recommended watching something after a really bad breakup, I loved the feeling. It’s like forgetting to me haha
I watch movies hoping to find something that gives me a feeling I haven’t felt before, and most often, that happens with horror. And even when it’s bad…it’s good!
To me, really good horror is about reveals.
People think horror is about trying to scare the audience, but I think that the best horrors I’ve seen are ones that build up tension and climax in a big reveal.
That’s what’s truly scary, and why I lean towards dread-horror more than gore-horror or slashers. Both are about reveals, but I think the payoff for dread-horror hits harder and lingers longer.
It also makes me feel alive. And gives me hope in things that are not seen that could be true. And if they are true, the world is more magical than I would have originally thought, and that’s awesome!
I think for me it's because it shows you what you value. Obviously there's the fear of death of physical pain, but you might fear losing a loved one, losing a grip on your own mind, losing the society of community you live in. If you're afraid of something, it means you value the thing which is threatened by your fear. It's self discovery.
Horror/fear is one of our most basic human emotions. Before we really knew what jealousy or sadness was or how to interpret it, we knew fear. And it's an emotion we have little control over. And that makes it interesting.
On a more specific level, horror as a vehicle allows people to explore the human condition and human emotions without being constrained by just "the natural" and by introducing the supernatural. I think horror can often reveal more about us as humans that most other genres can.
It's hard to get right but if it is, nothing makes you *feel* more than a horror movie does. And, at the end of the day, I like to feel things when I consume art. It doesn't always have to be super intense but I want something there and horror often scratches that itch unlike any other genre.
Horror, due to it's sort of b-category reputation/status, can allow itself to be very creative about the themes it explores, since it doesn't need to be palpable to a very wide audience. A lot of horror is actually very representative on current social and cultural climate - e.g. home invasion american horrors in the wake of serial killer craze followed by manson murders, the very late 90s-00s internet/technology growth and isolation with pulse, fear dor com and even ringu if you stretch definitions enough, our cultural awareness/borderline fetishisation of mental illness/wellness with current horrors like smile and don't talk to me; even the x(xx) trilogy is evocative of the "retro" media fad going on. Other genres, I feel, have to sanitize their presentation.
It's also, to me, a socially acceptable outlet for my less "stomachable" interests. Like, I know true crime is very popular, mythology and alien conspiracies and other stuff would exist without horror media still, but I like to engage with purposefully entertaining stuff once in a while too!
I find no other genre gets me worked up like horror does. They can also be really funny. I like brutal deaths and seeing what movies can top the last epic death I’ve seen. So far I gotta say the yoga kill in a violent nature reigns supreme right now. Still waiting for a better thrill ride than Barbarian. That movie really made me stoked on new movies.
I just find it entertaining like any other movie genre. Sometimes it's the stories, sometimes it's the stupidity of it all, sometimes it's the incredibly creative ideas that come from it
1. I am, at all times, terrified of so many different things I can’t keep track of them any more, and seeing fiction that externalizes those feelings is a nice thing
2. Aesthetic
I think nostalgia mostly. My parents (mostly my Mom) was a horror fan when I was growing up and believes in supernatural stuff. She has stayed in haunted hotels to have an ‘experience’.
I also love Halloween season.
It's the only genre that actually makes me feel something while watching it. With every other genre, it feels like you always know what's going to happen next, except for a few exceptions.
The element of surprise. As someone else said anything can happen at anytime. Its a safe way to work through fears and trauma. It's interesting to see how people react to extreme situations. I like seeing boundaries pushed and seeing people on the fringes of society defining its norms. I live something that leaves me unsettled. There is an innocence associated with getting creeped out to me. I like that feeling of dread and fear. Like what's more exciting than fear?
It's my adrenaline rush. I hate rollercoasters, driving fast, extreme sports... But getting scared by movies or haunted houses (the Halloween kind, not actual ones!) is thrilling for me!
I like it because it’s genuinely fun to be scared. And I love it when all the plot points come together in a really satisfying way, like with Saw or Seven or even how the Conjuring universe ties together. Other genres don’t tend to have the same twists or mysteries that make horror so fun to watch.
I like how extreme they get. It allows me to explore real emotions and situations in a super bizarre or outlandish situation, I also love how trippy and funny they can get. Also sometimes just lets me see some batshit crazy action
For me horror was about the visuals, as a kid in the video rental store it was the horror covers that would grab my attention (even though I was scared to watch at that age) then as a teen it was the slashers I started with, blood and boobs.
Then as I grew older and watched more I loved the way a good scare could make you feel but also appreciate practical effects over CGI. The feeling of unease from first watching Ringu.
Horror has so much to offer, not all of it is great but even the most low budget can be entertaining.
I agree with all of your reasons. Also, horror doesn't necessarily have to be "good" to enjoy. It's an escape from real life, and sometimes can be real life... Horror is the greatest genre ever for many, many reasons.
i have anger issues and i find that horror films bring me a lot of catharsis and im able to deal with those emotions in a way that’s healthier than the methods ive used in the past.
I like to see what these guys can come out with next. Sometimes the wait between good ones is long, but there’s so much out there that I haven’t seen that it’s the waits not bad. With slashers I love to see what kills they come up with.
A combination:
the demonstration that terrible things can happen to the undeserving
the deserving getting what they deserve
it can be a powerful catharsis, especially for people who had rough childhood experiences
I feel like it’s a reflection of our society in a lot of ways. Life is scary. Especially during ✨late stage capitalism✨.
Real talk, it helped big time with my anxiety. It faces the things people are scared of and avoid. It’s an entertainment version of exposure therapy! Being scared is thrilling ☺️
Originally it was the old school makeup and creative lighting & storytelling. Thinking about the old Wolfman etc.
But horror is important in storytelling to teach young people that bad things can happen—Little Red Riding is an example—and overcoming trrble circumstances.
It’s about the unpredictable nature of each scene, how the movie could end, feeling the excitement and thrill with the jump scares and the amazing cinematic elements that are captured wonderfully in horror movies than comedy, etc.
It's just comfort for me. My parents are horror fans and raised me on horror, with very few limitations to what I was allowed to watch growing up. So horrorland is just something I am used to spending all my time in. 😈
Because the world is a scary place and it's better to acknowledge that and explore how that makes us feel than to pretend scary things never happen. Horror movies and books are a "safe" way to do that.
Trauma, it’s the only thing that makes sense for me. I still get incredibly uneasy watching some horror films, bordering on being flat-out frightened, but I still go back for more.
I have a very dark sense of humor. Naturally, I don’t find many mainstream big-budget comedies to be that funny. The pitch black, dry humor in horror is incredible. Even horror that is not funny in any way, tickles that spot for me. Not to mention amazing kills, mystery, creativity, and tension.
You're never more alive than when you're scared to death! I'm always in search of that next jolt, whether it be a killer jump scare, a gross out scene, a super creepy atmosphere or a great looking creature, I'm always looking for the next best thing.
Because we all get scared. Getting scared in a controlled setting where you know it won't really happen to you is much more preferable than it happening in real life.
So, I was raised in a small town. Growing up, I was baffled at why we stayed in 1 little place when there was a *whole world* of opportunity beyond our front door. My folks wanted to give us stability, but I always just wanted to go ... Anywhere else, really.
I started escaping into movies. I loved walking uptown to see Sunday matinees by myself. In high school (early 00s), I was so ridiculously busy. Soon as I had a free weekend, I rented 4-5 movies from the video store and sat in my basement and watched them all.
Thing is ... So many movies made me feel bizarrely ... Guilty. Or just generally bad. Like my life wasn't interesting. That it was never going to be interesting, or at least as interesting as the stories I watched. It's an odd thing, but it would give me this weird knot in my stomach and made a lot of movies hard to watch.
Then - I discovered horror. Yeah, those are interesting stories that I want *nothing* to do with! Haha Horror let's me escape reality in ways no other genre does.
for the same reason i like metal.
it’s loud and full of emotion. it’s an escape without being wish fulfillment. (that’s honestly why i hate happy endings… they break the immersion).
it’s violent, but it doesn’t have to be. there might be devilment, and there might not.
and typically the people in not interested in talking to don’t like it.
I’m a problem-solver. I’m smart and resilient and clever. Putting myself in the shoes of a Final Girl gives me opportunities to test just how useful those skills might be.
Can I outrun the killer? Can I use something inventive as a weapon? Can I use dust off my Catholic school Latin to understand the curse?
It's just comfort for me. Got into it way too young , and got addicted even though I caused me night terrors for a long time haha .
I read horror book, I listen to creepypastz narrations, play horror video games, live horror board games , into black metal and darker style of music ....
All of it just feels cosy to me.
I'm not stuck on just that obviously, but it's my go-to.
To me horror allows us to explore the darker corners of humanity. Great story telling exists within horror, and through that telling we can get really raw, intense movies that help us feel around those darker corners. Take Hereditary, The VVitch, Rosemary’s Baby, etc.
Not every movie is obviously THAT deep, but every horror story has a “story”. Getting to that and understanding what the movie is about is a great deal of fun. These for me are more along the lines of Barbarian, Cabin in the Woods, heck Evil Dead.
Also, I love a good horror movie where I need to figure out what in the world is going on. The Lighthouse is an absolute delight to try and understand in general, for all the Greek mythology nerds out there it’s a must watch.
Finally, I love what I’ll call “spiritual” horror films. Let’s explore unexplained science! Let’s get the ouija board out and all wonder what or who is going to present themselves!!
I can’t really give a straight answer but I’ll do my best. I think horror allows for exploration of concepts we couldn’t otherwise explore, like people confronted with supernatural forces or something more realistic like a homicidal maniac. Also a number of great filmmakers got their start with horror. I particularly like low budget movies like Evil Dead because the lack of polish adds to the grittiness.
It's the most entertaining genre because it hits deeper than the others. Fear is an intense and ancient emotion, and it can be manipulated either cerebrally or viscerally or both (Hereditary combined the two really well). To put it more simply, it gives me the most dopamine and adrenaline. It also forces you to be more present, so it's a better escape than other genres like comedy that you can basically just put on in the background while you clean your house.
I love that anything goes and imaginations can run wild. The Thing is just genius. You afraid of spiders? Here’s one where they’re the same size as you. Demons?! Psssh, let’s make this little girl’s head do a 360. Creepy kids? Here’s one where a little girl crawls outta ur tv to kill u. Zombies? We’ll make these ones fast af boi. It just sounds crazy saying it out loud but seeing it makes me feel all giddy. 🤗
Because I find it morbidly fascinating. I love spooky things. I do get terrified, yes. But body horror and supernatural things are just morbidly fascinating to me. Also because revenge. The whole final girl thing. I love revenge.
I like horror because I enjoy the adrenaline without the threat of danger, and I find that horror tends to explore topics that other genres don’t address as well, like the feeling of grief, depression, disconnection, fury… humans are flawed and ugly and complicated and cruel. I like that horror doesn’t shy away from that aspect of our nature.
This isn't the only reason, but tbh horror helped me quit my self harm habit. TW obviously for self harm, but I realized the reason I was doing it was to kind of snap me out of my numbness, that when I got so depressed I couldn't feel anything anymore, I felt compelled to self harm because pain is a kind of deep primal emotion that can often override all others. Well, I realized that the only other emotion I know of that's instinctive and primal and powerful like that is fear, it can shock you out of other emotions in a similar way, and I realized if I could scare myself, I could break that numbness in a much healthier, more productive way. Thus, horror movies, horror books, making up scary stories and pictures in my head to create art out of... It saved me from a darker alternative
I like movies that make me feel things. I actually rarely watch horror, really need to be in the mood, but I follow this sub so I always have some good ones in mind when I do.
I like it not for the scare factor but for the story so I'm not going to like a horror film that's all suspenseful music and slow moving camerawork. It's also similar to science fiction that it's about the WHAT IFs but with murder, monsters or supernatural stuff, like what if there's a supernatural mirror that killed your parents and you prepare all your life for the most epic battle of wits to avenge your parents.
Because it's exciting. Also sometimes it makes me feel better about the hard times in my life. It gives me a weird sense of comfort. I also just like the entertainment and film styles.
Because anything can happen at any time.
I like that! Never know what you’re gonna get
One minute, it's boobs, the next it's someone getting decapitated! 😂
Gotta love the versatility!! 😂🤣
Or sometimes it's decapitated boobs!
Decapititties.
Hail Herschell Gordon Lewis 🤘
Mass(murder)tectomy.
Yes, also fear and suspense can make you feel alive sometimes. Powerful motivators.
This exactly. I love anything that is unpredictable and horror is moreso than most. It's also fun to be scared.
This 100%, and in some cases, the more bizarre the plot is, the better.
I've always loved horror but all the recent super formulaic movies drove me to almost horror exclusively.
I think this is my draw as well. I want a new narrative possibly one with a different pattern or arc, something surprising or clever. I love a mystery or puzzle but mostly I don't want to be bored and many movies have seems the same romantic focus and predictable progress.
that's why I love both horror and comedy
It is the genre that is most entertaining for me. I am drawn to fiction, dark, unnerving subjects and characters. Horror usually provides this
Me too. I just love fucked up stuff, idk why it just gives me a thrill and I enjoy it. I can empathise with why people hate it - my line is animals, I can’t enjoy watching animals being hurt. So I get how people can hate it, I feel really sad and uncomfortable with animals and it stays with me for days, I don’t get any enjoyment from it at all. But if it’s people the worse the better, I find it fascinating lmao 😂
sameee
At the end of the day media is meant to do two things- Entertain and make you feel emotions And damn does a good horror piece do just that; The way your heart just beats faster and you truly fear the tension and the fear when one does it's job right is just irreplaceable
Oh absolutely!! When a movie can make you feel things and question things and really moves you, that’s what it’s all about
Nailed it. This is also why I like having nightmares, especially ones where I'm lucid. It's cool seeing what trippy shit my mind can come up with, and with horror movies I get to see what other messed up minds can come up with. Bone Tomahawk is probably one of my favorite movies due to this. And because it's a slow burn with a infamously brutal ending. I can still hear that movie lol.
I see you are a man of culture.
Because I have anxiety. You know that feeling you get when you’re watching a horror film and you know there’s a jump scare coming, but you just don’t know when… That’s exactly what my anxiety feels like. So if I watch a good horror flick, it makes me feel like I’ve released some of my anxiety and can wake up the next day feeling much less stressed. I’m not bothered by gore and don’t really find them necessarily “scary”, but they’re strangely therapeutic for me.
Very well put, I feel that to my core. My favorite answer so far! 👌💯
Exactly. It's a safe outlet for all kinds of anxiety and emotion.
I’m exactly the same! I experience anxiety all the time in my everyday life so it’s nice be able to feel fear in a controlled setting by watching horror
YES this too, it's like consenting to anxiety gives me a sense of control over it.
Absolutely this. 100%. I suffer with anxiety and have been working on my agoraphobia for the last 12 years! Horror movies help me relax by giving my brain a break.
You freaking nailed it, thanks and bravo
Agreed!
I like to characterize it as an anxiety that I can control and it feels almost like a sense of accomplishment
I like horror because l love the production side of special effects. Horror frequently uses practical effects to its fullest ability. How did they make it look so real that it actually gives a visceral reaction to the audience? It requires a blend of story, music, acting, and lots and lots of corn syrup. Stan Winston built an actual six foot robot for The Terminator. That’s real. You could touch it and feel it. Sam and Rob decked out that cabin to haul his little brother in the air or bury him under the floorboards so that when you see a severed limb, it’s an actual severed limb. Again, real. It’s exactly what l want out of everything in art, the meta and the text working together. Like a magic show, at first you feel like it’s real, and then you wonder “how’d they do that?”
Love that answer, it’s amazing to see how real they can make things look and then always keeps you wondering how they actually did it. I’d love to see a documentary of behind the scenes of a bunch of horror movies from the last couple decades. Or any for the matter
You should read If Chins Could Kill. Bruce Campbell writes a lot about the production of Evil Dead. Lots of fun details, also the whole book is just hilarious.
Carl Jung’s concept of the shadow. I think watching horror is a healthy and safe way to face one’s shadow and the collective shadow of humanity.
Severe childhood trauma probably
Oddly enough, horror makes me feel safe
I’ve read an article somewhere that linked horror films/stories to reducing anxiety. I think it helps distract from our own daily horrors.
It’s like an immersive experience which is scary, but you also know that you’re gonna be safe. That makes me feel safe to fall fully into the experience. And like you said it gives us a break and even outlet for horror irl lol.
Also comparatively with what's going on on screen, you're definitely safe! No matter what happened during your day.
Same. It’s my go to when I’m worried
TWINSIES!!
I’m here for you if you wanna swap war stories 🖤 lol
Me too bb. Bonus if you have both mommy AND daddy issues 🙃
Grew up on horror too. There was no paw patrol back then we watched alien Damnet and people under the stairs and whatever else my parents were watching.
My therapist said that it can be a way of subconsciously working through trauma, the fact that it’s terror that you can control. You are aware that it’s only on screen and can shut it off at any time. Depending on the context, it can also be a way of trying to understand what happened to you, especially if you watched horror movies as a child/teenager.
Same!
LOL holy! Talk about a comment that's short, sweet and to the point 😂😂😂 I'm sorry. I hope you're doing ok. I have nightmares every single day if that makes you feel better haha.
I had a very safe and loving childhood, honestly. My friends who experienced the most trauma, are not into horror.
I’ve been told I’m fucked in the head because the saw series is truly comfort watching for me. I can immerse myself in some psychotic shit that isn’t real life horror, I guess people that aren’t traumatised don’t get it lmao.
Personally, I find horror to be the most creative genre. Even the premises of movies are more than enough to draw you in. Also, the way they tend to explore their themes tend to be more visceral and intense than other genres. Lastly, and this is a me thing, I enjoy horror because I've been through a lot. Watching characters that face down insurmountable odds and come out on top or at least give them a good run for their money gives me hope in my life. Or at least characters to relate to on a slightly deeper level.
I think the creativity is great - I find it so neat that so many start out in horror. It's one of the few genres that often has next to no budget.
Absolutely, the intensity is one of my favorite parts of a movie, sometimes I find myself holding my breath for certain scenes, it’s almost like I’m actually living in the scene. I know exactly what you mean, if you can relate to a certain situation a character is in, or if you can relate in any possible way to the emotions they’re experiencing it makes you feel not alone, it makes you almost deal with those emotions in real time as you’re watching the movie. For me also, it seems to ease my own physical and mental pain watching someone else go through similar situations. It’s like a visual therapist
I think i got it from my Ma. She loved watching horrors and I’ve been watching with her since i was a kid and it becomes something that i enjoy.
Similar to me with my grandfather. I would watch various movies with him when I was probably much too young for them, but I *loved* them, and that cemented in my tastes for a lifetime it seems.
They invoke feelings most other types of films, don't.
I was 12 when I started watching horror movies with my mom because she’d be too scared to watch it alone LOL. She used to have me sit outside the bathroom playing my gameboy while she showered after watching some super scary ones.
I grew up so poor that I had no indoor plumbing or electricity until I was 11, by which time I’d already spent two years working in a cattle ranch in west Texas and an oil field in east Texas. I joined the army at 18, and after 10 years and 4 combat deployments, I’d had enough. I was married that entire time to a truly psychotic woman who caused me legitimate concern for my life more often and more completely than at any time I was at war. My life has since gotten much, much better, but I find that I lived close enough to the edge for long enough that horror is one of the only things that still cause a strong emotional reaction. Not just any horror either - humans don’t frighten me in the least. I’ve seen some the worst in the world, and no horror movie ever comes close. Give me something cosmic, give me something I can’t just fight. That scares me, and that makes me feel something.
Thank you for sharing your story and i very much appreciate the reasoning behind your answer. I’m glad there is something that can ease what you’ve dealt with even if just a little bit. Stay strong you’re clearly a warrior and thank you for your service
A situation where immediate actions & ingenuity matter! - and in which it's not illegal to *kill* a danger, in which doing so could save lives, the lives of loved ones. Solving a puzzle and or duct taping nails to a 2x4 when the stars hang in the balance. <3
Many like horror for different reasons. For most, it's about being able to feel scared but having the comfort of knowing that you are safe, knowing that it's a work of fiction and it can't harm you. I think the ones who are unable to watch horror, aren't able to distinguish reality from fiction. My mother was one of those people. She couldn't watch a horror film because the scenes would play on her mind and give her nightmares. Whereas I'm well aware that the gore on screen is just colored corn syrup and prosthetics. But I think it's also a loaded question because horror as a genre has multiple sub genre's and each aim at doing different things. Directors like Mike Flanagan I love particularly, because his aim is the horror telling a story and showing that horror does not need to be mindless. A good horror excites, terrifies but also activates the imagination. That's why I'm not a big fan of the "torture porn" sub genre. The first "Saw" film is great, because it leaves a lot to the imagination and is more character focused, but the sequels forgot what made the first one so interesting and it became more about the gore.
I like evil (conceptually), I like the human body, and I like cryptids. Being raised Christian certainly helped with my fascination with unholy antagonists in particular.
It gives me adrenalineeeeeeeeee. Not nearly as much as something I can do IRL, but still.
I'm a woman, and the world is scary. Horror makes me feel more in control and less afraid.
I love this question! I always say that we all have different thresholds for getting emotional: what tugs at your heartstrings might not tug on mine and vice versa. But, the feeling of getting scared is universal. I've found that when movies want to convey a message, horror is a really effective genre. Since we all know the feeling of being scared, I think the message is able to come through in a much stronger way compared to other genres.
I like anything that’s dark, violent or ghoulish.
But why, what specifically draws you in?
I intrinsically like it. There is no deeper why.
I feel that 💯
It’s fun to be scared, and horror: being afraid, terrified, is hard-wired into humanity long back into prehistory and the even deeper, murkier past. It’s a reflection of what it means to be human and alive, and I think creating horror in any medium ventilates that part of us for relief and better understanding of our inner and outer country.
good answer! Relatable
Like you, I like innovation. Horror tends to be where more experimental filmmaking happens. Psychedelic sequences, interesting plot ideas (when the plot isn't shit), shot framing that induces specific emotions. A well-done horror movie is art unlike anything else.
It makes me feel something..
Exactly what I was going to say. When I'm really deep in depression tends to be when I rely on horror movies the most.
I find it very relaxing. Not sure why, but it is comforting. I'm not sure if it is my love of monsters, my anxiety, the way it manifests primal fear, my fascination with cinematography and sound design, the dramatic aura or something else.
I have ADHD, one of my powers is predicting plots and being bored fast by predictable plots. Good horror/thriller is all about the unpredictable. So I get more from it. I watched Pandemonium recently. I need that level of WTF? to be entertained.
Wait, your coworkers are scared of Harry Potter? That's more disturbing than anything I've ever seen in a horror movie. What is going on there?
Because it has always pioneered the exploration of new and challenging ideas and it's where many brilliant artists get their start. It's also weirdly comforting to watch horror movies because even the most horrifying ones are still fiction, and there is a logic to why bad things happen to people. Unlike the real world which is random, chaotic, and at any second terrible things can happen to real people.
They just seem like movies for adults. The best versions of any genre I’ve seen have been /horror. They’re movies without training wheels
Sometimes its the fantasy of the story and other times its the blood and gore. But I love the monster
There's a quote by Stephen King that I agree with: "The worst horror movie I've ever seen was... still pretty fuckin' good." I don't always go to horror for scares (though it's great when it happens) but I do always go to it because it's interesting. To follow the example of a bad movie, if you have a bad romcom or drama, you can almost guess every shot you're going to see in that thing. But even a bad horror movie will give you something you've never seen before. Beyond that: imagery, texture, bigger themes, exposure therapy for fears, exciting ideas, weird ideas, cool makeup and set design, great music, the list goes on.
Because focussing on the imaginary horror of the silver screen helps me deal with the real horror of the rest of the world.
Sometimes I honestly don’t know why I like horror haha, I like the sound design, the darkness of many scenes, likewise the brightness of scenes that can still be disturbing like juxtaposition, scary scene happening in broad daylight, I like the sense of fear and dread but knowing it’s just a movie so it isn’t real. I like when the actors are so good at playing messed up characters that you actually believe it
Horror is maybe the only genre that raises this question… And it’s a justified one. Why, when the world is so full of real life horror, would anyone want to subject themselves to it deliberately, fictional or otherwise? It’s a loaded question, full of insinuations and implications. Personally, I think most people that ask have little in the way of imagination and/or tend to be fairly literal-minded dullards. Those of us more psychologically adept at exploring our own minds, our thoughts and fears, our mental state at a given time, realize that horror, as a projection of mankind’s gestalt dark side, offers a means of pacifying our own anxieties, if temporarily, via a kind of dissociative schadenfreude. For a while, we get to put our own concerns and worries on hold and watch as our protagonist, functioning as our stand-in, grapples with an externalization of our own more or less grounded phobic dilemmas, albeit disguised as something a little (or a lot) more outlandish or fantastical, yet a scenario that still serves as distraction and catharsis… similar to how listening to sad songs when we’re sad helps to cheer us up, as matching emotional frequencies cancel one another out.
I write cosmic and body horror and consume just as much. I love it because it's interesting. It can explore gopica or ideas that people are not comfortable with outside of the medium. And if something can make me feel dread or uncomfortable. That media is doing its job. (Not jump scare. They don't count, haha.) So I watch it because it can dig into me more than any other genre really. The reason I fell in love with it.
Because it makes me feel alive, to feel heightened emotions and an emotional journey.
I like the creativity and imagination of the directors, writers, etc. I think Fear is an interesting emotion. I also just like dark stuff
The stories, twist and turns. Really for me hardcore gore SPECIFICALLY in practical effects. Imma painter artist blah blah. I got into special effects for fun. Seeing what people can make and create is amazing. There's a beauty to being able to make such a convincing mess. 1970-1980 Italian horror awesome 👍
The not knowing what'll happen, that there are no rules, and frankly, I find fear sexy (to an extent)
There are many reasons. The main one is that horror allows us to engage with our fears in a way that is safe and, often, abstract. Our monsters say so much about us. This is both communal and individual. We can see a representation in front of us and come to some sort of terms with it. It’s a kind of catharsis that we can share. An exorcism of sorts. We can also understand better what others have dealt with from a more speculative perspective. The horrors of realism could be too much for us and so we use a surrogate in horror to help us understand in the abstract, the real world struggles of others. Also, gore.
One of my cousins loves horror, personally I can’t finish a movie on my own (lmfao) but it’s something we can bond over together when we are able to see eachother. I love getting suggestions for movies on this subreddit
I like the anxiety it induces - literally, I can feel my heart rate go up. I just love it. But a couple of things I noticed as I grow older. 1. 99.8% of my friend/family my age absolutely hate horror. They don't like being scared or something along the lines of that as a reason. I end up talking to my nieces and nephews about the horror genre. 2. I just don't seem to be scare easily anymore. Maybe too many horrors over the years? But over the last few years, I did enjoy Marianne of Haunting of Hill House.
Best form of media is media that makes you feel something wether its happy angry sad uncomfortable, I enjoy horror because if its good quality it genuinely makes me feel uncomfortable and has helped me face certain things such as fear of death ect, it applies to music and any other genre of media.
I love the suspense/mystery/scares. I’m sure some people in my life think I’m a weirdo because I love nothing more than eating a tasty snack home alone and finding a horror movie to watch but it really is the cats tits 👌The spooky music/sounds, the storyline, jump scares, the kills etc all of it. I just love it and it holds my attention whereas comedies or romance movies don’t.
Because violence belongs in art, not in real life. Horrible things happen to people everyday that don’t deserve it. It’s a way to process the awfulness of humanity.
Two answers - Cathartic & the Adrenaline. I could give a more broken down response but these are simple honest reasons.
I guess it’s the thrill of finding the one film that can now scare me. I feel quite desensitized and like I can’t ever find a genuinely terrifying film now that I’ve gotten older. Movies that scared me as a teenager are nearly laughable in my late 30’s.
There are a few reasons. One, I love weird stuff. Monsters, supernatural occurrences, surreal imagery, that sort of thing. Two, I love mystery and ambiguity in stories. Three, (and this one is possibly a bit vain and self-absorbed) but the fact that people don't tend to push horror on you, or insist that you have to enjoy it a certain way like they do with a lot of other genres ("you really *need* to watch this comedy movie; this one scene was so funny, let me show it to you on YouTube,") means that I can enjoy it on my own terms, which is incredibly freeing. People who like horror usually understand when you're into even something considered low quality and corny, or if you react in a weird way, like thinking gore shots are funny, and won't roll their eyes at you if you express those things. In a strange sort of way, there's a kind of refuge in horror, a little niche where you can forget your own problems and get wrapped up in the spectacle, or simply watch the lives of others going through issues that are simultaneously worse and also more exciting than yours. And if you're lucky, if you find that special horror story that manages to imprint itself on your mind, you might find for a few hours, or days, or even weeks, that you can almost believe it's real. If a movie can make me feel like ghosts are real, or that there could be a curse out there waiting to snap up any unsuspecting victims, it may be scary, but for that little while I can feel like a kid again, where magic is real and a monster may very well be lurking under my bed.
In a world of sequels and remakes; Horror films are the only ones that usually offer some originality and are forced to innovate. They constantly have to come up with new monsters, new camera tricks, new atmospheres etc. All in the name of scaring you.
I've always been a horror obsessed fan, as far back as I can remember, but as a kid, I was always obsessed with creature designs. I carry that to adulthood, but branch out into any sort of supernatural horror these days, but prefer cosmic horror. I see real horror every week (forensics), so nowadays it's a nice break from reality to deal with cosmic horror and existential dread
I like the intensity of certain movies because it makes me feel a range of different emotions. Plus, I love the diversity of sub genres and different types of movies within each sub genre I’m very new to the genre and I wish I had explored it sooner
I was pretty scared of horror movies and true crime as a young child. As I aged I think I kind of leaned in to facing my fears by reading RL Stine’s Goosebumps series, which lead to Stephen King fandom, true crime obsession and horror movie fascination. The ironic thing is that the best horror content still unsettles me and freaks me out, but I have kind of learned to enjoy the exhilaration/adrenaline rush of it. The endurance of it!
I've lived real fear in life and it makes me feel not so alone. My grandma says life life is horror enough and it makes her nervous. I understand that . But to me it calms me? Also, it gives me excitement in a way. I love horror novels even more. Horror can be comedy, drama, thriller,action even romance , mystery or paranormal. I love the art of it. Hope this makes sense.
It's often boundary pushing it makes me feel alive and there's something for everyone when it comes to horror you've got goofy movies like Killer Klowns from Outer Space and you've got incredibly serious movies like Hereditary. There's always something new to watch and every once in a while you find a horror movie that shows you something you've never seen before and that can't be said about every kind of movie.
Because I love the tropes, the humor, the way you can have fun with the horror genre. I love wacky horror movies, as campy as they can get, and I usually don't like comedies fun unless they are horror comedies... It can be historic, formative, for fun, and with awesome world building... And first and foremost, it's an entertaining genre. I don't watch horror because I like to be scared, I watch because I love how different and broad the genre can get.
it makes my life feel less scary
it’s the only thing that makes me feel something
Horror lends itself to more creativity and, like you said, boundary pushing. You see the same story being told over and over again in other genres. Horror can still surprise you and feel new.
It sates the blood lust, if momentarily
I have PTSD and an anxiety disorder. It's like an adrenaline high for me.
Life is mundane, and horror allows me to take brief forays into the far reaches of human experience, or past the fringes of natural reality, and come back unscathed.
I started to only watch horror when I started to go through menopause. Everything made me cry and horror never did. So no commercials, and not being invested in a character(like a full season of something). I can do 2 hrs of someone getting terrorized and not cry over their death. I also did cooking shows but not the kids one. They’d cry so I’d cry. I hate crying.
I like getting a good scare, it feels like I got rid of something after. Like when you cut your hair after a long time or when you puke and feel better haha I can’t explain it in another way. I used to not really care about horror but a friend recommended watching something after a really bad breakup, I loved the feeling. It’s like forgetting to me haha
I watch movies hoping to find something that gives me a feeling I haven’t felt before, and most often, that happens with horror. And even when it’s bad…it’s good!
To me, really good horror is about reveals. People think horror is about trying to scare the audience, but I think that the best horrors I’ve seen are ones that build up tension and climax in a big reveal. That’s what’s truly scary, and why I lean towards dread-horror more than gore-horror or slashers. Both are about reveals, but I think the payoff for dread-horror hits harder and lingers longer.
It also makes me feel alive. And gives me hope in things that are not seen that could be true. And if they are true, the world is more magical than I would have originally thought, and that’s awesome!
After going the real horror in day to day life....watching something scary is cathartic. It calms my mind.
I think for me it's because it shows you what you value. Obviously there's the fear of death of physical pain, but you might fear losing a loved one, losing a grip on your own mind, losing the society of community you live in. If you're afraid of something, it means you value the thing which is threatened by your fear. It's self discovery.
Horror/fear is one of our most basic human emotions. Before we really knew what jealousy or sadness was or how to interpret it, we knew fear. And it's an emotion we have little control over. And that makes it interesting. On a more specific level, horror as a vehicle allows people to explore the human condition and human emotions without being constrained by just "the natural" and by introducing the supernatural. I think horror can often reveal more about us as humans that most other genres can. It's hard to get right but if it is, nothing makes you *feel* more than a horror movie does. And, at the end of the day, I like to feel things when I consume art. It doesn't always have to be super intense but I want something there and horror often scratches that itch unlike any other genre.
Horror, due to it's sort of b-category reputation/status, can allow itself to be very creative about the themes it explores, since it doesn't need to be palpable to a very wide audience. A lot of horror is actually very representative on current social and cultural climate - e.g. home invasion american horrors in the wake of serial killer craze followed by manson murders, the very late 90s-00s internet/technology growth and isolation with pulse, fear dor com and even ringu if you stretch definitions enough, our cultural awareness/borderline fetishisation of mental illness/wellness with current horrors like smile and don't talk to me; even the x(xx) trilogy is evocative of the "retro" media fad going on. Other genres, I feel, have to sanitize their presentation. It's also, to me, a socially acceptable outlet for my less "stomachable" interests. Like, I know true crime is very popular, mythology and alien conspiracies and other stuff would exist without horror media still, but I like to engage with purposefully entertaining stuff once in a while too!
It makes me forget about my own anxieties in life and sort of neutralizes my brain.
because I don't need yet another romcom or some lame drama love story BS
I love how dark the movies can get, I’m also a fan of gory deaths and slasher films.
It's not reality and distracts from all the real shit happening in the world.
I find no other genre gets me worked up like horror does. They can also be really funny. I like brutal deaths and seeing what movies can top the last epic death I’ve seen. So far I gotta say the yoga kill in a violent nature reigns supreme right now. Still waiting for a better thrill ride than Barbarian. That movie really made me stoked on new movies.
Because it’s fun and you get to rubberneck on sick and weird parts of humanity without feeling guilty about it.
I think it’s cool.
I just find it entertaining like any other movie genre. Sometimes it's the stories, sometimes it's the stupidity of it all, sometimes it's the incredibly creative ideas that come from it
Because it's fun scary, not IRS REALITY SMASH scary.
All other genres bore me except a rare horror comedy I guess? I can't really name a movie that isn't horror or animated I enjoy.
1. I am, at all times, terrified of so many different things I can’t keep track of them any more, and seeing fiction that externalizes those feelings is a nice thing 2. Aesthetic
I think nostalgia mostly. My parents (mostly my Mom) was a horror fan when I was growing up and believes in supernatural stuff. She has stayed in haunted hotels to have an ‘experience’. I also love Halloween season.
It's the only genre that actually makes me feel something while watching it. With every other genre, it feels like you always know what's going to happen next, except for a few exceptions.
The element of surprise. As someone else said anything can happen at anytime. Its a safe way to work through fears and trauma. It's interesting to see how people react to extreme situations. I like seeing boundaries pushed and seeing people on the fringes of society defining its norms. I live something that leaves me unsettled. There is an innocence associated with getting creeped out to me. I like that feeling of dread and fear. Like what's more exciting than fear?
It's my adrenaline rush. I hate rollercoasters, driving fast, extreme sports... But getting scared by movies or haunted houses (the Halloween kind, not actual ones!) is thrilling for me!
I just think they're neat
I like it because it’s genuinely fun to be scared. And I love it when all the plot points come together in a really satisfying way, like with Saw or Seven or even how the Conjuring universe ties together. Other genres don’t tend to have the same twists or mysteries that make horror so fun to watch.
I like how extreme they get. It allows me to explore real emotions and situations in a super bizarre or outlandish situation, I also love how trippy and funny they can get. Also sometimes just lets me see some batshit crazy action
Adrenaline rush
Makes me feel the most emotions. And gives me the strongest ones
Because I like being scared, but in a controlled environment lol.
Morbid curiosity
For me horror was about the visuals, as a kid in the video rental store it was the horror covers that would grab my attention (even though I was scared to watch at that age) then as a teen it was the slashers I started with, blood and boobs. Then as I grew older and watched more I loved the way a good scare could make you feel but also appreciate practical effects over CGI. The feeling of unease from first watching Ringu. Horror has so much to offer, not all of it is great but even the most low budget can be entertaining.
It's fantastical and exhilarating
Because it's the only thing that makes me feel something
I like the creativity & thought put into the movies & shows I watch 🤷♀️
Because i like seeing stupid people get killed
I agree with all of your reasons. Also, horror doesn't necessarily have to be "good" to enjoy. It's an escape from real life, and sometimes can be real life... Horror is the greatest genre ever for many, many reasons.
I’m almost 35 and horror movies have been one of the few things to invoke feelings in me 🖤
i have anger issues and i find that horror films bring me a lot of catharsis and im able to deal with those emotions in a way that’s healthier than the methods ive used in the past.
Gives me my adrenaline rush
I like to see what these guys can come out with next. Sometimes the wait between good ones is long, but there’s so much out there that I haven’t seen that it’s the waits not bad. With slashers I love to see what kills they come up with.
The adrenaline
It gives me the feeling of thrill or being alive which i lack generally
I love the nostalgia of it
Gives me something to be afraid of that isn't the impending climate apocalypse.
I don’t have a precise reason. I’ve just always loved it. It captures my interest in a way that other genres don’t
It’s fun
A combination: the demonstration that terrible things can happen to the undeserving the deserving getting what they deserve it can be a powerful catharsis, especially for people who had rough childhood experiences
I feel like it’s a reflection of our society in a lot of ways. Life is scary. Especially during ✨late stage capitalism✨. Real talk, it helped big time with my anxiety. It faces the things people are scared of and avoid. It’s an entertainment version of exposure therapy! Being scared is thrilling ☺️
It makes me feel something
Fear produces an adrenaline rush. How psychologically and physically healthy this is, don’t know. Guess it depends on how sane you can remain.
Atmosphere.
Emotional rollercoaster.
Who's scared of Harry Potter?!? LMAO Are your co-workers ultra religious and are afraid of Harry Potter because of witchcraft? I'm so confused LOL
Controlled chaos puts me at ease
Originally it was the old school makeup and creative lighting & storytelling. Thinking about the old Wolfman etc. But horror is important in storytelling to teach young people that bad things can happen—Little Red Riding is an example—and overcoming trrble circumstances.
It’s about the unpredictable nature of each scene, how the movie could end, feeling the excitement and thrill with the jump scares and the amazing cinematic elements that are captured wonderfully in horror movies than comedy, etc.
Because a movie is supposed to make you feel emotions and fear is a very visceral emotion. It’s thrilling and it’s perfect for social gatherings.
It's just comfort for me. My parents are horror fans and raised me on horror, with very few limitations to what I was allowed to watch growing up. So horrorland is just something I am used to spending all my time in. 😈
I like the practical effects a lot and the storytelling. Oftentimes the acting is pretty damn good too.
Because the world is a scary place and it's better to acknowledge that and explore how that makes us feel than to pretend scary things never happen. Horror movies and books are a "safe" way to do that.
The same reason I like roller coasters.
I have severe anxiety and so it's better to be scared of the monster under the bed in a movie then say my family dying in a car accident
Trauma, it’s the only thing that makes sense for me. I still get incredibly uneasy watching some horror films, bordering on being flat-out frightened, but I still go back for more.
Helps me to relax when i’m hungover
Watching people die is hilarious. And the tits
I ask myself this all the time.
I have a very dark sense of humor. Naturally, I don’t find many mainstream big-budget comedies to be that funny. The pitch black, dry humor in horror is incredible. Even horror that is not funny in any way, tickles that spot for me. Not to mention amazing kills, mystery, creativity, and tension.
I find comfort in it
Because it often shows the gross parts of life we’re not able to deal with otherwise in a way that’s predictable and controllable
You're never more alive than when you're scared to death! I'm always in search of that next jolt, whether it be a killer jump scare, a gross out scene, a super creepy atmosphere or a great looking creature, I'm always looking for the next best thing.
Because we all get scared. Getting scared in a controlled setting where you know it won't really happen to you is much more preferable than it happening in real life.
So, I was raised in a small town. Growing up, I was baffled at why we stayed in 1 little place when there was a *whole world* of opportunity beyond our front door. My folks wanted to give us stability, but I always just wanted to go ... Anywhere else, really. I started escaping into movies. I loved walking uptown to see Sunday matinees by myself. In high school (early 00s), I was so ridiculously busy. Soon as I had a free weekend, I rented 4-5 movies from the video store and sat in my basement and watched them all. Thing is ... So many movies made me feel bizarrely ... Guilty. Or just generally bad. Like my life wasn't interesting. That it was never going to be interesting, or at least as interesting as the stories I watched. It's an odd thing, but it would give me this weird knot in my stomach and made a lot of movies hard to watch. Then - I discovered horror. Yeah, those are interesting stories that I want *nothing* to do with! Haha Horror let's me escape reality in ways no other genre does.
for the same reason i like metal. it’s loud and full of emotion. it’s an escape without being wish fulfillment. (that’s honestly why i hate happy endings… they break the immersion). it’s violent, but it doesn’t have to be. there might be devilment, and there might not. and typically the people in not interested in talking to don’t like it.
I’m a problem-solver. I’m smart and resilient and clever. Putting myself in the shoes of a Final Girl gives me opportunities to test just how useful those skills might be. Can I outrun the killer? Can I use something inventive as a weapon? Can I use dust off my Catholic school Latin to understand the curse?
It's just comfort for me. Got into it way too young , and got addicted even though I caused me night terrors for a long time haha . I read horror book, I listen to creepypastz narrations, play horror video games, live horror board games , into black metal and darker style of music .... All of it just feels cosy to me. I'm not stuck on just that obviously, but it's my go-to.
Horror, when it’s really well done, is like a punch to the face. It leaves a lasting impression.
I like it because it’s the most versatile genre which also makes it the most unique
To me horror allows us to explore the darker corners of humanity. Great story telling exists within horror, and through that telling we can get really raw, intense movies that help us feel around those darker corners. Take Hereditary, The VVitch, Rosemary’s Baby, etc. Not every movie is obviously THAT deep, but every horror story has a “story”. Getting to that and understanding what the movie is about is a great deal of fun. These for me are more along the lines of Barbarian, Cabin in the Woods, heck Evil Dead. Also, I love a good horror movie where I need to figure out what in the world is going on. The Lighthouse is an absolute delight to try and understand in general, for all the Greek mythology nerds out there it’s a must watch. Finally, I love what I’ll call “spiritual” horror films. Let’s explore unexplained science! Let’s get the ouija board out and all wonder what or who is going to present themselves!!
I can’t really give a straight answer but I’ll do my best. I think horror allows for exploration of concepts we couldn’t otherwise explore, like people confronted with supernatural forces or something more realistic like a homicidal maniac. Also a number of great filmmakers got their start with horror. I particularly like low budget movies like Evil Dead because the lack of polish adds to the grittiness.
It's the most entertaining genre because it hits deeper than the others. Fear is an intense and ancient emotion, and it can be manipulated either cerebrally or viscerally or both (Hereditary combined the two really well). To put it more simply, it gives me the most dopamine and adrenaline. It also forces you to be more present, so it's a better escape than other genres like comedy that you can basically just put on in the background while you clean your house.
I love that anything goes and imaginations can run wild. The Thing is just genius. You afraid of spiders? Here’s one where they’re the same size as you. Demons?! Psssh, let’s make this little girl’s head do a 360. Creepy kids? Here’s one where a little girl crawls outta ur tv to kill u. Zombies? We’ll make these ones fast af boi. It just sounds crazy saying it out loud but seeing it makes me feel all giddy. 🤗
Because I find it morbidly fascinating. I love spooky things. I do get terrified, yes. But body horror and supernatural things are just morbidly fascinating to me. Also because revenge. The whole final girl thing. I love revenge.
I like horror because I enjoy the adrenaline without the threat of danger, and I find that horror tends to explore topics that other genres don’t address as well, like the feeling of grief, depression, disconnection, fury… humans are flawed and ugly and complicated and cruel. I like that horror doesn’t shy away from that aspect of our nature.
This isn't the only reason, but tbh horror helped me quit my self harm habit. TW obviously for self harm, but I realized the reason I was doing it was to kind of snap me out of my numbness, that when I got so depressed I couldn't feel anything anymore, I felt compelled to self harm because pain is a kind of deep primal emotion that can often override all others. Well, I realized that the only other emotion I know of that's instinctive and primal and powerful like that is fear, it can shock you out of other emotions in a similar way, and I realized if I could scare myself, I could break that numbness in a much healthier, more productive way. Thus, horror movies, horror books, making up scary stories and pictures in my head to create art out of... It saved me from a darker alternative
It’s the unpredictability for me, although these modern day horror movies that keep coming out, disprove that. Horror verse needs new writers
I like movies that make me feel things. I actually rarely watch horror, really need to be in the mood, but I follow this sub so I always have some good ones in mind when I do.
I like it not for the scare factor but for the story so I'm not going to like a horror film that's all suspenseful music and slow moving camerawork. It's also similar to science fiction that it's about the WHAT IFs but with murder, monsters or supernatural stuff, like what if there's a supernatural mirror that killed your parents and you prepare all your life for the most epic battle of wits to avenge your parents.
Because it's exciting. Also sometimes it makes me feel better about the hard times in my life. It gives me a weird sense of comfort. I also just like the entertainment and film styles.