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  • Essay / Theory on the popularity of horror films

    Why do people like watching horror movies and why is this an important question to ask? The primary aim of horror films is to shock, frighten, disgust and horrify the audience using a range of audio and visual tools, including reference to what we consider abnormal and supernatural, using mutilation, blood, gore, inflicting pain. , death.Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original EssayHorror films use these characteristics to then distinguish the genre from the similar genre of thriller or psychological thriller (Hanich, 2011). Thrillers aim to create terror and suspense, but the creation of these emotions does not rely on images of mutilation, gore or the supernatural, but on the use of more natural human devices. However, these boundaries can be confusing and somewhat vague. If these features were to be used in the creation of a thriller film, they would not be considered the main focus of the film but would be incidental to it (for example; in Reservoir Dogs, the ear cutting scene, which is brutal and shows a lot of blood but is contained within a film setting, leading it to be classified as a non-horror theme). The resolution of the suspense and the suspense itself are two very important elements that constitute horror and our response to the horror film. The build-up of threat is known as suspense, the tension that is created before a demonstration of the film's threat and then the elimination of the threat. It is defined as “an acute and frightening apprehension of deplorable events that threaten valued protagonists” and “an experience of uncertainty whose hedonic properties can vary from harmful to pleasant” (Zillmann, 1996, p. 108). Tensions created during suspense can result from events, encouraging conflict and instability throughout the plot (Lehne and Koelsch, 2015). A theory of horror pleasure, following that of Zillmann (1980, 1996), holds that we derive our pleasure from a horror film from the feeling of suspense that the film creates (this theory could also explain the pleasure of a non-horror film, which includes a lack of suspense). When a threat is resolved, our reaction shifts to euphoria. The most important takeaway from this theory is that viewer joy is measured by the buildup it creates upon exposure to the film due to the level of negative reaction that results from the resolution of the threat. If a resolution does not occur, a negative effect will create increased dysphoria in the audience. If there is little or no suspense but is instead replaced by certainty about what will happen, the response is usually replaced by fear (Oliver, 1993a,b). The study found that enjoyment of a film increased significantly as the suspense increased. The pleasure was particularly great when the threat seemed overcome.