WVU professor Elizabeth Cohen explains why we watch scary movies

When West Virginia University professor Elizabeth Cohen sat down to analyze why humans willingly subject themselves to terror on screen, she wasn’t just looking at cinematic art. According to reporting by Newswise and wvutoday.wvu.edu, the Department of Communication Studies expert examined how our nervous systems and our fascination with fear intersect in media and pop culture.

The Evolutionary Roots of Morbid Curiosity

Human beings possess an innate sense of disgust designed to keep us away from things that could hurt us, including death. Yet, that very same biological mechanism often pulls us toward the profane and the gory.

“We are all born with an innate sense of disgust that is our body’s way of keeping us away from things that could hurt us — including death,” Cohen explained in the WVU Today release. “It’s that feeling of being so repulsed by something and yet not being able to turn away. It’s normal and it keeps us interested in things that are gory and profane.”

By paying attention to what grosses us out, humans learn lessons.

WVU professor Elizabeth Cohen explains why we watch scary movies — Photo: newswise.com

Sensation Seeking and Excitation Transfer

Not everyone experiences a scary movie the same way. High sensation seekers possess nervous systems that require a little more stimulation in their environment to feel good. These individuals seek out thrills and risky situations, making them more likely to enjoy horror films.

For those audiences, filmmakers rely on specific physiological mechanics. Excitation transfer theory suggests that the dread building up during a suspenseful sequence does not simply dissipate. Instead, as the action progresses, that negative energy jumps over to feelings of relief and happiness when the story reaches a positive conclusion.

“So, it’s kind of like we get a boost for our positive emotions because of all the negative energy we built up watching,” Cohen noted, though she added that this explanation doesn’t really work for explaining why people would watch horror films when they aren’t sure that they will have a happy ending.

The Formula of Modern Antagonists

Beyond adrenaline, modern horror works because audiences form parasocial relationships with characters on screen. Without genuine empathy for the victims, suspense evaporates. Good horror should work to make the audience invested in the characters.

At the same time, the antagonists themselves drive the genre’s enduring appeal. Killers who stalk victims to settle a score or in response to some trauma offer clear identities and histories, however twisted those origins might be.

As society shifts, the horrors on screen evolve alongside it. Cohen pointed out that horror has always served as a vehicle for exploring different issues that society is wrestling with, predicting that we will continue to see similar themes and cautionary tales about artificial intelligence.

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