Why people enjoy watching horror films - uses and gratification

The film will be targeted at older people from 18 – 30, this is because of the references and plot of the film apply directly to these age ranges. It will also be 18+ due to the horrific and graphic nature of the film, as it is not suitable for minors and children. The purpose of the film is to scare the audience, and make them jump. It will get their adrenaline rushing and have them wondering what is going to happen next, a sense of suspense and excitement despite the horrific nature. You can relate this to the uses and gratification theory, that people who look for a rush, thrill or a fright will be more likely to actively go and watch a horror film, then say a romance or a comedy. This suggests that people use the media and more importantly the genre of films to fulfill specific gratifications. This would then imply that films that share the same genre will try to make their film different and more interesting in order to fight for the audience’s gratification.

It is human nature for people to pursue pleasure and avoid pain; however this theory cannot be applied for audiences who take pleasure out of the watching horror movies. There are two main theories of why people enjoy the terror of watching horror movies, and this is because people are not actually afraid of the content in the film, but excited by the suspense and thrill of the movie. For example, people would watch the horror film Paranormal Activity because the film is realistic and jumpy. This means that that audience is excited by the prospect of ‘what happens next’ and can try and anticipate and predict what will happen next in the film. Furthermore, the audience will get an adrenaline rush and will enjoy the scary and jumpy scenes in the film, as it will keep them on the edge of their seat. The consequence of this means that the audience and the viewer feels more part of the story line and the feels more engaged in the film then usual. To add to this, the film Paranormal Activity is a classic example of how an audience can relate with the characters and put themselves in the characters position. This is made even easier because the film is continually shot from a hand held camera, which makes the film simulate reality even more. 

Another theory of why people are willing to tolerate the experience of watching horror films is because they enjoy the euphoric feeling of relief at the end of the film. For this theory you can use the classic example of Silence of the Lambs in which the there are a variety of different aspects at the end of the film that can provide the audience with a sense of relief at the end of the film. This can be the death or capture of the antagonist, and the victory for the protagonist. Or it can be completely the opposite where the audience prefers the antagonist or can relate to them, for example Jason Voorhees in the Friday the 13^th. However, this is only relevant to the whole Friday the 13^th franchise as in the rest of the films the audience finds gratification in seeing the iconic figure of Jason Voorhees and what he does during the film, and how he always returns.

In conclusion, you can see from these theories that the audience is obviously happy to be unhappy, and to accept watching these negative experiences. The audience may be excited and enjoy being scared just as much as they enjoy the relief when the threat is removed. For example the most pleasant moments of a particular event may also be the most fearful.