With an axe-wielding psycho right in front of us, the normal instinct is to flee for your life and pray you don’t get struck down. But if he’s on the screen, you sit tight in your seat, munch on your popcorn and watch the bloodbath ensue.
What brings about this love for watching a good horror movie? Is it the fact that we know we are safe from the murderer’s wrath as he hacks away at victim after victim on the screen? Do we just sit tight because we know in the end, good will triumph over evil and the balance will be restored in the world? Or is it the simple, grotesque love of watching blood splatter on the screen and body parts fly in each and every direction?
“They are exciting,” Chloe Mimms, a senior chemistry major, said. “They get your adrenaline pumping. I like the old scary movies, but I like the new ones that come out, too, like ‘Insidious.’ I also like the parodies, such as the ‘Scary Movie’ series or ‘Haunted House.’ Sometimes, I’ll laugh at the ones that are meant to be scary but end up being funny, like ‘Freddy vs. Jason’ and ‘Trick ‘r Treat.’”
The adrenaline surge is certainly an interesting feeling when watching a scary movie. Personally, when I sit and watch this kind of movie, I listen to the music, and once it goes dead silent, I know a scary part is about to come up. My heart starts racing and I wait anxiously for the part coming up that’s supposed to make me jump out of my skin.
It’s hard for me to find a kind of horror movie that still makes me jump, though “The Conjuring” over the past summer did a rather good job of that. I loved every moment of it; even the parts where I actually felt a little bit of fear.
In addition to any of the reasons listed in the second paragraph, I think there is at least one other reason that anyone could love a horror movie. Personally, whenever I see the line “Based on a true story,” I instantly am captivated and watching every minute of the movie, trying to imagine it happening in real life. Though I know some of the moments are probably exaggerated, it is still interesting to think about.
There are a lot of reasons to love horror movies, and no reason is wrong. If you love watching the blood and gore, who’s going to judge you? The adrenaline rush is quite the surge when watching a horrifying film, and knowing you can watch while not being hurt is even more of a thrill. Perhaps it’s just the pure and simple excitement.
No matter the reason, horror movies are a great genre, and there’s nothing wrong with watching them if they float your boat. After all, who doesn’t love a good scare every now and then?