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7/29/2019 Effects of Horror Movies
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Effects of Horror Movies
A Social Action Research
Presented to the
Upper BED of the School of the Holy Spirit of Quezon City
In partial fulfillment of the requirements of English IV
AGONCILLO PATROL OF PAMAYANAN
Arissa Yoshiko Hiroko Yuuki C. Aman
Generalization
Mae Lauren M. Canonizado
Materials and Methods
Erika Lou C. Curata
Background of the Study, Bibliography
Anica Lorainne S. Feliciano
Bibliography
Louise Margarette R. Lazol
Recommendation, Background of the Study
Christina G. Marquez
Objectives
Eunice Ina N. Palma Gil
Observations and Findings, Analysis of Data
Celina D. Pineda
Appendix
Submitted to:
Guadalupe C. De Jesus
Date:
March 3, 2011
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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I. Introduction page no.
A. Statement of the Problem page no.
B. Objectives page no.
C. Significance of the Project page no.
II. Materials and Methods page no.
A. Materials page no.
B. General Procedure page no.
III. Observations and Findings page no.
IV. Analysis of Data page no.
V. Generalization/Conclusion page no.
VI. Recommendation page no.
VII. Appendix page no.
VIII. Bibliography page no.
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I. Introduction
A. Background of the Study
Horror movies play on one of our most basic emotions; fear. As adults, our fears tend to be
rational rather than supernatural, but horror movies take us back to the time when our world
wasn't ruled by the rational.
The horror film industry brings in viewers from all over the world and from every caste of life.
But, people differ greatly in their enjoyment of horror movies. The primary purpose of this
research is to look at the individual differences in peoples horror film viewing behavior;
furthermore, whether certain personality traits predict physiological reactions to horror film
viewing.
The term 'horror' first comes into play with Horace Walpole's 1764 novel, The Castle ofOtranto, full of supernatural shocks and mysterious melodrama. Although rather a stilted tale, it
started a craze, spawning many imitators in what we today call the gothic mode of writing. Better
writers than Walpole, such as Ann Radcliffe (The Mysteries of Udolpho) and MATTHEW
GREGORY LEWIS (The Monk) took the form to new heights of thrills and suspense. For half a
century, gothic novels reigned supreme. As the Age of Enlightenment gave way to the new
thinking of the early nineteeth century, Romantic poets of the stature of Coleridge (The Rime of
the Ancient Mariner, Christabel) and Goethe (The Erlking) reflected the strong emotions of the
movement through a glass darkly, recognising that fear and awe aren't so very different
sensations. The first great horror classic (Frankenstein 1818) was written by a Romantic at the
heart of the movement - Mary Shelley.
Many writers, movie directors, and psychologists have pointed to the belief that all fear is based
off of the fear of the unknown. While there is not a clinical term for this fear, it encompasses the
basis of almost every fear. By exploiting this fear, horror writers can get to the essence of fear and
of horror writing.
Horror writing is based on the exploitation of fear. No matter what type of horror genre that
someone writes in, exploitation of fear has to be present to be considered as horror.
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Many people enjoy being scared. It is the feeling that is caused by complete shock, awe, and
disgust that many people feed on. Some people prefer the feeling of coming down from being
scared. Whatever the re3ason for enjoying horror, all fans of the genre have the fear of the
unknown.
Necrophobia, which is fear of the dead, is present in many genres in horror. This fear from the
dead is caused by the fact that we do not truly know what will happen to us after we die. We also
do not know what power the dead could actually have over us.
Xenophobia, which is the fear of strangers, aliens, and foreigners, sprouts from the fear of the
unknown. People that are xenophobic are afraid because they do not know what those that they
fear will do.
Autophobia is the fear of being alone. This fear is constantly present in all types of horror. This
fear is brought on by the fact that we are unsure as to our own safety when we are alone. Once
again, fear of the unknown.
Certain writers, such as H.P. Lovecraft, based their entire career as writers trying to get to
the root of horror. Lovecraft believed that the greatest gift that was given was that man (and
woman) could not understand everything in the universe. Lovecraft also believed that it was the
greatest curse to be exposed to something that we did not understand.
Exposing a reader or moviegoer to something that they could not possibly understand is the
essence of horror. The disbelief and questions that will come to mind will stay with a fan for
many years to come.
B. Objectives
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Our group specifically planned certain objectives for our research paper to be successful. Our
main objective is to be able to know the effects of watching Horror Movies. Our group wants to know
the impact of watching horror movies to the viewers who are watching. Our group also wants to
know if fears can be conquered by watching Horror Movies. We want to know if its possible and
surprisingly helpful. In addition to that, we also want to know the purpose of watching a Horror
Movie. We want to know why people are fond of watching it, what is it about horror movies that
make them want to watch it so much. Also, we want to know the age bracket that loves watching
horror movie the most. And lastly, our group want know if the Horror Movie affects our faith and
beliefs about demons, exorcism, ghosts or even God.
C. Significance of the Project
Horror movies built peoples fears; widened their imaginations to the point that we scare
ourselves with what isnt proven and supported with natural cases. It could be just a movie but it
could have a big effect on peoples lives. It may result to sleepless nights, cowardice, and it could
shake our sturdy faith in God. that is why we want to know the effects of watching a horror movie. It
would make you aware of what will happen to you after watching it. People should be more aware of
the purpose of watching horror movies and the consequences after watching it. This research is
significant because it would gather personal reviews from different people knowing the precautions
that should be given to people. Through horror movies we are also tested on how much we cling on
to our faith in God and to what extent would we handle our fears. This survey also allows us to be
more open minded of why people watch horror movies. We wish to conduct surveys from grade 6
SHSians, because 6th grade pupils are in the verge of confusion, in that way we can accomplish our
4th objective, which is to know if the Horror Movie affects our faith and beliefs about demons,
exorcism, ghosts or even God. After conducting the survey we will tally all the survey sheets and
hopefully accomplish and answer all our objectives.
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II. Materials and Procedures
A. Materials
- Survey form
- Ballpen
- Interviewees (random people from our school and homes)
- Envelopes
- Bond Papers
- Recorder
- Computer
B. General Procedure
First we made our survey form for us to determine the usual effects of horror films to the
viewers. Finding people to answer our survey was a bit difficult; however we did find people from
our school, and homes. Approximately we used two and a half days for the whole surveys to be
answered. After letting people answer our surveys, we then come up with the results which will be
shown on the Analysis of Data. We also recorded the answers of the people and compared them so
that it will be easier for us to know the most common effect of horror films to people.
III. Observations and Findings
Based on the survey we had, people watch horror movies out of curiosity. Most of them watch
horror movies whenever there is a new one showing in the theaters. From the survey we also knew
that most of the people who watch horror movies have hallucinations after they watch it and most of
it lasts about 1-5 days to a week. More than half of the survey takers answered that horror movies
sometimes affect their beliefs and that there's a moral lesson you get whenever you watch a horror
movie. Through this survey we also discovered that people watch more of the ghost type horror
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movie than the suspense type. Conducting this survey truly helped us achieve our objectives and
because of that, now we know what are the effects, reasons and causes of watching horror movies.
IV. Analysis of Data
Q#1- Why do you watch horror
movies? a. YOU LIKE THE FEELING
OF BEING FRIGHTENED b. YOU
LIKE TO SEE BRUTAL/
HORRIFYING SCENES? c.
CURIOSITY d. EVENTS
10%
20%
30%
40%
c
d
a
b
Q#2- How often do you watch
horror movies? a. EVERY WEEK
b. ONCE A MONTH c.
EVERYTIME THERE'S A NEW
HORROR MOVIE SHOWING d.
NEVER
10%
20%
30%
40%
c
b
a
d
Q#3- Feeling after wa tchinga. TRAUMA/ NERVOUS
BREAKDOWN b.
HALLUCINATIONS OF THE
FILM c. HAPPY/ SATISFIED d.
NOT SCARED AT ALL
10%
20%
30%
40%
b
a
c
d
Q#4- How long does yourtraumas/ hallucinations last?
a. 1-5 NIGHTS b. 1 WEEK c.1
MONTH
17%
33%
50%
a
b
c
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Q#5- Do you have nightmares
after watching horror movies? a.
YES b. NO
1
2
a
b
Q#6- Do horror movies
sometimes affect your beliefs?
a. YES b. NO
1
2
a
b
Q#7- Do you regre t w atching
horror movies? a. YES b. NO
33%
67%
a
b
Q#8- Do you think there's a moral
lesson you can get from
watching horror m ovies? a. YES
b. NO
1
2
a
b
Q#9- What type of horror movies
are you most fund of? a.
SUSPENSE/ THRILLER b. GHOST
TYPE
1
2
b
a
V. Generalization/Conclusion
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We conclude that most of our interviewees were scared of horror movies and that some of them
were having difficulties in watching one. Horror movies affect peoples belief in a way that they
forget that we have a God that guides us throughout our life. Most of them suffer from nightmares
that causes a strong negative emotional response from the sleeper, typically fear and/or horror. Their
dreams may contain situations of danger, discomfort, psychological or physical terror, thats why
some of them suffer from insomnia because they feel that someone is watching them or someone is
with them. They said that after watching a horror movie they feel uneasy and uncomfortable. Two of
which said that, they were frightened and had trouble moving about because they found the movies
theyve watched too disturbing. They said that more of the music probably made it even more bizarre
and whack. They felt scared on the music rather on the scenes. Its weird though because some
actually became scared of the scenes rather on the music. Well, people have different perspectives in
life but we can say that horror movies bring a lot of impact to people who are watching one. We
chose this topic because our patrol, Agoncillo, would like to know the effects of horror movies to
people who are watching it. We are happy that we know now what were listed in our objectives and
that we are now guided by the reactions of our interviewees.
VI. Recommendation
We recommend that when researching about the effects of horror films you should have
different kinds of people from the different age brackets to interview or give surveys to. They are
important because they might be factors that can affect once perception about the said kind of film.
When conducting an interview or survey you should consider asking questions like how did you feel
before during and after watching the horror movie or how many times do you watch horror movies.
These questions provide you windows to answer the effect of horror film to an audience. We also
recommend reviewing horror films so that you would know what movies really had the greatest and
the lowest effect to the viewers. Remember that reviewing a movie requires research and thoughts
behind the words for words leave a trail, so when they are written, it is to be assumed they will
remain available to read long after someone may no longer want them read.
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VII. Appendix
History
The first depictions of supernatural events appear in several of the silent shorts created by film
pioneers such as Georges Mlis in the late 1890s, the most notable being his 1896 Le Manoir du
diable ("The House of the Devil") which is sometimes credited as being the first horror film. Another
of his horror projects was 1898's La Caverne maudite ("The Cave of the unholy one", literally "the
accursed cave"). Japan made early forays into the horror genre with Bake Jizo and Shinin no Sosei,both made in 1898. In 1910, Edison Studios produced the first bone chilling film version of
Frankenstein; thought lost for many years, film collector Alois Felix Dettlaff Sr. found a copy and
had a 1993 rerelease.
The early 20th century brought more milestones for the horror genre including the first monster
to appear in a full-length horror film, Quasimodo, the hunchbackof Notre-Dame who had appearedin Victor Hugo's novel, "Notre-Dame de Paris" (published in 1831). Films featuring Quasimodo
included Alice Guy's Esmeralda (1906), The Hunchback (1909), The Love of a Hunchback (1910)
and Notre-Dame de Paris (1911).
1950s1960s
With advances in technology that occurred in the 1950s, the tone of horror films shifted from the
gothic toward concerns that some saw as being more relevant to the late-Century audience. The
horror film was seen to fall into two sub-genres: the horror-of-Armageddon film and the horror-of-
the-demonic film.
A stream of low-budget productions featured humanity overcoming threats from "outside": alien
invasions and deadly mutations to people, plants, and insects, most notably in films imported from
Japan, whose society had first-hand knowledge of the effects of nuclear radiation..
Filmmakers continued to merge elements of science fiction and horror over the following
decades. One of the most notable films of the era was 1957's The Incredible Shrinking Man, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Manoir_du_diablehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Manoir_du_diablehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Japanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1898_in_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1910_in_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Studioshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein_(1910_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_in_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasimodohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunchbackhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Hugohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunchback_of_Notre_Damehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Guyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror-of-demonichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror-of-demonichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_invasionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_invasionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredible_Shrinking_Manhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Manoir_du_diablehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Manoir_du_diablehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Japanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1898_in_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1910_in_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edison_Studioshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein_(1910_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_in_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasimodohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunchbackhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Hugohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunchback_of_Notre_Damehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Guyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror-of-demonichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror-of-demonichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_invasionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_invasionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Incredible_Shrinking_Man7/29/2019 Effects of Horror Movies
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Richard Matheson's existentialist novel. While more of a "science-fiction" story, the film conveyed
the fears of living in the "Atomic Age" and the terror ofsocial alienation.
During the late 1950s and early 1960s, production companies focused on producing horror films,
including the British company Hammer Film Productions. Hammer enjoyed huge international
success from full-blooded technicolor films involving classic horror characters, often starring Peter
Cushing and Christopher Lee, such as The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Dracula (1958), and The
Mummy (1959) and many sequels. Hammer, and directorTerence Fisher, are widely acknowledged
as pioneers of the modern horror movie.
American International Pictures (AIP) also made a series of Edgar Allan Poethemed films
produced by Roger Corman and starring Vincent Price. Some contend that these sometimes
controversial productions paved the way for more explicit violence in both horror and mainstream
films. Teaming with Tigon British Film Productions, AIP would make Michael Reeves' Witchfinder
General (1968). Released in 1968, it was retitled for American audiences as The Conqueror Worm,
most likely in an attempt to capitalize upon the success of AIP's earlier Poe-themed offerings, but the
tale of witch hunter Matthew Hopkins (played by an uncharacteristically humorless Vincent Price)
was more sadistic than supernatural.
Ghosts and monsters still remained popular, but many films used the supernatural premise to
express the horror of the demonic. The Innocents (Jack Clayton, 1961) and The Haunting (Robert
Wise, 1963) are two such horror-of-the-demonic films from the early 1960s. In Rosemary's Baby by
(Roman Polanski, 1968), the devil is made flesh.
The end of the Production Code of America in 1964, the financial successes of the low-budget
gore films of the ensuing years, and the critical and popular success ofRosemary's Baby (1968), led
to the release of more films with occult themes in the 1970s, such as The Exorcist (1973), and scores
of other horror films in which the Devil represented the supernatural evil, often by impregnating
women or possessing children. The genre also included gory horror movies with sexual overtones,
made as "A-movies" (as opposed to "B movies") some of these films were made by respected auteur.
"Evil children" and reincarnation became popular subjects (as in Robert Wise's 1977 film Audrey
Rose, which dealt with a man who claims his daughter is the reincarnation of another dead person).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Mathesonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_Agehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_alienationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer_Film_Productionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Cushinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Cushinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Leehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curse_of_Frankensteinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula_(1958_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mummy_(1959_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mummy_(1959_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_Fisherhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_International_Pictureshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Cormanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Pricehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigon_British_Film_Productionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Reeveshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchfinder_General_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchfinder_General_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Pricehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror-of-demonichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Innocents_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Claytonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Haunting_(1963_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wisehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wisehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary's_Baby_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanskihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Production_Codehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary's_Baby_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exorcist_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_moviehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auteurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wisehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Rose_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Rose_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Mathesonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Existentialisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_Agehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_alienationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammer_Film_Productionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Cushinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Cushinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Leehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curse_of_Frankensteinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula_(1958_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mummy_(1959_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mummy_(1959_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_Fisherhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_International_Pictureshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Cormanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Pricehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigon_British_Film_Productionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Reeveshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchfinder_General_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchfinder_General_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_Pricehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror-of-demonichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Innocents_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Claytonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Haunting_(1963_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wisehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wisehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary's_Baby_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanskihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Production_Codehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary's_Baby_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exorcist_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_moviehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auteurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reincarnationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Wisehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Rose_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_Rose_(film)7/29/2019 Effects of Horror Movies
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Alice, Sweet Alice (1977), is another Catholic themed horror slasher about a little girl's murder and
her sister being the prime suspect. Another popular satanic horror movie was The Omen (1976),
where a man realizes his five year old adopted son is the Antichrist. Invincible to human intervention,
Satan became the villain in many horror films with apostmodern style and a dystopian worldview.
Another example is The Sentinel (1977 film), in which a fashion model discovers her new
brownstone residence may actually be a portal to Hell. The movie includes seasoned actors such as
Ava Gardner, Burgess Meredith and Eli Wallach and such future stars as Christopher Walken and
Jeff Goldblum.
The ideas of the 1960s began to influence horror films, as the youth involved in the
counterculturebegan exploring the medium. Wes Craven's The Hills Have Eyes (1977) and Tobe
Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)[15] recalled the Vietnam war; George A. Romero
satirised the consumer society in his 1978 zombie sequel, Dawn of the Dead; Canadian director
David Cronenberg featured the "mad scientist" movie subgenre by exploring contemporary fears
about technology and society, and reinventing "body horror", starting with Shivers (1975).
Also in the 1970s, horror author Stephen King debuted on the film scene as many of his books
were adapted for the screen, beginning with Brian De Palma's adaptation of King's first published
novel, Carrie (1976), which was nominated forAcademy Awards.
John Carpenter created the hit Halloween (1978). Sean Cunningham made Friday the 13th
(1980). This subgenre would be mined by dozens of increasingly violent movies throughout the
subsequent decades, and Halloween became a successful independent film. Other notable '70s slasher
films include Bob Clark's Black Christmas (1974), which was released before Halloween, and was
another start of the sub-genre.
In 1975, Steven Spielberg began his ascension to fame with Jaws (1975). The film kicked off a
wave of killer animal stories such as Orca (1977), and Up from the Depths. Jaws is often credited as
being one of the first films to use traditionally B movie elements such as horror and mild gore in a
big-budget Hollywood film.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice,_Sweet_Alicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Omenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antichristhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodernismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dystopianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sentinel_(1977_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ava_Gardnerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgess_Meredithhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Wallachhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Walkenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Goldblumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterculture_of_the_1960shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wes_Cravenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hills_Have_Eyes_(1977_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobe_Hooperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobe_Hooperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Texas_Chain_Saw_Massacrehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_film#cite_note-14http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_film#cite_note-14http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_warhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_A._Romerohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_of_the_Deadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Cronenberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_scientisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_horrorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivers_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Kinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_De_Palmahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_(1976_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Carpenterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_(1978_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th_(1980_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slasher_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slasher_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Clarkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Christmas_(1974_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Spielberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orca_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Up_from_the_Depths&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_moviehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice,_Sweet_Alicehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Omenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antichristhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodernismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dystopianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sentinel_(1977_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ava_Gardnerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgess_Meredithhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Wallachhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Walkenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Goldblumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterculture_of_the_1960shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wes_Cravenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hills_Have_Eyes_(1977_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobe_Hooperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tobe_Hooperhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Texas_Chain_Saw_Massacrehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_film#cite_note-14http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_warhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_A._Romerohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_of_the_Deadhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Cronenberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mad_scientisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_horrorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivers_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Kinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_De_Palmahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_(1976_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awardhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Carpenterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_(1978_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th_(1980_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slasher_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slasher_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Clarkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Christmas_(1974_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Spielberghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaws_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orca_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Up_from_the_Depths&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_movie7/29/2019 Effects of Horror Movies
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1979's Alien combined the naturalistic acting and graphic violence of the 1970s with the monster
movie plots of earlier decades, and used science fiction. The film was extremely successful at both
box office and critical reception, being called "Jaws in space", and a landmark film for the science
fiction genre.
In the first half of the 1990s, the genre continued many of the themes from the 1980s. Sequels
from the Child's Play and Leprechaun series enjoyed some commercial success. The slasher films A
Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Halloween all saw sequels in the 1990s, most of which
met with varied amounts of success at the box office, but all were panned by fans and critics, with the
exception of Wes Craven's New Nightmare.
New Nightmare, with In the Mouth of Madness, The Dark Half, and Candyman, were part of a
mini-movement of self-reflexive or metafictional horror films. Each film touched upon the
relationship between fictional horror and real-world horror. Candyman, for example, examined the
link between an invented urban legend and the realistic horror of the racism that produced its villain.
In the Mouth of Madness took a more literal approach, as its protagonist actually hopped from the
real world into a novel created by the madman he was hired to track down. This reflective style
became more overt and ironic with the arrival ofScream.
In 1994's Interview with the Vampire, the "Theatre de Vampires" (and the film itself, to some
degree) invoked the Grand Guignol style, perhaps to further remove the undead performers from
humanity, morality and class. The horror movie soon continued its search for new and effective
frights. In 1985's novel The Vampire Lestat by author Anne Rice (who penned Interview...'s
screenplay and the 1976 novel of the same name) suggests that its antihero Lestat inspired and
nurtured the Grand Guignol style and theatre.
Two main problems pushed horror backward during this period: firstly, the horror genre wore
itself out with the proliferation of nonstop slasher and gore films in the eighties. Secondly, the
adolescent audience which feasted on the blood and morbidity of the previous decade grew up, and
the replacement audiences for films of an imaginative nature were being captured instead by the
explosion ofscience-fiction and fantasy, courtesy of the special effects possibilities with computer-
generated imagery.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fictionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fictionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child's_Playhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leprechaun_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Nightmare_on_Elm_Streethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Nightmare_on_Elm_Streethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th_(1980_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_(1978_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wes_Craven's_New_Nightmarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Mouth_of_Madnesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Half_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candyman_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metafictionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scream_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interview_with_the_Vampire:_The_Vampire_Chronicleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Guignolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vampire_Lestathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Ricehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Guignolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-generated_imageryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-generated_imageryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fictionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fictionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child's_Playhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leprechaun_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Nightmare_on_Elm_Streethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Nightmare_on_Elm_Streethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_the_13th_(1980_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween_(1978_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wes_Craven's_New_Nightmarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Mouth_of_Madnesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Half_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candyman_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metafictionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scream_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interview_with_the_Vampire:_The_Vampire_Chronicleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Guignolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Vampire_Lestathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Ricehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Guignolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-generated_imageryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer-generated_imagery7/29/2019 Effects of Horror Movies
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To re-connect with its audience, horror became more self-mockingly ironic and outright parodic,
especially in the latter half of the 1990s. Peter Jackson's Braindead (1992) (known as Dead Alive in
the USA) took the splatter film to ridiculous excesses for comic effect. Wes Craven's Scream (written
by Kevin Williamson) movies, starting in 1996, featured teenagers who were fully aware of, and
often made reference to, the history of horror movies, and mixed ironic humour with the shocks.
Along with I Know What You Did Last Summer (written by Kevin Williamson as well) and Urban
Legend, they re-ignited the dormant slasher film genre.
The start of the 2000s saw a quiet period for the genre. The re-release of a restored version of
The Exorcist in September 2000 was successful despite the film having been available on home video
for years. Franchise films such as Freddy vs. Jason also made a stand in theaters. Final Destination
(2000) marked a successful revival of teen-centered horror and spawned four sequels. As well as the
Jeepers Creepers series, films like Wrong Turn, Cabin Fever, House of 1000 Corpses, and the
previous mentions helped bring the genre back to Restricted ratings in theaters pleasing many
hardcore horror fans.
Some notable trends have marked horror films in the 2000s. A French horror film Brotherhood
of the Wolfbecame the second-highest-grossing French-language film in the United States in the last
two decades. The Others (2001) was a successful horror film of that year. That film was the first
horror in the decade to rely on psychology to scare audiences, rather than gore. A minimalist
approach which was equal parts Val Lewton's theory of "less is more" (usually employing low-
budget techniques seen on 1999's The Blair Witch Project) has been evident, particularly in the
emergence of Asian horror movies which have been remade into successful Americanized versions,
such as The Ring (2002), and The Grudge (2004).
A larger trend is a return to the extreme, graphic violence that characterized much of the type of
low-budget, exploitation horror from the Seventies and the post-Vietnam years. Films like The
Collector, The Tortured , Saw, and Hostel, and their respective sequels, frequently singled out as
examples of emergence of this sub-genre. Finally with the arrival of Paranormal Activity (2009),
which had very good reviews and an excellent reception at the box office, minimal thought started by
The Blair Witch Project was reaffirmed and is expected to be continued successfully in other low-
budget productions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parodyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braindead_(1992_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splatter_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scream_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Williamson_(screenwriter)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Know_What_You_Did_Last_Summerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Williamson_(screenwriter)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_Legend_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_Legend_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slasher_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exorcist_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddy_vs._Jasonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Destinationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeepers_Creepers_(2001_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrong_Turnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabin_Fever_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_1000_Corpseshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brotherhood_of_the_Wolfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brotherhood_of_the_Wolfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French-languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Others_(2001_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blair_Witch_Projecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ring_(2002_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grudgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Collector_(2009_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Collector_(2009_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Torturedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saw_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostel_(2005_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranormal_Activityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blair_Witch_Projecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parodyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braindead_(1992_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splatter_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scream_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Williamson_(screenwriter)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Know_What_You_Did_Last_Summerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Williamson_(screenwriter)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_Legend_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_Legend_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slasher_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exorcist_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddy_vs._Jasonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Destinationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeepers_Creepers_(2001_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrong_Turnhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabin_Fever_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_1000_Corpseshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brotherhood_of_the_Wolfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brotherhood_of_the_Wolfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French-languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Others_(2001_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blair_Witch_Projecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ring_(2002_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grudgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Collector_(2009_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Collector_(2009_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Torturedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saw_(film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostel_(2005_film)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranormal_Activityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blair_Witch_Project7/29/2019 Effects of Horror Movies
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Horror Movies
Horror films are unsettling movies that strive to elicit the emotions of fear, disgust and horror
from viewers. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means ofmacabre and the
supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres. Horrors also
frequently overlap with the thrillergenre.
Horror films deal with the viewer's nightmares, hidden worst fears, revulsions and terrorof the
unknown. Although a good deal of it is about the supernatural, if some films contain a plot about
morbidity, serial killers, a disease/virus outbreak and surrealism, they may be termed "horror."
Plots written within the horror genre often involve the intrusion of an evil force, event, or
personage, commonly of supernatural origin, into the everyday world. Themes or elements often
prevalent in typical horror films include ghosts, torture, gore, werewolves, ancient curses, satanism,
demons, vicious animals, vampires, cannibals, haunted houses, zombies and masked serial killers.
Conversely, stories of the supernatural are not necessarily always a horror movie as well.
What is considered to be a horror film has varied from decade to decade. These days, the term
"horror" is applied to films which display more explicit gore, jump scenes/scares or supernatural
content (Wes Craven's New Nightmare, A Tale of Two Sisters, Saw films, The Strangers, The Ring,
and Session 9). Early horror movies are largely based on classic literature of the gothic/horror genre,
such as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Phantom of the Opera, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. More recent
horror films continue to exploit the monsters of literature.
It is a proven fact that people love to be scared by horror movies. Some of the most horrified
faces are portrayed in the best horror films of Hollywood, which are much liked by people. They
simply love to watch the repulsive aliens and the blood dripping down the horrifying face. Watching
such scary flicks, just for entertainment, is quiet acceptable, provided you do not empathize the
situations depicted in what you have watched. This is a sign of caution, as you will never know when
you start developing fear for almost everything around you. Check out the effects of watching horror
movies in the following lines.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fearhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disgusthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_(emotion)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macabrehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernaturalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightmareshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phobiashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morbidityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_killershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diseasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_violencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolveshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curseshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampireshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_houseshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fearhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disgusthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_(emotion)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macabrehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernaturalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightmareshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phobiashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morbidityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_killershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diseasehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evilhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphic_violencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werewolveshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curseshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampireshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_houseshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zombies7/29/2019 Effects of Horror Movies
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EFFECTS OF HORROR MOVIES
1. Anxiety
- The NIMH study reveals direct evidence that in children 5 and younger, especially toddlers;
scary movies can produce acute cases of anxiety. The symptoms of this anxiety include
sleeping disorders, aggressiveness and self-endangerment.
2. Avoidance
- Both studies indicated that children exposed to horror films avoided real life situations
shown in a fictional manner on screen. The subjects exhibited dread of facing those situations.
Some children not only avoided real life situations, but also come to avoid seeing other
movies or TV shows dealing with the same situations that instilled the original fear.
3. Obsession
- A common effect among older children and even tweens and pre-teens, upon viewing horror
movies is to obsessively talk about the stimulus that produces the fear. The subject of the
obsessive talk may be expressed in either a morbid fascination or a need to alienate
themselves from what they have seen through discourse.
4. Nightmares
- Probably the most common effect that horror movies have on children is the production of
nightmares. Many children as well as adults can be expected to have a nightmare after seeing
a horror film, especially one that may be troublesome emotional or features particularly
repulsive and upsetting gore.
5. Gore
- The stimuli found to produce an adverse effect in children most often in horror films was the
representation of blood or physical injury. Almost two-third of respondents report being
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affected emotionally more by the presence of blood and injury over stimuli such as disturbing
images, environmental disasters, scary animals, monsters and aliens.
6. Most Common Symptoms
- Many symptoms are associated with a reaction to viewing horror films. Among the most
common symptoms include crying or screaming, trembling or shaking, upset stomach,
clinginess, paralysis, sweating, fever, chills and loss of appetite.
Psychological Horror Have you ever noticed how a psychological horror can be scarier than
your run of the mill, gore fest horror movie? "Psychological horror" is a subgenre of that relies on
character fears, guilt, beliefs, and emotional instability to build tension and further the plot.
Psychological horror is different from the type of horror found in "splatter films," which derive their
effects from gore and violence, and in which the object of horror does not always appear as a monster
or a vicious stalker, but usually another person or a supernatural presence, whose horrific identity is
often not revealed until the end of the movie.
There are plenty of psychological horror movies that creep into your sub-conscious and haunt
you well after the movie has finished, they usually affect you on a deeper level, and stay with you for
longer. Usually creating a great lead character, who stays with you, and who you can identify, and
empathize with. Well-known examples of psychological fiction include The Sixth Sense and The
Blair Witch Project.
These movies create discomfort in the viewer by exposing common or universal psychological
vulnerabilities and fears, most notably the parts that most people repress or deny. For example, even
though A Nightmare on Elm Street is now seen as a slasher movie, if you go back to the first three
movies. The character of Freddy Kruger plays on his victims worst fears in their nightmares; for
example, in Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Kruger menaces one girl, who is a
recovering heroin addict, by turning his knives into needles and giving her an overdose.
Psychological horror comes from within, exposing the evil that hides behind normality, while
splatter fiction focuses on bizarre, alien, or evil themes, which the viewer can't easily relate to. In
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American Psycho, the character, Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), shocked many people, he was so
normal to the outside world, but completely nuts when he had his victims alone, and when the viewer
witnessed what was going on in his head. Likewise, Hannibal Lecter from (Antony Hopkins)
Silence of the Lambs etc., captured audiences fascination because the character in itself was pure
evil, but hid behind the veneer of gentility, which was often shocking to see.
These movies often mix horror with strong themes of the thriller genre. Rosemarys Baby, is a
fantastic example of psychological horror. The character is an everyday woman, who moves into an
apartment complex, she is told once had strong relations with which craft. As she falls pregnant, more
clues point to the fact that someone is after her unborn child, her paranoia builds, as does the
audiences. Everybody is a suspect to her; she feels in the end that she can trust nobody that everyone
is after her. And they are. The great thing about this movie, is the fact that nothing is seen until the
very end, and then there is little shown; however the fear is taught throughout, and the audience
relates to Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow), asking what is real, wanting her to get away safely
from the everyday conspirators. Psychological horror is frightening to some viewers because of the
tension built upon throughout the story. This movie, as with movies such as The Ring can haunt the
audience long after the credits role.
Splatter films and slasher movies usually rely upon sudden jolts and direct physical harm or threats to
sympathetic characters, such as a Michael Myers jumping out of a cupboard and stabbing someone.
The primary effect of psychological horror is to play upon the anticipation of a perceived threat, or toconfuse the viewer regarding the nature, or existence of the threat being there. The Omen or The
Village make you believe or doubt something about the entire plot of the film, which either we never
discover, or have to make our own minds up about, or sometimes completely shock us with an
unexpected plot turn.
By Bernie DeGroat
News and Information Services
While the short-term effects of watching horror movies or other films and television programs
with disturbing content are well-documented among children and teens, a new U-M study shows that
long-term effects can linger even into adulthood.
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In their study "Tales from the Screen: Enduring Fright Reactions to Scary Media," U-M
researcher Kristen Harrison and colleague Joanne Cantor of the University of Wisconsin found that
90 percent of the study's participants (more than 150 college students at Michigan and Wisconsin)
reported a media fright reaction from childhood or adolescence. Moreover, about 26 percent still
experience a "residual anxiety" today.
"This may not be surprising, but the proportion of participants--one in four--who reported fright
effects that they were still experiencing indicates that these responses should be of major concern,"
says Harrison, assistant professor of communication studies. "These effects were more serious than
jumpiness at a slammed door or the need to use a nightlight. They ranged from an inability to sleep
through the night for months after exposure, to steadfast and continuing avoidance of the situations
portrayed in the programs and movies."
The researchers, whose study will appear in a forthcoming issue of the journal Media
Psychology, found that 52 percent of the sample reported disturbances in normal behavior such as
sleeping or eating after viewing a frightening film or TV program. More than a third avoided or
dreaded the depicted situation in their own lives, and nearly a fourth reported obsessive thinking or
talking about the frightening stimulus.
While more than one-fourth of the study's participants still experience such aftermath, the
duration of the effects--both past and present--range from less than a week (about 33 percent of thesample) to more than a year (about 36 percent).
According to the study, a wide range of symptoms were reported, including crying or screaming
(27 percent of participants), trembling or shaking (24 percent), nausea or stomach pain (20 percent),
clinging to a companion (18 percent), increased heart rate (18 percent), freezing or feeling of
paralysis (17 percent) and fear of losing control (11 percent), as well as sweating, chills or fever, fearof dying, shortness of breath, feeling of unreality, dizziness or faintness, and numbness (all less than
10 percent each).
"It appears, then, that the physical and emotional fright reactions our sample experienced in
reaction to media stimuli are very similar to those typically experienced in reaction to real-life
stimuli, a finding that is consistent with the principle of stimulus generalization," Harrison says.
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Harrison and Cantor categorized the phobia-producing stimuli into five areas: animal (animals,
insects, reptiles, animal-like aliens, etc.); environmental (fires, floods, earthquakes, storms, water,
nuclear holocaust and other environmental threats); blood/injection/injury (blood, gore, injury, pain,
wounds, needles and other physical threats to living things); situational (heights, enclosed spaces and
circumscribed situations like doctors' offices); and disturbing sounds/distorted images (loud noises,
distorted faces, etc.).
The most frequently reported type they found is blood/injection/injury (reported by 65 percent of
the sample). One participant said that in the movie Jaws, it was not the shark or actual deaths that wasfrightening, but the blood.
"For about two months after the movie, I had nightmares about blood," the participant said. "The
nightmares didn't always involve sharks, but always contained gross amounts of blood. To this day, I
remain horrified of blood."
Harrison says that it is not clear whether this type of stimulus was mentioned most frequently
because it is inherently more frightening than the other types, is the most common stimulus found in
the mass media or, for some reason, is recalled more easily.
"In any case, the ubiquity of blood and gore in the U.S. media should be cause for concern
regarding its potential for causing enduring fright reactions in children," she says.
Disturbing sounds/distorted images is the other most common type of fright stimulus found in
films and TV programming (reported by 60 percent of participants). One participant was scared by
the heavy breathing of the killer in the film Halloween, while several others found the suspenseful
music in Jaws frightening.
The other three classes of stimuli were reported by a minority of the sample: situational (33
percent), animal (12 percent) and environmental (9 percent).
According to Harrison and Cantor, the younger the study's participants were when they viewed a
scary movie and TV program, the longer-lasting the effects. In addition, their data provide little
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support for the popular notion that children who like thrilling media genres will be better able to
handle their effects than children who do not like them.
Further, the average duration of fright effects for participants who watched frightening media
because someone else was watching or wanted to watch was significantly higher than the duration for
those who sought out the film or program themselves.
"The enduring fright reactions reported in this study were not the product of strange or unusual
viewing circumstances," Harrison says. "Considering the abundance of graphically violent content in
movies and on premium cable television channels, as well as the tendency for younger family
members to go along with older members' media choices, it is not surprising that enduring fright
effects from scary media were prevalent in our sample."
Finally, regardless of what frightened them as children, the study's participants appeared to
know which coping strategies worked best for them, the researchers say. For example, those younger
at exposure relied more heavily on behavioral coping strategies (covering their eyes, leaving the
room, hugging a pillow), while those older at the time of viewing used cognitive strategies
(reassuring oneself that "it's just a movie" or "this could never happen in real life").
"Many adults have learned to recognize the types of stimuli that frighten them and can choose
movies and programs carefully to avoid such content," Harrison says. "Given that very young
children may not yet know what types of stimuli frighten them most, and that they do not enjoy the
power to choose which media the family will view, they are in special need of protection from
exposure to such scary stimuli before coping strategies are necessary.
"It is reasonable to recommend that we pay closer attention to the potential media stimuli may
have for creating long-lasting fears of the surrounding world, fears that can interfere with normal
functioning. Given that normal functioning of children is an essential goal of child-rearing, parents
should be aware of the types of media that may contribute to enduring fright effects in their children."
VIII. Bibliography
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Encyclopedia
"Horror." New Encyclopedia Britannica. 1997 ed.
"Horror." Def. 2. The New Lexicon Webster's Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language.
Canadian ed. 1988.
Websites:
"Horror Review." Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 1999. Encyclopedia Britannica. 27 April 2009
"Horror and terror." Wikipedia. 28 February 2011
"Horror Film." Wikipedia. 1 March 201 1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_film>
Article:
Uy, Jocelyn R. "Horror books pleasure read for brave souls." Inquirer Headlines :
http://www.horrorreview.com/2009/fragments2009.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_and_terrorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_filmhttp://www.horrorreview.com/2009/fragments2009.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_and_terrorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_film