In an article available on the Bowdoin College Campus News Website, the theories proposed by professor Susan Burggraf regarding why people enjoy horror are explored. Burggraf suggests two different theories that may explain, rather psychologically, why people experience enjoyment when watching horror films. One theory is referred to as "continuous reward" theory and the other "relief" theory. "Continuous reward" theories consist of the sub-theories "arousal" and "social", as well as the idea that fear and disgust are positively associated with fictional stories. the "arousal" theory follows the idea that viewers of a horror film are continually experiencing excitation through out, which she believes to be positively correlated with "sensation-seeking" in adolescents. The "social" theory suggests that horror is enjoyed in groups more so than individually, which includes gender roles, feeling a part of a social group, and, specifically pertaining to adolescents, the idea of violating social norms.
Burggraf explains the "relief" theory as experiencing fear or an equivalent emotion followed by relief once resolution to the horror is found; viewers enjoy the feeling of relief that is experienced once the terrifying moment has passed or once the problem is solved. She touches on the ideas of "empathetic distress", "catharsis", and the "snuggle effect". These ideas all relate to purging of emotions, from which people experience a positive feeling in the end.
Burggraf attempted to test her theories through which she was unsuccessful in doing. She measured individual levels of enjoyment through out a horror film via self-report measures. She found that the level of enjoyment of excitation did not fluctuate through out the film, which ruled out her "relief" theory. She also found that fright and disgust alone were not enjoyable emotions; however they did generate excitation that was considered positive following the initial reaction. Finally, Barggraf measured enjoyment among individuals and individuals within a group watching a horror movie. She found that almost always do people experience greater enjoyment when watching horror with a peer group.
2) Britton, Bonnie (2006). More guts and more gore mean more money at the box office. Indianapolis Star. March 19, 2006. Retrieved July 10, 2006 from www.news.uns.purdue.edu/Clips/
In an article by Bonnie Britton, she discusses the rising popularity of horror films. Horror films are becoming an industry in itself considering the number of horror movies that have been top grosses in the last few years. Britton discusses several recent horror flicks and the revenue generated, which is evidence for the popularity of the movies in recent years. She also includes some opinions from authorities, including Glen Sparks, a communications professor at the University of Purdue.
Sparks comments on why he believes horror movie go-ers do so. he offers that watching horror movies "generates a lot of psychological response... people come out of these films oftentimes feeling a sense of euphoria". He believes that some people enjoy horror movies, which in turn causes desensitization of violence, etc. and some people cannot handle horror because they experience "lingering cognitive fear responses". Overall, this article acknowledged the growing industry of horror movies and agreed that many times people experience positive feelings and emotions during and in the end of a horror movie.
Both of the articles discussed are similar to the ideas suggested in Gaut's article, in that they agree that positive experience occurs when people experience fear or anxious feelings and then relief, which ultimately inspire enjoyment. Carrol fixated much of his article on the idea of monsters and how people enjoy horror involving such mythological characters because they, on some conscious level, have understanding that such a scenario is unrealistic. However, excitation is experienced through fear and relief all the same.
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