Horror: Why Are People Drawn to It?

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

I know that I've spoken of it several times, and I must reiterate that my first love is fantasy, but I love horror. I can't say that it scares me exactly (at least the horror I read doesn't), but I'm so terribly fascinated with it. I'm drawn to things in shadow; nightmares are bad to experience but interesting to study.

Of course, this may provoke some warning signs from Christians. If we're called to follow only that which is good, then what uses do such dark things have for us? Is there anything that can be salvaged from horror that can bring one closer to God? Is there something inherently evil about it?

I definitely don't have all the answers, and I'm not a strong enough Christian to understand it now, but I might have a few ideas. I was just browsing through the website for the magazine Christ and Pop Culture (which I highly recommend), and I came across this article. As of this writing, I've only given it a brief glance, but it seems to be making a fine case for appraising horror for a Christian audience by contemplating some of the philosophical underpinnings of what scares us and why people are drawn to it. Give it a read:

https://christandpopculture.com/drawn-things-frighten-us/

I don't want to get into too much detail right now, but I hope to have my own opinions posted soon enough.

What do you think? From what you have experienced of it, if any, do you feel there is something positive that can be gained from horror, especially for Christians? Does the article make a convincing case?

[Raven]

I've scanned through the article. It makes some points about peoples attraction to the Other and to that which cannot be understood which I think apply well to the horror genre. And I would agree that this attraction to mystery is fundamentally an attraction to God, whether understood or no.

But, on another level, the horror genre initiates fear, which causes a whole chemical reaction in the body and brain and plays on the nervous system, no doubt releasing epinephrine (adrenaline) and other chemicals that can seriously alter a person's mood, energy levels, etc. Fear is a basic and intense human experience that plays on our physiology in significant ways.
In the song Hurt there is a line that goes something like this: "I hurt myself today / to see if I still feel."
Creating fear in a controlled environment is a way of experiencing very intense physical and psychological reactions that might in fact be pleasurable to people in some way on the level of bio-chemistry, and at the very least cause them to feel intensely. Furthermore, watching horror films in a group could be considered a group bonding experience, kind of a tribal type of factor in being bonded by the chemicals released. I'm hypothesizing here.

So, yes, people are spiritually fascinated by the Other. At the same time, people are deeply biologically and psychologically affected by fear, and within a controlled context, perhaps enjoy that.

Now, I am not personally a fan of the horror genre. I'd say I'm even less attracted to it at this point in my life because of my now years of working with truly horrific real-life circumstances in the medical field (both in the traditionally medical sense and in working with serious mental illness). In my life, I have also had to encounter spiritual evil as well.

For me, there is little attraction to experiencing the grotesque when I have to deal with some seriously unpleasant circumstances in real life.

But, I can also speculate as I have above about why some people are drawn to it. My lady has expressed interest in watching Stranger Things, I think. I may have more thoughts on that and this topic if I do end up watching it -- if I enjoy it or if I don't.

I look forward to hearing your own thoughts on the matter.

[DastenHero]

I think the number one reason people enjoy the horror genre is because of the adrenalin rush it tends to supply its viewers with. An avid fan of anything "spooky" or "mysterious" myself, I acknowledge the fact that I find a strange beauty in things commonly discarded or cast away by most people. While, albeit, I am quite a unique individual, I personally love watching people explore creepy, crumbling houses, just to watch the awesome architecture and feel the mystery of what happened there. Why did the previous inhabitants just get up and leave so quickly? Is there a ghost haunting the house? Or is it just some school kids from down the street? What bits of forgotten history can be uncovered by simply pawing through the various, every-day objects left behind?

The horror genre feeds on a wanting to know more. People are afraid of what they do not understand, and horror movies are definitely one of those things. There's a certain fascination and curiosity found in the genre that isn't often touched upon in other niches of literature and film. You get hints of it, but primarily, stories outside of its loop tend to be lighter, and emphasize less of the real darkness that is inside of our world.

For example, while reading the Chronicles of Narnia, you aren't going to read about graphic, disturbing murder or a tear-jerking tragedy. It's a lighter tale meant for children; to make it overly-dark would be inappropriate. It's still a great read, and I myself am in love with the books and movies alike, but you're not going to get the same amount of adrenaline or "edge of your seat" action that you often may encounter in a horror/thriller novel. The stakes aren't as high, Aslan is on their side, and you know that in the end, no children are going to be hurt.

With horror and thriller stories, however, the stakes are often literally undefinable. Characters die left and right, causing a sense of stress that pulls the readers or viewers into a sense of paranoia, and the stories, when written correctly, are often unpredictable.

In short however, yes, I would have to say adrenline. I don't know if any of this made any sense, but yeah, my guess is that it's the thrill that keeps audiences (including me) coming back, as well as the unrestrained ability to write about difficult subjects not touched upon in other works. I personally am a fan of teaching lessons through difficult topics, so you could consider me a "darker" writer. Maybe that's just me.

By the way, I have seen Stranger Things, and I found it an excellently written show. I guess I'm just a sucker for being on the edge of my seat, while simotaneously getting to know an entire cast of likable characters. And as for benefits? That one's tough. I mean, there's always entertainment, but some stories considered frightening genuinely do teach some good lessons, and may even instill a sort of caution in dangerous situations. (Don't open that door, Billy...) XD

[Raven]

Horror certainly teaches us to run towards crowded places, not back into dark alleys. . . Unless of course it's a zombie thriller and then the crowded places could be an entirely bad choice.

I hope I haven't given the idea that liking thriller/suspense/horror is inherently bad. In fact, I was just thinking about this topic more because I finished reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and parts of it had quite a bit of a thriller/horror flare, and maybe with a couple exceptions I really enjoyed the Gothic atmosphere that it occasionally invoked, and the sense of suspense. In fact, that book had a really compelling villain -- one of the best written villains I have read in a long time, and he was sometimes down-right scary.
Adding the spooky, mysterious, thrilling certainly can certainly benefit a story quite a lot.

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Here's an article by Mike Duran that recently appeared on TGC that speaks of the compatibility of horror with the Christian faith: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/popularity-horror-movies-might-encourage-christians/

Also, here's a follow-up on his blog where he clarifies some statements and addresses some criticisms: http://www.mikeduran.com/2018/02/15/responses-to-my-article-on-the-horror-genre-appearing-at-the-gospel-coalition/

It may not be a definitive answer, but I think it's worthy of consideration.