Weekly Analysis #5 Horror Films - Why are they popular?

          One thing that I ask myself when I think of horror films is; why do people like these films? Why do I like these films? These films are filled with terror and trauma. Some of them filled with sadistic torture, others with creepy supernatural mysteries. Sometimes they are a little too gruesome for my taste and absolutely terrifying. What is it that attracts enough people to generate millions of fans and dollars?  Not only do we have fans of the films that are a part of this but we also have the creators, writers, directors, etc. who are all in the same love boat with horror. Something in the brain of these fans is attracted to the blood, trauma and the rush you get from watching these movies play out. Personally I enjoy the shock value you get from the films; I like the rush I get from the suspense. I like to be shocked and scared and I think the creepiness of the movies and the scenery is neat. This must be the case for most people as well. I asked a friend why he likes these films, he said; "being scared is fun".

         There is most definately a formula followed in each of these films. You have the happy go lucky normal in the beginning where you meet the main characters. Then the shredding begins and the horror, the good people are struggling the entire time to outwit and escape the bad guy. The viewer is sent through a horrific journey with the characters, then in the end someone always escapes and you are left wondering if there will be a sequel where the bad guys comes back to attack again. One common occurence in the horror film is the death of the bad guy, who really isn't dead and then he comes back to kill a few times more. Often times there is a romance involved in the film as well. I like in the end when someone is triumphant over the evil characters. I often sometimes like for the evil characters to win. Very rarely do they though. The makeup and sets on these films is really what attracts me as well. I think that would be a great industry to work in and would be so much fun to be able to do the makeup and costumes.

        Since it's Halloween I think that you should pop in a good classic horror film, turn the lights out and scare yourself tonight. According to a lot of people, that's fun!