Why are horror films scary?

[NeverMore]

....
From the Brain Book...

Certain brain cells are activated when you move, and also when
you see someone else moving. This means we unconsciously mimic
the actions of others and thus share, to some extent, their
experience.

These mirror neurons, as they are known, also allow us to know
what another person is feeling, without having to think about it.

The discovery of mirror neurons is among the most significant
neuroscientific discoveries in recent years.

They mean that when you see someone doing something, in your
brain you do it, too - for instance, when you watch a person
running, the bit of your brain concerned with planning to move the
legs is activated.

And when you see another person expressing an emotion, the areas
of your brain associated with feeling that emotion are also activated,
making emotions transmittable.

Emotion mirroring is thought to be the basis of empathy. Autistic
people often lack empathy and have been found to show less mirror-
neuron activity.

Mirror neurons explain why emotion is whipped up in horror film
audiences - seeing someone else looking frightened makes you feel
scared yourself.

Read More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1216768/

[adrian]

this is really interesting.. i'm such a curious person and love learning. everyday i live to learn..

a man, i forget his name, was going to the gallows to be executed.. the boy carrying his chain was humming a song.. the man asked the boy right before they dropped the blade, "son, what are you humming"
the boy, stunned, asked "sir, you're about to die, why do you want to know."
the man said "i just want to learn one more thing before i die"

i kinda like to live to that story

[NeverMore]

....
Me too. I'm like a sponge. Squeeze me hard enough I'll start spewing useless trivia.

[adrian]

lol THAT was clever

[Murfreesboro]

That's interesting. A neurological explanation for empathy.

I have found that, as I get older, it's harder for me to get a thrill from most horror films. When I was around 12 or 13, man, anything could creep me out, even the most ludicrous 1950s monster movies on the Friday night late show--Creature from the Black Lagoon, that kind of silliness. Now it's so much harder for me to get that thrill. I guess I've just seen too many of them. I feel as if I know all the tricks.

A few weeks ago I finally broke down and bought The Exorcism of Emily Rose. I didn't know what to expect, didn't know if I'd like it or not, but I like Laura Linney, so I thought, what the heck? Now, that movie did creep me out. I was watching it alone in the middle of the day, and I was honestly a little sorry there wasn't anyone else in the house with me. To me it was scarier even than The Exorcist. A little while later I shared it with my son who was home from college, and he remarked that "It's smarter than The Exorcist." I think what really got to me about it was the eerieness of certain scenes, and the ambiguity of it all. You never really know for sure what happened to that girl. That's the sort of thing that gives me goosebumps now.

When my boys were younger and watched The Ring on video, they were scared out of their minds by it. I watched it after them and thought, "Yeah, there are some eerie images in this thing. If I were 13, this would probably get to me, too." But The Ring didn't really scare me that much.

A few years ago I bought the original version of The Wicker Man on VHS because the box said it was a cult classic, and because the star was Edward Woodward, who is a favorite actor of mine. However, I disliked that movie so much that I watched it only once. It was made in the early '70s, when filmmakers had just gotten the license to be sexually explicit, so it was OTT in that area and unintentionally comical to me in that way. And then, the story I found highly distasteful. Don't know if you've seen it or not, and I don't want to give away too much of the plot if you haven't. But IMO the lead character is genuinely heroic and is punished for that. I just thought the film was extremely negative.

[NeverMore]

I have found that, as I get older, it's harder for me to get a thrill from most horror films.

Maybe that's because real life is much scarier than anything you see in a movie? As you get older you pay more attention to the world around you. They were just talking about the Elizabeth Smart thing on the radio. Sick.

[Spookymufu]

I havent seen the original Wicker Man, but I did see the Nick Cage re-make and I didnt care for it, I have decided that M. Knight Shama-lama-ding-dong got lucky with a few of his film and thats about it.

I havent seen the Emily Rose movie, I'll have to rent it and see how it is. The original excorsist is just plain scary to me, I cant watch it if I am alone. I cant fall asleep if I watch it at night. I think the reason it gets to me so badly is because I believe in a heaven and hell and this could actually happen. The other more sub-conscious fear of it is if I watch this movie, am I inviting this into my own house........?

[Pumpkin_Man]

Not all horror movies are scary. Some of them are gross, others are more depressing and still others are more horrifying. Take the two different versions of "The Haunting." The original black & white version was a very frightening nightmare trip through a haunted house. There were suprises at every corner. In the remake, the story was more developed, but not as scary. Perhaps it's because it didn't have the same impact as the original, but I found the story of Hough Krane and how h e victimized the children who worked in his sweat shop to be more depressing then scary. both movies were great but for different reasons. I also thought the little "ghosties" that were flying around were more 'cute and cuddly' then frightening.

Mike

[adrian]

yea like Saw.... i like movie styles like that also

[Spookymufu]

Not all horror movies are scary. Some of them are gross, others are more depressing and still others are more horrifying. Take the two different versions of "The Haunting." The original black & white version was a very frightening nightmare trip through a haunted house. There were suprises at every corner. In the remake, the story was more developed, but not as scary. Perhaps it's because it didn't have the same impact as the original, but I found the story of Hough Krane and how h e victimized the children who worked in his sweat shop to be more depressing then scary. both movies were great but for different reasons. I also thought the little "ghosties" that were flying around were more 'cute and cuddly' then frightening.

Mike

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I havent seen the original (I've heard it's good) but I thought the remake, like a lot of movies now days, had too much CGI.

I love the original Psycho, it has a creepy feel to it and almost no gore at all.