Why do we watch scary films?

Do we like seeing evil punished?

-       The excitement ‘ the think’ (physical response)

-       Face fear (challenge ourselves)

-       (Knowledge that everything is safe) Not scary if not believable

Aristotle

Believed in catharsis

-       A release of suppressed emotion

-       We are attracted to what scares us to purge emotion

Exciting theory – Zolf Zillman

-       Negative emotion

-       Gain from violent/scary

-       Imagery INTENSIFY the positive

-       We enjoy seeing evil vanquished

Glenn D Walters

What makes a film scary?

-       Tension – suspense built up with filming techniques

-       Relevance – the fear generated has to be relevant and believe by the audience

-       Unrealism – We have to know there is no real threat. This is safe space to explore and experiment

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