Somebody explain horror to me

[Drummie666]

I've never really been in to horror and I simply don't understand why anybody else is.
What is the entertainment factor in having the living shit scared out of you?

Yes, I have played Amnesia. I'm about 2-3 hours into it. However, I've been there for weeks and I don't really want to go back to it.
It's not a bad game, in fact, it's really good. It does what It's trying to do very well, It's just that what it does is not very appealing to me.
It's scary as fuck and last time I checked, humans don't like being afraid.

So, anyone here able to explain the appeal horror to me?

 

[thiosk]

Its like riding rollercoasters. You know you aren't going to fall out, but you still get that endorphin rush.

You know the man with the knife isn't going to cut YOUR toes off and feed them to you, but for some reason you still watch it. Rush of brain chemicals when it tickles your fight or flight response.

Personally, I don't much care for the modern take on horror, which seems to be the endless extension of 1980s slashers.

 

[Gigano]

Catharsis [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catharsis].

That, and humans are just fascinated by the less pleasant and more chaotic sides of life. Something like crime dramas - with murders aplenty - is quite popular as well.

 

[Shihan2]

I'm betting it has something to do with the adrenaline released when the fight or flight response kicks in. It's a rush to feel that you're fighting for survival without actually being in danger. For some people, they're drawn to it because they don't get the same kick out of your standard war game, where the chances of you surviving are based more on being able to find and eliminate a target rather than run or hide from a killer/monster.

 

[retterkl]

[youtube]v=-tiynTPuUUM[/youtube]

Sometimes you've got to push yourself. If you can overcome your fear of etherial, something that scares you to hell and back, I think it can be:

1) Satisfying to yourself that you've overcome it, you know it's not real and you've proved that you can stick it.

2) It can help overcome less worrying fears. You might not be able to face one fear, but I think fear or shyness are in general levels inherent in ones self. Therefore if you can overcome the game then mabye you can talk to that girl you like or put yourself out there for that promotion you want.

3) Putting yourself through great strain to accomplish something gives you things to talk about with people (ok this might be a bit laboured in this case but generally could hold up). For example, why are people risking their health/lives to climb Mount Everest when they aren't going to actually get anything out of it apart from the achievement itself.


Plus there's the adrenaline rush that some people get off to.

 

[Kahunaburger]

Yeah, endorphins. Also, there's a lot of cool storytelling that is more common in horror movies - bad things happen to good people, heroes are fallible and/or weak, etc. That's why I'm generally a big fan of zombie movies - the people in them are pretty realistic and there's a pretty good chance none of them are making it out alive.

 

[de5gravity]

The rush of course! I love roller coasters, I love horror games and horror movies, I know I'm going to get scarred (and very easily too) but I can't help it, I love it.

Oh and while i'm on the subject, I don't care what Yahtzee said, Dead Space 1 scarred the hell out of me (and I loved it). Yes Amnesia did too. And freakin Alone in the dark the new nightmare did too. And Silent Hill. And Resident Evil 4...aaaand I kinda forgot what my point was supposed to be..

 

[thenamelessloser]

It makes little sense to me as well, I can feel bored and scared at the same time. Many things bore and scare me in real life. A game or movie being scary doesn't mean it won't be boring to me. Note, horror themed movies and games can still be fun but that is if they have good gameplay, story, characters, humor etc.

 

[thenamelessloser]

[youtube]v=-tiynTPuUUM[/youtube]

Sometimes you've got to push yourself. If you can overcome your fear of etherial, something that scares you to hell and back, I think it can be:

1) Satisfying to yourself that you've overcome it, you know it's not real and you've proved that you can stick it.

2) It can help overcome less worrying fears. You might not be able to face one fear, but I think fear or shyness are in general levels inherent in ones self. Therefore if you can overcome the game then mabye you can talk to that girl you like or put yourself out there for that promotion you want.

3) Putting yourself through great strain to accomplish something gives you things to talk about with people (ok this might be a bit laboured in this case but generally could hold up). For example, why are people risking their health/lives to climb Mount Everest when they aren't going to actually get anything out of it apart from the achievement itself.


Plus there's the adrenaline rush that some people get off to.

Can't relate to this at all, Being able to watch a horror movie or playing a horror video game is not nearly as scary as the typical day to me in real life. (I have OCD and anxiety issues so even very smple things that you probably never think about scare the shit out of me.)

 

[BreakfastMan]

I just like the atmosphere of it all. The mystery of not knowing what is going, the rush of fighting off horrible monsters, the suspense of it all... That all just really appeals to me. I really love the feel of a good horror game/story. I don't know why.

 

[Nomanslander]

Well the theory is, being exposed to it can lead a person to master his/her fears.

It's like a person afraid of heights going sky diving.

 

[Strain42]

I understand the appeal of it in video games because you are the one in control, you have some semblance of a connection with the person, what happens to them is on your head, and that can be a pretty good rush to some people.

In movies, I don't understand it at all. I'm one of the few people I know who doesn't like horror movies. You know that most, if not all of these not well fleshed out disposable characters are going to get killed, and generally whoever the villain is, is going to somehow "win" at the end of the film.

Horror movies usually fall into one of two groups for their horror 1. Constant Gore, which some people like seeing, but I don't see it as a form of entertainment. and 2. Using music and loud noises to startle you, which I also don't like because...well...to paraphrase Yahtzee "I was startled when a possum jumped into my window, it doesn't make it the marsupial version to Stanley Kubrick."

In a horror film, you just have to watch the characters and when something goes wrong and the slasher shows up, you just have to sit there and go "Oh god, what are they going to do?" The answer to this question is usually "Die. They are going to die." but in a horror video game when the excrement starts to hit the oscillating unit, you can tense up and have that moment of "Oh god oh god oh god, what am "I" going to do!?" and you can get a rush of accomplishment if you get out of the situation

I dunno, I don't play a lot of horror games myself, but I see the appeal of them more than horror films.

 

[Muggizz]

It depends on your personality... I like the way developers use thrill, fear, tension and mystery to keep you playing (much like portal 1 and the Silent Hill games.) But it's hard to execute it right.

 

[JasonKaotic]

Honestly, I don't know. Personally I love horror games, but I'm not sure why. It might just be the tension, gets your adrenaline going. Games that are genuinely scary are some of the best games out there for immersion, too.
ESPECIALLY Amnesia. I don't think I've ever immersed in a game as much as I have with that.

 

[VaudevillianVeteran]

Well, horror as a whole should appeal to our fears, paranoia and the thought 'What would I do if that happened to me?', I am a horror addict and it takes much to scare me, but most people enjoy being frightened for the same reason they love to ride rollercoasters. Adrenalin. That rush you get from being afraid or being effected by a 'jump scare'.
Getting immersed and losing control possibly? Though the latter doesn't fit in with horror videogames, you're in control and you need to escape whatever is after you. Which could also fit into the rush of getting immersed.
I suppose letting your imagination take you away is a big part of it too. Whatever you imagine will be ten times worse than what actually appears.
After all Hitchcock was right- "The scariest thing you can show an audience? A closed door".

I suppose it all comes down to taste in the end. I could ask the question 'What is the appeal of Romantic Comedies?' and probably not get it personally.

 

[webby]

In movies, I don't understand it at all. I'm one of the few people I know who doesn't like horror movies. You know that most, if not all of these not well fleshed out disposable characters are going to get killed, and generally whoever the villain is, is going to somehow "win" at the end of the film.

Horror movies usually fall into one of two groups for their horror 1. Constant Gore, which some people like seeing, but I don't see it as a form of entertainment. and 2. Using music and loud noises to startle you, which I also don't like because...well...to paraphrase Yahtzee "I was startled when a possum jumped into my window, it doesn't make it the marsupial version to Stanley Kubrick."

In a horror film, you just have to watch the characters and when something goes wrong and the slasher shows up, you just have to sit there and go "Oh god, what are they going to do?" The answer to this question is usually "Die. They are going to die." but in a horror video game when the excrement starts to hit the oscillating unit, you can tense up and have that moment of "Oh god oh god oh god, what am "I" going to do!?" and you can get a rush of accomplishment if you get out of the situation

I dunno, I don't play a lot of horror games myself, but I see the appeal of them more than horror films.

You sort of missed out the most important one here, atmospheric horror. You know... the one that's actually good. Sure, there are the Saw/Hostel type gore fests, there are the startle with music type and there are lots of Scream/Friday the 13th style slashers but to say that's all horror is is clearly a fallacy.

Atmospheric horror is the most effective, it's also the hardest to create which is why you get a lot of the former, lazier types of horror. Why go to the effort of creating a tense atmosphere that leaves you feeling on edge without much going on when you can just play a loud noise or (even worse) crash cut to the next scenes (invariably loud) music whilst a "tense" moment is still occurring?

There are some truly scary films out there, admittedly I'm about to quote a lot of Japanese/Korean films here, but The Ring, The Grudge and Hansel and Gretel are all films that leave you feeling a bit nervous. You cant stereotype all horror into 2 categories, it is just foolhardy and blatantly wrong.

I also don't see how the villain will "win" in the end. In the majority of horror movies you describe the villain is invariably killed, sure they often come alive at the start of a new film (before being killed again) but to say they win again seems kind of wrong.

 

[Strain42]

In movies, I don't understand it at all. I'm one of the few people I know who doesn't like horror movies. You know that most, if not all of these not well fleshed out disposable characters are going to get killed, and generally whoever the villain is, is going to somehow "win" at the end of the film.

Horror movies usually fall into one of two groups for their horror 1. Constant Gore, which some people like seeing, but I don't see it as a form of entertainment. and 2. Using music and loud noises to startle you, which I also don't like because...well...to paraphrase Yahtzee "I was startled when a possum jumped into my window, it doesn't make it the marsupial version to Stanley Kubrick."

In a horror film, you just have to watch the characters and when something goes wrong and the slasher shows up, you just have to sit there and go "Oh god, what are they going to do?" The answer to this question is usually "Die. They are going to die." but in a horror video game when the excrement starts to hit the oscillating unit, you can tense up and have that moment of "Oh god oh god oh god, what am "I" going to do!?" and you can get a rush of accomplishment if you get out of the situation

I dunno, I don't play a lot of horror games myself, but I see the appeal of them more than horror films.

You sort of missed out the most important one here, atmospheric horror. You know... the one that's actually good. Sure, there are the Saw/Hostel type gore fests, there are the startle with music type and there are lots of Scream/Friday the 13th style slashers but to say that's all horror is is clearly a fallacy.

Atmospheric horror is the most effective, it's also the hardest to create which is why you get a lot of the former, lazier types of horror. Why go to the effort of creating a tense atmosphere that leaves you feeling on edge without much going on when you can just play a loud noise or (even worse) crash cut to the next scenes (invariably loud) music whilst a "tense" moment is still occurring?

There are some truly scary films out there, admittedly I'm about to quote a lot of Japanese/Korean films here, but The Ring, The Grudge and Hansel and Gretel are all films that leave you feeling a bit nervous. You cant stereotype all horror into 2 categories, it is just foolhardy and blatantly wrong.

I also don't see how the villain will "win" in the end. In the majority of horror movies you describe the villain is invariably killed, sure they often come alive at the start of a new film (before being killed again) but to say they win again seems kind of wrong.

Not to sound like a jerk, but did you not notice that I used the word "usually" before I jumped into my examples? As in "Often, but not always"

And no, I'm not wrong about the villain winning being a common theme. Now again, the word USUALLY comes into play here, but even if you can name some movies where whatever the big evil force is, whether it's spooky powers, a serial killer, rabid animals, whatever, the films where that force gets completely wiped out, never to be seen again and the main character lives the rest of their lives happily and care free is a very rarely seen case of wrapping up a horror film and are heavily in the minority of the genre. That's why a lot of Comedy/Horror films like Army of Darkness, My Name is Bruce and Shaun of the Dead often have endings to parody that reaction.

Plus, I don't really like to look into foreign horror films too much in this analogy, because I spent a few years over in Japan, and had many movie based discussions with friends I made over there. To most of them, they're just as sick as formulated horror plots from their land, as I am of more Western ones. The reactions are essentially the same. A lot of people love Asian horror films because they're so different from the stuff they're used to seeing, but the same can be said about most Asians views of Western style horror.

 

[RDubayoo]

Have to say I had a rough experience with Amnesia, myself. When I first started playing, I could only do it for like an hour or two before I had to stop. And that was well before I actually ran into anything that could kill me. The "helpful" tips didn't do much good in that respect.

"Teehee, take cover in the shadows to hide from enemies! Like the ones that might or not might be in the next room! Tee hee hee!"

I was tempted to stop playing because it was so terrifying (stress from other factors probably wasn't helping), but I pressed on to the end simply because I wanted to know what happens next. I didn't die very often, but I was in constant fear of it and I'd completely flip out if it did happen.

So what's the appeal, then? Scary games might not necessarily be the most pleasant of experiences, but they can provide a change of pace from typical gaming fare and they can make for some memorable experiences. I can remember the most terrifying moments of Amnesia pretty clearly, but for most other games all I can remember is: "I.. think I shot things?"

 

[Savagezion]

IT is fun to be scared when nothing is actually in danger than a save game. You seriously have nothing to lose and can experience the emotion without having to risk something in return.

 

[webby]

snip

I disagree that "most" horror films fit into those stereotypes though. Even going with Western examples you have a variety of films that try to build an atmosphere as opposed to be random scare tactics that get parodied. The Strangers, Paranormal Activity, Insidious are a few recent examples of this. Sure, some do. I won't argue that point. But you seem to be basing your dislike of an entire genre based on the few cliché ideas that are often used. That's like disliking all FPSes because "most" are brown shooters.

As for the villain "winning" I still claim it's not always the case. Your examples of comedy horror films where everything ends up nice and back to normal doesn't counter that point. Pretty much every slasher film ever ends with the villain dead. The basic story is normally "evil rises, kills many people, gets defeated". This is visible from the classics (The Exorcist, The Shining, Psycho etc) up to the more modern equivalents (Scream, Friday the 13th etc). Sure, in some instances the "villain" does win (The Strangers and a few others) but its hardly the normal ending.

As for the asian audience being bored of their own formulaic plot devices, well that's kind of irrelevant. I never said foreign films were inherently better, I just mentioned a few that came to my head. Extra Credits did a decent video on why eastern horror is scarier to a western audience, I was merely corroborating their assessment.