Horror Movies: Why do people like to be scared? (According to science)

Fear and terror are negative emotions, so why do people pay money to see a scary movie to get scared on purpose? Why are scary movies fun? We take a peek at your brain on fear and review some research on who likes scary movies and why.

Further Reading:
Martin, G. N. (2019). (Why) do you like scary movies? A review of the empirical research on psychological responses to horror films. Frontiers in psychology, 10, 2298.

Zuckerman, M., Kolin, E. A., Price, L., & Zoob, I. (1964). Development of a sensation-seeking scale. Journal of consulting psychology, 28(6), 477.

Norman, J. (2018). PERSONALITY TYPES AND THE ENJOYMENT OF HORROR MOVIES. Journal of Social & Psychological Sciences, 11(1).

Tamborini, R., Stiff, J., & Zillman, D. (1987). Preference for graphic horror featuring male versus female victimization: Personality and past film viewing experiences. Human Communication Research, 13(4), 529-552.

Mundorf, N., Weaver, J., & Zillmann, D. (1989). Effects of gender roles and self perceptions on affective reactions to horror films. Sex roles, 20(11), 655-673.