Joe Guzman
Equinox Staff
Scary and Horror movies: we watch them year-round to feel a nervous sensation or a jumpscare.
However, it seems like the time when most horror and scary movies seem to debut is around the spooky holiday of Halloween.
Why is it that people watch more horror and scary movies around this time of year? According to a study by psychologytoday.com, “Dr. Jeffrey Goldstein, a professor of social and organizational psychology at the University of Utrecht [was quoted explaining that] ‘People go to horror films because they want to be frightened or they wouldn’t do it twice. You choose your entertainment because you want it to affect you. That’s certainly true of people who go to entertainment products like horror films that have big effects. They want those effects…[Horror films must] provide a just resolution in the end.’” This means that people are trying to get an exciting response from their media — and if they didn’t like it, they wouldn’t continue to consume that media.
To dig deeper into this theory, three different first years were interviewed. Christopher Joseph Demarco, Lily Ayotte, and Melissa Field all have different levels of interest in horror and scary movies.
Demarco said he watches them, Ayotte mentioned she does occasionally and Field said that she doesn’t typically watch them. Each mentioned enjoying or appreciating popular horror movies such as the Shining, the Conjuring, Stephen King’s It, and Psycho.
All three that were interviewed agreed that horror and scary movies enhance the Halloween experience.
Demarco started first explaining that it: “Has to do with the holiday, it just puts people in a mood and helps them celebrate … the adrenaline [hits] and you go, ‘aw damn, that was good, that really got me’ and just thinking … wow, somebody actually got you. Then sometimes the suspense actually leads up to it.” Ayotte mentioned, “It’s a good kind of thing. It gets darker earlier, it’s cold, you can wrap up with a blanket and popcorn, it’s a nice kind of aesthetic. I like jump scares when you don’t see them coming. Some horror movies can be pretty predictable with that kind of stuff, but if it’s out of nowhere you have this moment of fear that can really add to the movie.” Field chuckled and said, “Because there’s hype about [the movies] and it’s time to get spooky. [I like] the fact that it scares the s— out of you and it’s a surprise. Yes, definitely, [these movies enhance the experience.] I think that it puts everyone on the edge of their seat and in the [Halloween] mood.”
Lastly, they were all asked about joke scary movies like the “Scary Movie” saga and “Haunted House”, Ayotte and Demarco both agreed that they’re hilarious.
Joe Guzman can be contacted at
jguzman@kscequinox.com
