To think horror films are horrible

[Somethingthecatdraggedin7]

I have never understood why people enjoy horror films.
By that I mean the genuine films of that genre not crime/action whatever which have violence in them.
I watched part of a horror film at a freind's place when I was much younger (late teens) and was completely freaked out and left my friend’s house. The film was so shockingly nasty that it took me years to block out the images.
If you enjoy horror, why do you like them? Is it a thrill akin to a rollercoaster for you?
I honestly don’t understand why people like watching torture etc.
YABU = Horror films are great fun and I can’t get enough
YANBU = Horror films are horrible and I avoid them

Love Tucker and Dale!
I like a real scary film, too many rely on gore and torture.
My favourite is a black and white 1950s "In The Dead Of Night. The final story with the ventriloquist dummy gives me chills every time!

I love horror films and have worked in the industry. It's a great community with very passionate fans who are often big cineastes. It's one of the purest genres of cinema, being primarily visual and sound FX, not so much about dialogue, and a great horror can work in all cultures across the world, tapping into deep primal human experiences. Many horrors deal better with social and personal issues much better than trad dramas which are more on the nose e.g. the first Night of the Living Dead is a seminal film about race - and other issues - that has lasted much better than many films of the time, and there's myriad erudite studies on everything from The Exorcist to J-horror you could delve into.

Horrors use metaphor and myth to help us explore our fears and face them in the same way children do through fairytales, and with extra power when watched together in a cinema. It's a valuable and healthy way to deal with things and oddly conservative in many ways, focusing on how to manage a disruption to the norm and then restore an equilibrium, even if it's then left open for sequels.

Of course there are plenty of horrors that don't aim so high and just go for gore and scares, but they have their purpose too, giving people a catharsis through an unreal experience so they can return to their real life with that adrenaline released. I like it when films push the envelope in whatever way and find originality exciting wherever I find it, even finding some political meaning in The Human Centipede. There's a whole chunk of people who will never like horror, just as there's a chunk who'll never like opera or golf or whatever, and that's fine, it's not for everyone, but that just means it's very much for some people with different tastes to you who don't find it horrible or at least don't find that a bad thing.

Me dh love horrors the more shocking the better.Dont like slashers with no proper storyline though.

Me and

I love horror and I'll admit to liking a bit of torture porn too. The Hostel films are among my favourite. Mainly as it wouldn't surprise me if something similar happens in real life. For that reason I also love Eden Lake, the people are so ordinary but it's so dark. I can enjoy fantasy horror but the closer to "this could actually happen" the more I like it.

I think these things just affect some people more deeply than others. I'm never "scared" (would love to find a film that could do that!). But I enjoy feeling "disturbed" in a safe way. Its an emotion I guess some people enjoy and some don't.

They’re not for me. I just cannot get my head around finding entertainment value and enjoyment in horrific graphic depictions of human suffering, no matter how it’s rationalised as being made up.

I love horror movies and always have. I love the adrenaline rush and also the intimacy and bonding experience of watching something so thrilling with a friend or partner. Also reminds me of that sensation of being a teenager and watching banned horror movies at sleepovers under the covers. That feeling of being, carefree, curious, impulsive, sexy, reckless etc. It’s like scary fairytales for adults!

Same reason why people enjoy rollercoasters!

Sadly they don’t make too many good horror movies these days and it’s rare to find a good one! I prefer the suspenseful ones over the really gory ones but that’s only because I’m getting older and they’ve been done to death!

I fucking LOVE horror films. And yes, it’s partly about experiencing fear safely, like going on a rollercoaster. It’s a thrill. It’s also cathartic and liberating for me.

I like most types of horror, but I’m not a massive fan of the ‘torture porn’ subgenre of horror. I don’t find it distressing but I do find it mostly lazy and dull. I do like slasher films, though, which are different from torture porn. A lot of slasher films aren’t actually at all gory, surprisingly.

I’ve liked anything spooky or horror related since I was a very small child. I actually write horror fiction as a hobby. I also wrote my English literature dissertation on a specific aspect of horror fiction.

The first Saw was good - well-plotted with a new idea, a cool twist and nice grimy look that took inspiration from Seven and detective stories and mixed them into the more pulpy end of the genre. People lump it all together as torture porn now, and it's dated of course, but it was a smart film that had a big impact on a low budget. Again, it's not for everyone, but as Miranda Sawyer once said, all film reviews ultimately boil down to: "It's okay, if you like that sort of thing."

Somethingthecatdraggedin7 You are my kind of person! Absolutely Hate Horror films and Ghost Stories I find terrifying .Mind you I am not keen on roller coasters either . My DH and I have a deal .No Horror movies (which he likes) and as much football as he wants (i dont like footy)

Eden Lake deeply affected me. Absolutely brilliant film. Harrowing. The ending destroyed me for days. As a teacher I completely see how realistic this is as have sadly taught many students like that. I hope to never come across them again. These things can happen. Like you said, that’s why it’s so scary and dark.

That’ll be either Night Of The Hunter or the original Cape Fear. Both brilliant.

Robert Mitchum was an incredible actor.

I love them but I don’t find many very scary. I certainly don’t have ‘adrenaline flooding my body.’ You’re however conflating two different things - torture porn and scary films. They’re two different things

Stbxh watches them every night now he tells me. He is currently obsessed with art the clown and tries to tell me the worst bits. I hate it how he gets kicks out of seeing people tortured then murdered. I think it's the lack of empathy in him that is unsettling

Everyone has their genre. Personally speaking I really like spooky/ghost films....it's not a film but I'm particularly enjoying uncanny ATM. But I agree that horror and gore is not pleasant to watch. I never got over SAW 😩

I still say American Werewolf in London is the greatest werewolf movie ever. I can't see it being beaten 👌

Love horror films - my favourite genre- not overly keen on the torture ‘porn’ stuff but a good psychological horror is hard to beat - I watched Heretic recently which was fab. Also love a creature feature - Dog Soldiers being one of my favourite films.

Horror is escapism, its risk ‘learning’ with no risk, it’s scary and safe and often thought provoking.

Haha I was going to say the same.

I enjoy the horror genre, both in film and books, although not the pure gore stuff. Some people like to feel afraid and explore those darker, less comfortable possibilities and/or feelings.

I love (and have done since I was a preteen reading crappy YA 90s 'horrors') the feeling of being in suspense, on the edge of my seat and the feeling of both not wanting to read/watch on bit feeling compelled to. I can't really explain it. I love rides too.

Dog Soldiers!!! But both are great films and the special effects are better in AWIL

I never watch them. I was traumatised by Poltergeist as a child.

Genuinely don't see why people enjoy them.

@MightAsWellBeGretel point horror by any chance 😁

I personally don't get why people watch or read romances. They are so, SO boring.

I'll take horror over that shit every day of the week.

The only horror fils that have ever actually scared me are the grudge films, its how she moves and the noise she makes. I love horror and gore, like the terrifier and saw movies. It never ceases to amaze me the things human minds can make up to do to one another. It's kind of fascinating.

I used to hate them from watching some scary ones as a kid that traumatised me! But then I got a job where I had to watch a bunch and I’ve grown to appreciate why people like them, they’re just exciting, keep you on the edge of your seat type thing.

I agree OP, I just don’t understand the appeal or fascination people have with this genre.