Halloween is coming around which means scary movies! Many people enjoy scary movies while others try to steer clear from them. The question is, “Why do people like scary movies?”

Let’s do a psychological dive into this. According to psichi.org, “people may seek out horror movies for all sorts of reasons, such as triggering chemicals in their brains, to help them plan for worst case scenarios, or to practice coping strategies and control.”

Psychology Today states that, “The excitement of fear, when experienced in safety, can be rewarding.” and “We might enjoy horror stories because of the psychological arousal they induced.” People who like scary movies might like the thrill of it, or some people enjoy getting scared. 

Student Kayla Lindekugel , a sophomore, shared her thoughts on the topic. She was asked if she likes scary movies and why.

“Yes, I think they are funny,” Lindekugel said. “She finds it funny because she actually knows what is going to happen.” 

In another interview, Hunter Haller, a freshman, gave us his own thoughts on the topic. Hunter said that “Jump scares” is what he hates about scary movies.

Haller said, “I don’t like scary movies because the suspense makes you lean closer and closer, and then this guy jumps out and scares you.”  

In the final Interview I asked student Joshua Maguina, a freshman if he likes scary movies.

“Yes, I find them cool and funny,” Maguina said.

A lot of people like scary movies while some don’t. The main thing people seem to not like about scary movies is the jump scares.

Encyclopedia states that, “The jump scare has been described as “one of the most basic building blocks of horror movies.” Jump scares can startle the viewer by appearing at a point in the film where the soundtrack is quiet and the viewer is not expecting anything alarming to happen, or can be the sudden payoff to a long period of suspense.”

A lot of people find scary movies funny. The reason they find them funny is because in a lot of movies, the characters do something idiotic or they get killed off because of how stupid their actions were. Some scary movies put in the “idiotic” character just to make the movie less unsettling.