Effects of Horror

Media is now prominent in life, with it's ease and connectability - it isn't hard to see how it has intrueded the every day. It comes in all forms - social media, the internet, music and the focus of this post - cinema/film. 

Cinema and film are often viewed as forms of escapism, and it is argued that we learn from the behaviour around us, so it makes sense that we are also effected from what we watch on the screen. 

Therefore, there are 6 differents theories that can be used to explain the possible effects of horror;

• Imitation is the idea that films can influenece behaviours within society. This essentially means that the audience may use a film as a model, and imitate the acts they witness on it. Therefore, for horror, this often means that the effect of imitation is negative. A real life example of a horror films influenece was in 1993 when two 10 year old boys; Robert Thompson and Jon Venables kidnapped and murdered a 3 year old when they snatched him from a shopping centre. They were supposedly inspired by 'Child's Play 3' and this case caused great controversy in the UK.
  

• Catharsis is the idea that films help in purging emotions, releasing the repressed feelings allow for a certain relief. Although the idea of gaining relief from a characters murder can be somewhat distrubing to the person initially, it allows a distraction to  escape the issues of their life through the build up/suspense, and then relief that it is over. 

• Drip - effect is the idea that gradual exposure to a subject can eventually alter someones perception and attitude towards it. Perhaps the  most notable example of this is the film 'The Green Mile'  whereby it shows a mismanged execution. This therefore, by showing the worst of executions and death penalities, may change how people feel about the punishment.

• Cultivation differential/ Mean world syndrome is the idea that there is a difference between people who consume media and those who don't. The 'Mean World Syndrome' term was coined by George Gobner to describe a phenomenon whereby violence - related content of mass media makes viewers believe the world is more dangerous than it actually is. Essentially, this means that after long exposure to bad situations, they become scared of other places and situations that aren't likely to pose a threat. An example of this would be the convention that many horror films include dark and misty graveyards - so people avoid walking through them at night. 

• Desensitisation is the idea that over time, people stop being effected as much by what they see in horror films. It means that the audiences' reactions become weaker and their levels of anxiety decrease. This could potentially be viewed as both positive and negative, because it forces people to overcome their fears, but it also can create a quality of inhumanness. This, added to the constant exposure of violence, death, ect in the news means that we become accustomed to the horror, and thereby are less affected.

• Triggering is the idea that horror films can bring back bad memories for people who have suffered certain horrors, or tirgger anxiety or schizophrenia. However, it is argued that this type of effect is not serious due to its lack of eventualities