2022-04-22

虽然不是人人都爱看恐怖片，但却有不少人对这类电影情有独钟。除了享受被吓得 “魂飞魄散” 的感觉，还有没有其它的因素？

What's your favourite genre1 of film? For many people who love being petrified2, or scared out of their wits, by jump scares that answer will be horror. Whether it's splatter films, wastelands in the apocalypse, monsters like demons3, zombies, vampires4, werewolves or phantoms5, there's something to suit everyone's taste. But just why do people enjoy watching these terrifying films?

First off, being scared can give us a rush of adrenaline. The heart starts pumping, making these films exhilarating. But the fact you're actually at home safe on the sofa makes the experience of being frightened all the more enjoyable because what's happening to the characters on the screen is far removed from your experience of being in your living room eating popcorn6. It feels more thrilling.

Coltan Scrivner, a PhD candidate in the Department of Comparative Human Development at The University of Chicago, argues that people who watch horror