Effects of horror films

Like all forms of media, horror films do influence the audience, whether that's good or bad depends on one's mental state and their personality.

There are 6 main effects of horror films, and they are followed:

Imitation: Many films, including horror, has been known to take significant effect on society. Films have been known to ferment actions such as general violence, murder and even hate towards a certain group, and this idea is backed up by the cases of "copycats", people who are inspired by a film character and act regarding that character.

In 1999, two high students murdered twelve other students and one teacher at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. The massacre ended with both perpetrators committing suicide. It has been confirmed that both students were fans of Natural Born Killers. Prior to the massacre, they had used the initials 'NBK' as their code and made many references to the film.

Catharsis: Catharsis is "the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions." This can suggest that Horror films provide some sort of relief because of the sudden burst of adrenaline caused from tense scenes and sudden scares can be therapeutic. However, as weird as it may seem, horror films can be cathartic, rather than reacting with distraught and disgust, the individual may feel relieved after the build-up of tension because of this release.

Drip - effect: This is when one is gradually exposed to a subject over time (in this case, horror films), and their attitude towards that theme or subject has changed. For example, a horror film showing the negative effects of capital punishment can change one's views about it since it can go wrong in many ways. Dead Man Walking (1995) has pushed the public debate on the death penalty to a higher rate for a period after its release. However, the film did not result in "real political or legal change" but that it did encourage additional study on the penalty itself.

Desensitisation: Over time, people may become immune to certain things that are shown in horror films. This could be to the point at which no one would jump when a demon grabs someone's ankles or whenever the antagonist murders a victim. This can be positive if we look it from the perspective of phobias. By becoming numb to certain fears, it is most likely for one to be able to overcome it or even view it from a neutral perspective.

Cultivation differential: This looks at how there's a difference between people who intake more media than others, creating differences between how they view the world. For example, those who watch the news or certain films would see the world in a more negative view and therefore would become fearful of something that isn't there.

Triggering: This is usually for people who have had passed experiences and watching a horror film that may include or indicate certain aspects of that experience, will make them upset or uncomfortable in some way.

But even though, most of these effects will not be long lasting unless the film is extreme in terms of leaving effects on certain people.