Why are horror movies and slash films so popular?

I’ll never understand it. I long ago stopped watching slasher flicks. It is rare that I’ll watch a horror movie. I don’t like things that jump out and scare the watcher. I definitely don’t like blood and gore. I’d rather watch a good comedy. Let’s compromise and watch Shaun of the Dead.

@Juels HA! Shaun of the Dead looks hillarious.

I don’t get it myself either. They’re often very very poor movies. Horrible story and generally worse dialog. Cliche. I don’t find any of them scary but instead cheesy. I don’t count the random thing popping up as a true scare either though. I want to watch a film that has me freaked out about the possibility of it later so I’m questioning sounds I hear in the dark, not some unstoppable movie monster walking around like peppi la pue to each victim that is either having sex or doing drugs. /rant

I do love the crossover type horror comedies like shaun of the dead and zombie-land though.

@3easychords Even my daughter loved that movie. We’re fans of Simon Pegg. If you like Shaun of the Dead, then you might also like Hot Fuzz and Run Fatboy Run.

@uberbatman Yes I have been more afraid of some of the Alfred Hitchcock films then some of the graphic presentations of the later cinema years.

I’m not really a fan of modern slasher films. They lack the humor and cheesiness that 70’s and 80’s slasher flicks thrived on.

@Juels. Thank you. I will watch the trailers and purchase at netflex.

I kind of worry about the kind of people who can’t wait to see those kinds of movies when they come out. To me it’s just about a lot of blood and screaming. Who would want to see that?

@flip86 They seem to believe that the audience wants to see more blood less story.

@Dutchess_III Yes. I agree Dutchess III

We all grew up fearing things that go bump in the night, our parents constantly warned us not to talk to strangers or to wander too far alone. The fear of the unknown captures our imagination & takes us to places, on screen at least, that filled us with dread from a very early age, also…horror movies are fab, mostly.

@ucme I remember at an early age being told about the boogie man. I’m not sure what he actually did but I was to always “beware”

@3easychords Just the thing I mean, some parents even use playful warnings like that when their kids are playing instead of sleeping. Drummed into us that fearful stuff happens & we kind of enjoy that despite ourselves.

Because people like to be scared?! I love scary movies.

I hate torture porn (“Saw” in its many, many iterations, for example) and always look askance at friends and peers who do enjoy it.

Yes, if they’re really scary @KNOWITALL. But really scary movies are few and far between. Mostly they’re just non-stop blood and gore and gross.

It can be accurately compared to folks who enjoy roller coaster rides or extreme sports, free fall parachute jumping. Searching for an adrenalin rush, while eating popcorn & hiding behind the sofa…BOO!!

I like the campy, humorous ones, like “Dead and Breakfast” and yes, “Shaun of the dead”, “Otis”, and others. A campy horror movie is comedy. My daughter and I love seeking out “B” movies for the laughs.

@syz I really liked Saw actually, it actually had an interesting plot and psychological ramifications. Look askance…lol

@Dutchess_III If they scare ME, that’s really all I care about. I still dig Damien (that end scence creepy!) and Paranormal Activity(s), The Strangers (my friend’s addition), The Conjuring.

@ucme Exactly, except I’m not risking my life watching a scary movie, but I get the same rush! Spot on!

@KNOWITALL I liked the spoof version of Paranormal Activity, but you’ll never get me to watch the real version. The spoof even scared me.

@Juels I peek between my fingers when I get scared and hubs says “I got this for YOU, watch it, it’s just a movie.” hahaha!

Honestly the thing that scares me the most is little kids, they’re so innocent that it’s completely unexpected. I still have to watch ‘mama’...lol

When my son was little, if he saw a “scary” part in a kids movie he’d put his hands over his ears….and continue watching.

Whenever I watch a horror, it’s late at night, close to midnight sometimes. All the lights have to be out, everyone’s in bed usually so that’s okay.
I’m then sat, bottle of Bud in one hand, mahoosive pack of Doritos in the other & i’m good to go. Once the film’s finished & the lights are on, i’m off to cuddle up to the wife in bed, coz i’m sometimes a little bit scared see :/

I like the cheesy gore movies (Dead Alive, Evil Dead and Army of Darkness), and on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, HyperViolence with really sick, twisted, unexpected and very serious stories (Oldboy, I Saw the Devil).

Why?

I don’t know. I like extremes. I appreciate visual effects that aren’t done with CGI, yet still look convincing. I like good acting and great storytelling and something other than the same damn romantic comedy trope for the nine-hundredth time.

@ucme You big baby…hahahaha!

@KNOWITALL Wanna change my nappy/diaper? Me want ma arse powdered “mama”

@ucme Just a spankin’ you naughty thing! ;)

@KNOWITALL I’m sitting on the naughty step as we speak type.

@syz I actually liked the first saw because it was a somewhat original story. And then just like every other horror movie they made 80 more iterations, each one crappier than the last.

@Seek_Kolinahr I liked I saw the Devil and loved Oldboy. Great stories.

If nobody has seen “Otis” it is a MUST see, so damn funny!
Psycho tubby pizza delivery guy kidnaps teen girls and holds them hostage in his prom night dungeon. I just watched this again the other night. Hilarious!

The family whose daughter is missing and the asshole detective are just great, one of the funniest horror flicks ever!

I used to hate watching horror movies especially the ones having scenes that I can’t get out of my head. The old horror movies had a good plot and without much torture and mutilation they would still manage to scare the crap out of you. But now they just use blood and guts to scare us. But recently I have started developing interest, saw some good movies for Halloween.
Horror movies are popular because most of the people enjoy the adrenaline rush of being scared while being safe. It’s actually a way of escaping from real life into a world of fantasy where horrific things happen to normal people. They just want to experience things that they otherwise would not experience in real life.

Our human brains shaped by more than 100,000 years of hunter-gatherers experience.

Its for the fear and violence and lots of times just to watch it with a girl or guy he/she might wanna hold or cuddle up to.