The Mechanism Of Horror.

Rooted in literature, horror is described as:

'...a genre of fiction whose purpose is to create feelings of fear, dread, repulsion, and terror in the audience—in other words, it develops an atmosphere of horror. The term’s definition emphasizes the reaction caused by horror,' stemming from the Old French horror, meaning to shudder or to bristle.

Literary Terms.

But what I have discovered interestingly is that 'horror' is really just a reaction to what we watch.

...somebody’s life would have to be in danger for it to be a horror story. Horror is a reaction; it’s not a genre.

John Carpenter, 2015.

So let's get chatting about Horror as it is all open for a debate for all to join in with.

The earliest form of horror settled onto our television screens by the French pioneer filmmaker Georges Méliès in the late 1890s. The best known of these is a 3-minute short, silent film called 'The House of the Devil.'

Courtesy YouTube (accessed by author, dated 05.10.2020)

Let's for the moment take a look at Vocal for example, who even has a community for those writers who want to 'spread their wings,' and explore their ability to venture into reading & writing for this genre.

For everyone who has read any of my articles on Vocal, and on my Medium page here, you will know by now that I tend to write articles with a mental health angle to them. Vocal provided me with a springboard for starting up with writing once more after leaving work. As of today (06.10.2021) Vocal's horror community currently has 5,454 creators and a large collection of 10,643 stories to read at your own leisure.

Two stories that hold some credible & scary stories are included as examples are as below:

And,

All of us have a psyche.

The simplest way of looking at it is just as the dictionary explains it in basic terminology.

The mind, or the deepest thoughts, feelings, or beliefs of a person or group.

Cambridge Dictionary

Probing that much deeper we can begin to comprehend that it is so much more, to the point that we can better understand how 'horror' can affect us, defining our reactions to it.

Thereby, giving a little more credence to what John Carpenter described it as being, in his 2015 interview.

We are all very well aware of the number of real-life horrors that we see, experience, read & hear about, which is readily depicted by newspapers, radio, and television broadcasters so, what on earth attracts us all to voluntarily watch this type of horror fiction in cinemas and on our television screens at home? After all, have we not already had our fill of the everyday horrors we already endure?

Surely the above question posed can answer for itself can it not?

We think what’s going on is that horror fans are essentially building a toolkit for how to deal with feeling anxious or afraid. Because that’s exactly what you do when you’re watching a horror movie. You regulate your emotions such that you’re in a sweet spot for feeling afraid but also having fun

Coltan Scrivner

'You’re seeing scary things in a controlled environment, and I think that that’s something that we all crave,' as proposed by Margot Levin, Ph.D. (Clinical Psychologist, New York City.)

That's where the Id, the Ego, and the SuperEgo come into play. Sigmund Freud (1856 to 1939) was an Austrian psychoanalyst, and the founding father of psychoanalysis, a method for treating mental illness and also a theory that explains human behavior.

1. The Id. This can be understood as being the very immature component of someone's personality. It operates only on the pleasure principle with no regard for anything else.
2. The Ego. Look at this as being the social moderator between the ego and the superego. It operates on the reality principle. Something which makes the decisions that dictate our individual behavior(s).
3. The SuperEgo. Simply put, this area governs our morals, principles, and ethics. It considers the social standards for social behavior and guides us on what is right and wrong.

The Pleasure principle is the driving force of the 'id' that seeks immediate gratification of all needs, wants, and urges. It strives to fulfill our most basic and primitive urges, including hunger, thirst, anger, and sex.1 When these needs are not met, the result is a state of anxiety or tension.

The Reality principle basically prevents you from doing something (during life in general, or whilst at work) that might otherwise land you in trouble.

Morals, principles, & ethics all collectively distinguish the differences between good and bad or quite simply, right and wrong.

These three areas can be further investigated by clicking here for additional reading on Psychoanalytic Therapy, for those who are interested and would like to read more on the subject.

Yet another fascinating part of the human body is its ability to create a hormone known as Epinephrine (more commonly identified as adrenaline.)

When you think of horror, many may simply see that this genre creates reactions within its viewers (or readers) that evokes within them, feelings that they like, such as fear, worry, apprehension, but why?

Lets look at this a little deeper shall we?

A little more closer to home so to speak, is our reaction to fight or flight situations.

'The brain kind of forgets in that moment.. [of horror].. that what it’s seeing is not real danger and then charges up the physiological response that would be appropriate if it were.'

Krista Jordan, PhD (Clinical Psychologist. Texas.)

Fight or Flight reaction.

Our Fight or Flight response is an automatic physiological reaction to an event that is perceived as stressful or frightening. This perception of threat, activates the sympathetic nervous system within us and triggers an acute stress response, which prepares the body to fight or run away. These responses are evolutionary adaptations to increase our chances of survival in threatening situations.

In turn, your body goes into fight-or-flight mode, which means it’s flooded with adrenaline and euphoria-inducing brain chemicals like endorphins and dopamine—all of which can pump you up and make you feel like you’re ready to take on the world (or at least Michael Myers !!).

Before finishing up this article I would like to draw your attention to the following abstract that I noticed with great interest, when researching this area.

One explanation for why people engage in frightening fictional experiences is that these experiences can act as simulations of actual experiences from which individuals can gather information and model possible worlds. Conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study tested whether past and current engagement with thematically relevant media fictions, including horror and pandemic films, was associated with greater preparedness for and psychological resilience toward the pandemic.

Science Direct.

A read which I found absolutely captivating to digest, and I think you may do too! So snuggle up to your other half and go read a good horror story (or two) that the Vocal community has to offer in horror...

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I love writing articles & fictional stories. They give me scope to express myself and free my mind. After working as a mental health nurse for 30 years, writing allows me an effective emotional release, one which I hope you will join me on.

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✨I can't wait to hear from you soon... Jonathan💕.