Reality and the Unknown

I will say that I have absolutely no interest in watching horror films. Well, let me put it this way: If I'm clicking through Netflix trying to find a good movie, Horror is the last genre I'd look. That being said, I am still fascinated by horror films because of the way in which they operate. Why do we enjoy watching films that scare us? Why do we judge these films as good or bad by how scary they are? Noel Carroll examines the same questions in his essay titled Paradox of Horror. Carroll explains the paradox of horror by saying that it "amounts to the question of how people can be attracted by what is repulsive... that is, the imagery of horror fiction seemed to be the necessarily repulsive and, yet, the genre has no lack of consumers". Applying the idea of this paradox to two of the movies that I watched this week, Blair Witch Project and The Purge, I came up with several reasons to which I am interested in watching horror films. 

First, as I said, I am not typically a fan of horror films. However, Blair Witch Project, which I had seen once before this week, has always been my favorite film in the genre. Watching it again this week further affirmed why it is my favorite. It is realistic. They come up with this fantastic legend of a witch in the woods and use cameras to film themselves trying to find her. It is impossible to guess what will happen because of the 'real time' aspect to the film. We, the audience, only see through the camera's lens, which is as close as we can possibly get to the exact perspective of each cast member. This makes things seem real in the sense that it could actually exist as a part of our reality. The fact that it seems real to us, or at least to me, is because it seems true or that it could be true. The Blair Witch Project did a great job of making the supernatural seem real. 

The Purge, on the other hand, took it a step further. The film operates on the basis that the government has set up an annual 'purge' date where all law is forgotten. It is the Wild West - anyone can do whatever they want with no fear of punishment. This is far from supernatural - it is something that could actually happen to us... and that is why it is so enjoyable. I'll say it again: I do not like horror films, BUT if I find myself watching one I enjoy it only if it seems very believable. This is a factor that I believe Carroll, Wood, and Lovecraft amongst others overlook - not all of us watch scary movies because we want to be scared, we are watching because we want to believe that the events taking place could be true. 

Furthermore, as I'm watching I try to figure out what will happen so that I won't be scared when it actually takes place. This is another factor that I believe some of the philosophers leave out. The audience tries to figure out the plot so they don't get scared, but when they are frightened, it catches them even more by surprise. It is like the drop on a roller coaster; it is momentarily terrifying but the dread immediately turns into excitement because of the fact that the filmmakers got one over on you. The Purge is a good example of this, when Henry fires gunshots at James. It is unexpectedly violent and something that the audience could not have possibly figured out beforehand. My point is that we don't always like scary movies because we want to be frightened, it is more because of the fact that it is a puzzle. We want to figure out the plot before it happens and, in turn, enjoy the scarier ones more because they are a puzzle we couldn't solve until it was over. In conclusion, I believe that in addition to Carroll's findings, our enjoyment of horror films also deals with their relationship with reality and also the unknown- the solution that we can't find until it is revealed to us.