What uses and gratifications do people obtain from the horror genre?

We go to watch horror films mainly because we want to be frightened as it gives us some sort of thrill. When we are afraid the Amygdala which is a set of neurons in the brain triggers the "fight or flight" response which pumps our body with adrenaline so by watching a horror it gives us some sort of rush. Marvin Zuckerman proposed that those who scored high in the sensation seeking scale had a greater interest in things like horrors and roller coaters  as it will allow them to have adrenaline pumping around their body.

Horror films also allow us to escape from our normal lives and the problems that we face in the real world and it allows us to experience threats without actually experiencing them.

We also gain personal relationships when watching horror films in the cinema as everyone is being scared at the same time allowing the audience to share the traumatic part of the film together.

 

The audience also gets pleasure knowing that the disturbing film is not real and that they aren't the ones in danger as the ghost,serial killer or anything else are in the film and can't actually harm us. In other words we like the risk of watching the film however we wouldn't actually want that to happen to us.