“There isn't really one, universal answer as to why people seek out or enjoy creepy, spooky, scary things; it depends a lot on cultural context, as well as on each person individually,” Lucia Peters told Bored Panda. Lucia is a writer, editor, the creator of the website The Ghost In My Machine, and author of the book “Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark.” “For instance, fear does some interesting things to us, physically and psychologically; it puts our bodies into a state of high alert, often triggering the fight-or-flight response and releasing adrenaline and endorphins,” she continued. “Some people enjoy the feelings and sensations these responses inspire, while others don't.”
Lucia explained that there's been some research into why some folks like being scared and others don't. “For example, it's been found that people who score highly on specific personality traits associated with thrill-seeking tend to enjoy being scared more than those who don't score as highly on those types of traits,” she said and added that there are so many factors at play, like environment, personal experience, etc.
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According to her, narrowing it down to one, specific answer is difficult (and probably doesn't really serve us well, anyway).
Speaking of herself, Lucia said that she was fearful as a child. “Scared of seemingly everything -- and eventually, I started wanting to understand exactly why I was so scared of so many things.” Therefore, she started “deconstructing horror stories and other spooky things, and along the way, she started to really enjoy the little frisson she got, like “the shiver running up and down my spine and exploring spooky things.”
“And this, too, can be a big factor as to whether someone enjoys being scared or not -- some folks enjoy the sense of mastery they get over making it through a spooky experience,” Lucia said.
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“It's also worth noting that everyone finds the same things creepy or scary. For example, body horror or gore doesn't do much for me, but I love a good ghost story; I'm also very fond of the uncanny -- that is, when something looks familiar, but feels just a little bit... off. But some folks feel the opposite: They find ghost stories or the uncanny boring and love body horror and gore. And that's just personal preference!”
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According to Lucia, not everyone finds the same things creepy or spooky. “When it comes to the variety of spooky storytelling we find online, though--whether it's in words, pictures, video, or some combination of the above--the most effective pieces of work tend to be the ones that blur the lines of reality and fiction.”
She continued: “think pieces of art that add fictional entities or monsters to real photographs (that's how Slenderman began, after all), short stories that have a kernel of truth in them somewhere ("Abandoned By Disney" does this really well), and the like: Deep down, we know that these images and stories are fictional -- but they look or feel just real enough to make us wonder, ‘What if...?’”
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Lucia believes that the roots of the fears remain similar, although the ways in which they're expressed can change or evolve over time. “Take the fear of the dark, for instance -- a fear that's been around for basically all of human existence. Often, what being afraid of the dark is really about is being afraid of the unknown. We can't see what's lurking outside our little circle of light; it's masked by the darkness. Anything could be out there; it's the not-knowing that scares us,” she explained.
“Then, consider some of the fears associated with the internet--the kinds we see in horror films like Unfriended, The Den, or Cam. Although the medium here is obviously modern--the internet is very young, comparatively speaking!--these fears, too, tap into the fear of the unknown: We don't really know who or what might be hiding behind those screen names. Again, just as it is with the dark, it's the not-knowing that scares us,” Lucia concluded.
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Bored Panda also spoke with S. Elizabeth, writer and creator of the “Unquiet Things” blog, as well as the author of “The Art of the Occult: A Sourcebook For The Modern Mystic” book. She is particularly interested in horror, the supernatural, and death. “I can tell you that for myself, there’s something cathartic about spending time with scary material, whether it’s a ghost story or a slasher film, etc.,” S. Elizabeth explained her fascination with creepy things.
“You’re engaging with this material from a really passive place, you can experience the threat or menace vicariously--and sure, if it’s particularly well written or well-directed or if the actors and the effects are spectacular, it might become such an immersive experience that for a time you feel like you’re right there in the thick of it.”
The writer continued: “But you’re not. You can mark your page and close the book when you’ve had enough scares for the night. You can pause the movie and go to sleep. There’s no danger that Michael Myers is going to stab you, that the zombie is going to eat your brains. You’re already the Final Girl.”
Having said that, S. Elizabeth added that “as a woman, I already feel vulnerable in this world, whether I am in a horror movie or not. (And in recent years, it really has been starting to seem more and more like a weird dystopian horror film.) So many of us don’t make it out alive. Horror movies, scary stories, creepy media--I think consuming this type of thing gives us a sense of control in a world that no longer makes any sense,” she explained.
