One of the main goals of Carroll's The Philosophy of Horror is to set forth a general and all encompassing theory of why art-horror as a genre is attractive and popular. He hopes to reach an understanding as to why people are so interested in something which is repulsive. He dubs this the "Paradox of horror" or the "Paradox of the Heart", whereby people are entertained by that which ordinarily is considered horrific, terrifying, morbid, etc. On page 167, he writes that some claim that horror is entertaining because it gives a sense of thrill and excitement without the risk associated with the dangerous pursuit of thrills in real life. He proceeds to state that this view can be applied to most other genres of fiction and, thus, does not work as an encompassing answer to why people find art-horror so enthralling.
However, I believe that Carroll hits upon a very simple and completely legitimate explanation for art-horror's popularity here. People have always sought escape from reality through various forms of media. In the age of the Roman Empire, they attended massive gladiatorial fights. These were gruesome events which were certainly repulsive, but they drew massive crowds because people could watch others engage in thrilling, risky activity without risking harm on themselves. Such examples can be found in great numbers throughout history, including the popularity of hangings and other public executions and stunts performed by daredevils like Evel Knievel (truly, it is natural for people to live vicariously through others). The same can be said for literature and film. Audiences enjoy the rush of watching Indiana Jones run from a massive boulder, but they would definitely not enjoy doing the same thing themselves.
In my opinion, the reason people like horror is closely related to all of this. Simply, people like to feel the adrenaline rush involved with being in scary situations and facing monsters without having the risk of personal harm associated with that feeling. Furthermore, this theory, although related to the reason people like adventure, action, romance, etc., is unique to horror. Viewers watch movies and read books of other genres to experience the thrill of adventure, the excitement of action, and the warmth of romance, etc. without facing the risks of actually embarking on an adventure, being an action hero, or falling in love, etc.. Similarly but uniquely, audiences flock to horror movies and buy horror novels to experience the fear of monsters without the danger.
Perhaps at the completion of Carroll's book, I will have found a more satisfactory explanation, but thus far nothing has beaten this simple rationalization of why people love horror (more specifically "art-horror").
1 comment:
Bob, your explanation seems to be right on. Living vicariously allows us to relive our athletic glory days through professional sports, catch criminals with Dawg the Bounty Hunter, and even follow Bear Grylls through the jungle without any of the injuries, lawsuits, or snakebites.
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