Fear as Entertainment

• We choose to view horror films/photographs/media for entertainment.
• American psychologist Marvin Zuckerman termed this ‘sensation seeking’ - the yearning for feelings and experiences that are “varied, novel, complex and intense”.
• This is saying that we engage with media not because of the stories, but because of the emotions they allow us to feel.
• For example, comedies allow the audience to feel joy and action films allow the audience to feel adrenaline.
• When exposed to fear, the human body releases chemicals prompting the ‘fight or flight’ response.
• It has been described as "At the same time a combination of adrenaline, dopamine and norepinephrine flood the blood system resulting in not just heightened awareness, energy and concentration, but also a delayed feeling of euphoria. It is, in essence, a fear-induced ‘natural high’ acting almost as a reward for survival.”
• Being exposed to a fear on a screen rather than in real life can be seen as a ‘fear simulator’ as the audience put themselves in the position of the character facing the fear.
• For my project, my theme is fear. I could use this comically, to represent the fears with humour to take the scariness away from them, or I could intensify the fear to create an image that is entertaining in a way that it can strike up conversation.