Why do audiences thrill to the negative emotions of horror fiction?
There are entire industries dedicated to delivering frights, thrills and gross-outs. So why do audiences line up and pay up in droves to experience horror and disgust – two emotions almost universally thought of as negative? In this interview, Noël Carroll, distinguished professor of philosophy at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY), dissects why horror fiction gets its hooks so deeply into audiences despite putting them in states of discomfort.
Producer: Kellen Quinn
Interviewer: Nigel Warburton
Editor: Adam D’Arpino
#horror #philosophy #psychology
Aeon Video
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1:30 , "We don't drink sour milk". I think it is quite curios to think about how the visually discomforting media or art is more commonplace than audio, taste, sense or smell – but that may just be humankind's general prioritization of the eye above the rest of the senses. The bitter or sour tastes are sometimes sought out by the most gourmet individuals and they genuinely enjoy such experiences. Same with audio, a song that comes into mind is the melody of Venus in Furs by The Velvet Underground, which is discomforting, almost horror-inducing at first, yet is very enjoyable as part of an 'acquired taste'
3:50 by experiencing something unnatural and having a "mind blowing" experience we discover something beyond the physical. By 'real'-izing the non-physical phenomenon of experiential reality I think we discover comfort in a higher power
Is it possible we like horror for other reasons? For people, since there are such horrors in life, we look for something to stimulate the horror feeling sometimes in an attempt to "Vaccinate" ourselves from future horrors? Essentially an adaptation to be able to deal with the level of bad we may see such as on the news ala Hypodermic Syringe Theory? Another reason, is it could be an indulgence. Someone can live out a fantasy with no repercussions. Again, this is so complex it's like asking why people like certain flavors. Sure there are some decent reasons, but a good solid reason is going to be difficult to find. You did come up with some I didn't even think of, and this is something I've been sort of in for a long time. Thought I'd heard it all
i really enjoyed reading caroll's book, the philosophy of horror. it's dry as a bone but very informative and thorough–and quite accessible for someone like me who isn't a member of the academic philosophy world.
What a charming speaker. A bit like the way Steven Pinker speaks, but about movies.
0:33 harry potter isnt horror REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE