What’s your favourite genre of film? For many people who love being petrified, or scared out of their wits, by jump scares that answer will be horror. Whether it’s splatter films, wastelands in the apocalypse, monsters like demons, zombies, vampires, werewolves or phantoms, there’s something to suit everyone’s taste. But just why do people enjoy watching these terrifying films?
First off, being scared can give us a rushofadrenaline. The heart starts pumping, making these films exhilarating. But the fact you’re actually at home safe on the sofa makes the experience of being frightened all the more enjoyable because what’s happening to the characters on the screen is far removed from your experience of being in your living room eating popcorn. It feels more thrilling.
Coltan Scrivner, a PhD candidate in the Department of Comparative Human Development at The University of Chicago, argues that people who watch horror films learn how to regulate their anxiety. A study that he co-authored found that horror fans exhibited greater resilience during the early stages on the Covid-19 pandemic than those who didn’t.
Also, some horror fans think they could survive the events on screen. That gives those viewers a sense of superiority. We often mock the typical tropes of horror films. Why do they try to escape the masked killer by running upstairs and confining themselves? The characters often make terrible decisions that lead to their deaths – decisions we as viewers believe we wouldn’t make.
So, whether it’s to help people regulate their anxiety, be thrilled by getting scared, or to feel superior mocking the decisions of the characters, there are many reasons people love watching horror films – and if they really scare you, maybe it’s best to watch them with the lights on.
1. True or false? According to the article, many people who like horror enjoy being scared.
2. What happens to our bodies when we are scared?
3. Why is it so enjoyable to watch horror films on your sofa?
4. What did people who like horror films exhibit during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic?
5. Why can horror films make us feel superior?
2. 選擇意思恰當?shù)膯卧~或詞組來完成下列句子。
1. A fictional person who transforms into a wolf on a full moon is called a _______.
werewolf vampire lone wolf phantom
2. I don’t like _______ scares. I prefer a building of tension over a quick fright.
leap jump hop skip
3. I’m so scared, I can’t move. I’m _______.
exhilarating petrified trope wasteland
4. As she left the bunker, she walked out into barren _______.
wasteland petrified zombie masked
5. They say this film is really _______. Do you think it could be that exciting?
rush of adrenaline exhilarating petrified trope
答案
1. 閱讀課文并回答問題。
1. True or false? According to the article, many people who like horror enjoy being scared. True. Many people who love being petrified or scared out of their wits by jump scares will say they like horror.
2. What happens to our bodies when we are scared? We get a rush of adrenaline when we are scared.
3. Why is it so enjoyable to watch horror films on your sofa? Because you’re safe, and what’s happening to the characters isn’t happening to you.
4. What did people who like horror films exhibit during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic? A study found that horror fans exhibited greater resilience during the early stages on the Covid-19 pandemic than those who didn’t.
5. Why can horror films make us feel superior? The characters make bad decisions, which often lead to their deaths. We feel we wouldn’t have made those decisions.
2. 選擇意思恰當?shù)膯卧~或詞組來完成下列句子。
1. A fictional person who transforms into a wolf on a full moon is called a werewolf.
2. I don’t like jump scares. I prefer a building of tension over a quick fright.
3. I’m so scared, I can’t move. I’m petrified.
4. As she left the bunker, she walked out into barren wasteland.
5. They say this film is really exhilarating. Do you think it could be that exciting?
