Blogpost 2: Characteristics of horror film most people looks for

Filipinos are fond of watching horror movies, their desire to feel intense excitement and thrill makes them have this kind of hobby specially when there are special occasions like birthdays and blowouts,but they usually watch cinemas after a long day of examinations, Filipinos are the type of people who wants to feel relaxed after they finish a specific job.

Before watching a horror movie we tend to choose the most intense and the scariest among them. So I've searched which characteristics of horror films most of us looks for when watching horror films. I found this article made by Rianne Hill Soriano entitled Characteristics of horror movies that typically scare the viewers. 

 There she discussed that a horror film should have a dark and eerie atmosphere, there should be an intense fear shown in the characters in the film so viewers would be easily convinced. Second is graphic scenes, Having special effects are essential to make the movie looks real and believable. Also, having a good special effects could attract more viewers because people now a days especially teens would want to watch movies which are flashy so it is indeed necessary.The last element of good horror film that she said is the creepy sound. Having an interesting and shocking sound could be a shocking factor in choosing a good horror film to watch, people usually want to watch a movie which has a horrifying sound effects because the number 1 reason they watch horror is for them to be scared.

People often looks for these characteristics of the movie even before entering the cinema because they know that if  this specific movie that they chose has the characteristics and element of a good horror movie, Certainly they would have a good time watching it.


I have this one movie which I am interested in. Its called "SAW". When it comes to choosing a suspense and thrilling movie I could say that this movie is one of the top movies that people choose watching.

"Although movies more interested in gore than scares existed way before the 21st century, it was a little film called Saw back in 2004 that brought it to the forefront of the film industry, turning voyeurism of the most questionable kind into a commercial cinematic product. The type of film Saw, its sequels, and other such films as Hostel 1 & 2 were dubbed as “torture porn,” a term as blunt as it is perverse. Many other films have tried and failed to be as successful as the Saw series but for whatever reason this franchise has managed to make a ton of money at the box office on very small budgets".

In this article Movie review written by Ross Miller. He mentioned there that this movie "Saw" changed the taste of the people in terms of choosing what type of movie they gonna watch. Blood gores and tortures are one of the most interesting types of movies that our generation watches this days and the movie saw is a perfect example of this. 

In choosing the horror film that we are going to watch, we should consider the elements of the film. Picking the type of movie which can hook ones attention could be a good characteristic of a horror film. I have found out that most of us filipinos wanted to watch a movie which can remove our stresses and other bad feelings by watching a good type of horror film and by this we learn how to choose a good type of film and it is by knowing the elements of good horror films.

Blogpost 1: Why do people watch horror films?

After a long day at school my sister and I decided to go home together and came across this familiar DVD stand. And I told myself, hey why not buy some movies to relax myself a bit.I found myself attentively fiddling with the horror movie section. And then it hit me. Why is it that every time I come to this place I always care to look at the horror shows first? Is it because I get entertained when I fall down the edge of my seat every time I see jump scares? Or am I just plainly interested with the supernatural genre? 


So I found myself stuck at this chair googling about the reasons why people enjoy horror movies so much.

In the article Horror films written by Tim Dirks from AMC film site, horror film is defined as:

 "unsettling films designed to frighten and panic, cause dread and alarm, and to invoke our hidden worst fears, often in a terrifying, shocking finale, while captivating and entertaining us at the same time in a cathartic experience.Horror films effectively center on the dark side of life, the forbidden, and strange and alarming events. They deal with our most primal nature and its fears: our nightmares, our vulnerability, our alienation, our revulsions, our terror of the unknown, our fear of death and dismemberment, loss of identity, or fear of sexuality". 

The article says that horror films are usually made to terrify and scare people, Also to let the viewers experience dismemberment for a moment and forget about the present and experience a thrilling sensation by showing to the audience another side of the world which is the dark side. Horror films are often associated with science fiction when monsters,aliens,vampires and other supernatural beings are present because they are the most common entities that scares a lot of people.

Knowing this, most people asked why is there the need to watch a horror film well in fact it just gives us the spooks and nightmares. I myself is guilty of asking on why do I even bother watching horror films? why do we pay to scare ourselves sick? or is it just something people usually do to kill time? 

So, with that in mind I have searched different articles to answer my question and I have found out that there are various motives for watching a horror film. "This includes the need for excitement, the desire to feel intense emotions, and distraction from everyday concern. Although dramatic films can fulfill some of these needs, movies depicting violence and horror have features that other forms of drama do not, including the violation of social norms and the portrayal of events seldom seen in real life." from the article Why we watch: The attractions of violent entertainment by Jeffrey Goldstein.

According to the article, people usually watch horror films to kill time. they also wanted to forget the problems they are facing in the real world and they are somehow distracted which leads to the relaxation of their minds. 

People rarely watch horror movies alone, watching it in groups give a more thrilling and a greater excitement especially with the teenagers who are with their couples. Most of us wants to have a good time and watching horror movies is one of the many things that we usually spent our time when we feel bored.

"No doubt, there's something really powerful that brings people to watch these things, because it's not logical". Some interesting words from Joanne Cantor, PhD, director of the Center of Communication Research at University of Wisconsin from the article Why we love scary movies, written by Richard Sine





After reading this quote, I came to realize that the most common factor that makes most people watch horror films is curiosity. Curiosity is a powerful emotion, and because of this, most people especially teenagers try watching horror. There's a sense of illicitness in a horror films which attracts and seduce viewers. People seeks out things that we are not meant to see its a feeling that stays up until to adulthood. And most of these things could be found in a good horror film.


Now I understand why I often look at horror movies section first before dramas and other types of movies. It is because I also wanted to experience extreme fear and excitement which could be found in horror films alone. And because of curiosity I tend to watch horror films which catch my attention.