<ul><li>Tension&nbsp;- Generated by suspense, mystery, terror, shock and gore.</li><li>Relevance&nbsp;- The horror film may relate to personal relevance, cultural meaningfulness, the fear of death, etc.&nbsp;</li><li>Unrealism&nbsp;-The fictional nature of horror films affords viewers a sense of control by placing psychological distance between them and the violent acts they have witnessed.</li></ul>

Primary factors that make horror films alluring

Self Improvement

<ul><li>Gore watchers typically have low empathy, high sensation seeking, and a strong identification with the killer.</li><li>Thrill watchers typically have both high empathy and sensation seeking;they identify themselves more with the victims and like the suspense of the film.</li><li>Independent watchers typically have a high empathy for the victim along with a high positive effect for overcoming fear.</li><li>Problem watchers typically have high empathy for the victim but are characterized by negative effect (particularly a sense of helplessness).</li></ul>

Viewing motivators for horror movies 

<ul><li>Dr. Carl Jung believed horror films “tapped into primordial archetypes buried deep in our collective subconscious – images like shadow and mother play important role in the horror genre”.</li><li>Horror films are watched as a way of purging negative emotions and/or as a way to relieve pent-up aggression.</li><li>Horror movies are enjoyed because the people on screen getting killed deserve it.</li><li>Cultural historian David Skal has argued that horror films simply reflect our societal fears.</li></ul>

Theories on why we love to watch horror films

Why do we love to watch scary horror films? Some psychologists claim people go to horror films because they want to be frightened or they wouldn't do it twice. You choose your entertainment because you want it to affect you. But what else does the literature tell us about the psychology of horror movies?