Fear factor: why we love a good scare

Do you like thrill rides? What about horror movies? Fear is supposed to be an unpleasant feeling, but many people can’t help but want it. As the old saying says “There is no accounting for tastes,” I know it is now scientifically explained why many of us are into scary experiences. It’s for dopamine, a pleasure chemical also called a brain drug, which is released to escape the clutches of fear. However, did you notice there was still a question unanswered? Why are we scared of fictions such as thrill rides and horror movies?

You may say “I can’t help it because my emotions are out of control!” OK, let me test your emotions. Probably you agree “Armageddon” is a very popular three-hanky movie. I’m sure the movie has made you cry time and again, but what if I keep on saying like “Hey, easy, easy! This is just a made-up story” while you watch it? I know you must punch me in my face first, but you won’t cry anymore. On the other hand, what if I do the same when you watch horror movies? What if it’s thrill rides? Imagine if I sit next to you in a roller coaster and keep on saying “This is completely safe, and no chance of death or injury.” Does it work? I think it will scare you more. In conclusion, the feeling of fear is likely to overwhelm the point if it’s a fiction or not. Today’s theme is horror movies and our feeling of fear.

Hollywood horror vs. J-Horror: jump scares or nightmares?

What is the scariest movie you have ever watched? It may be The Exorcist, The Omen, or Dawn of the Dead if you pick from the classics. If it’s from 80’s, iconic ones are The Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, or Child’s Play. I heard there had been many good horror movies for the past few years, such as Terrifier (2016) and Smile (2022), though I have not yet watched them. To tell the truth, I’m a kind of movie geek but not a big fan of Hollywood horror movies because they are not scary to me at all, compared with Japanese horror movies. I guess Hollywood horror movies seem more like action movies to most of the Japanese people. Let me explain this in more detail, using The Ring (2002), a Japanese hit horror movie remade into a Hollywood version.

What is necessary for Hollywood horror movies is powerful, ugly, and evil monsters, like zombies, aliens, predator, etc. The monsters are biting, clawing, shooting, or chainsaw-wielding to kill people without mercy. Of course, I’d feel uncomfortable if I saw them on the street, but the fear caused by a physical attack is adaptable. On the other hand, the fear given by Japanese horror movies is something more psychological. Completely different from such Hollywood monsters, the evil of “The Ring” doesn’t attack physically. It just crawls out of a well and stares wordlessly at you through the hair falling on its eyes to kill you. One could describe it as anxiety about the unknown rather than fear.

Another factor behind the hit of “The Ring” is that the movie depicted the extraordinary that suddenly appear in the everyday life. The evil of “The Ring” doesn’t make a grand appearance from space or the creepy grave hidden in the woods. It’s just in a video tape, not from another world but right next to us. This difference or uniqueness may have surprised and scared people outside Japan.

Elevating the everyday: the art of subtle transformation

I think we Japanese people are very good at finding fun by making the small extraordinary in the ordinary. A public bath is a good example. It was once an important social infrastructure because there were many houses without a bath in the past. Now, more than 95% of houses have a bath in Japan, but public baths are still everywhere. Of course, I have a bath in my house, but sometimes I want to go to a public bath. We enjoy by making daily bathing a little special event like this.

Speaking of the small extraordinary in the ordinary, I believe our furniture would be a good help. Having meals in the dining room or relaxing by watching movies in the living room. Our furniture will turn such everyday activities into something little more special.

---

---