Why —horror? by Mar Garcia

“Why —horror?” is my question. I can assume everyone reading this might be a horror fan already (and if you’re not, I’m happy you are here and enjoy yourself!) but have you ever asked yourself what can you find in horror that catches your full attention?

Several articles about “Why horror is good for your health” have been written. Have a go, look for it in your browser and you’ll get a bunch of them. And they all talk about the adrenaline, the anxiety releasing, the dopamine, fighting your fears…

But let us be realistic, why on earth do we like horror so much?

Is it the excitement?

Is it the fact that we evade from our real situation?

Is it the heart rushing?

What is in the macabre that hunts us so deeply?

I have read several books and articles about it, and although all of them end up saying the same, I have come up with a conclusion myself: we love what we cannot see on our own lives.

Let me explain myself. Why do people love fantasy? Well, who would not want to be a beautiful, dreamy mermaid? Or maybe a powerful wizard? Who does not let their mind fly with Harry Potter? Either you like it or not… that is not the point now.

What happens with horror?

Horror shows us everything dancing in the line where death resides. What will we find after death? No one has returned to tell us, so we imagine. Our mind wanders off on dark forests of questions and doubts.

Alright! examples: The Conjuring. Real facts? Well, we really do not know. We all are aware of the “based on real facts” reality. But, and if…? If only…? Fighting demons, having visions, connecting with the next life… who would say no to that without having a thought about it?

More. The Autopsy of Jane Doe. The corpses stand up and walk around a morgue, while father and son try to make the autopsy of an ancient witch who just looks like a 20-year-old dead girl. That is so disturbing. Watch it if you have not yet, by the way. Well, if a morgue is already disturbing, go have a little walk after watching this movie.

THAT. That is what the horror fan looks for. If it was all about the adrenaline and the stress releasing, everyone would love horror, but that is not like this. Many people do not like it. “I don’t want to see that”. “I’m scared”.

So, what makes the difference between the mind of a horror fan and a horror retractor? I think it is curiosity about the unknown. Honestly. And what can we say about that?

The curiosity about the unknown is ancient, it comes with us because we look for “something more”. We always are. Many of us cannot just believe there is nothing after death so our mind works on a million possibilities. Sincerely, when I play the news on my TV, they’re way scarier than any book or movie I have watched. Because the horror of the world is real.

Murders, raping, kidnappings, slavery, torture. We already have horror on our lives, but we need something more spiritual.

I have been asked in many interviews what is the horror I fear the most? Well, I must admit I’m not easy to scare, I guess I’m immune at this point! But there is always something that touches me, and that is demons. Because demonic activity has been more than proved nowadays, so the chance of being a tiny 0.1% true it is… even disturbing.

Even romantic movies like the Exorcism of Emily Rose. That is such a beautiful, poetic movie. You would not imagine how many times it comes to my mind. Don’t judge me, we all have a weakness!

But WHY? Because it touches base with several of my question marks. Why would someone who’s good get possessed? What is the risk of that happening to you? Is that even a real thing? Mar, are you wandering off? Why am I talking alone? *watches over to see if someone saw me*

I want to think (*coughs*) that I am not alone.

Horror is such a wonderful fountain of imagination. (Imagination?) Because we can release our darkest pain in there. Our private doubts. We are an observer of the horrible, so we get no fault on it, right? Let another one torture that soul… and let me watch. That’s horror.