Inspiration For Our Genre

In my group (Chynney Dorvil, Arianna Verdecia, and Berluche Prunier) we decided on Horror for our genre. Horror, in general, is a widely liked genre and can have a multitude of different openings. This genre can be in reference to a large plethora of movies and classifications, seeing as horror can be anything from a realistic 'game' to an entirely new world based around the scary character. I believe this is something that is quite appealing to the horror genre. This genre also has many different levels of fear-inducing moments. A lot of times, such as in Happy Death Day, there are only a few scary parts. However the rest of the movie is more of a classic cat and mouse detective chase, and although incredibly cliche, it still leaves the audience with a satisfied and entertained feeling. On the other hand, horror movies can be entirely terrifying. One example could be The Silence of The Lambs or Get Out. Both movies give the audience overwhelming terror, but in the end, it allows them to breathe blissfully after a somewhat happy ending. The horror genre is so wide, its almost impossible to even simplify an entire genre like horror to only a few stereotypes.

However, there are more reasons as to why I enjoy the genre Horror, and why my group and I chose it. Horror films are very popular in Cuba, as they often go out of popularity quickly. Thus my mother tends to know a lot about these movies, and I truly believe Horror movies allow close bonding to happen. This can be seen in any relationship, as scary movies tend to make one want to hug or hide behind something. What better than a person?

Finally, my third reason for enjoying and choosing the horror genre is due to its psychological and physiological effects on people. For example, watching horror movies can severely affect someone's sleep cycle. This has not only been tested in humans but mice aswell. In several studies, such as one done at the University of Leuven, scientists had forced mice to watch hours of scary movies similarly to how long the average person does. After this, they tested how well the mice slept while also tracking any raised production of dopamine, norepinephrine, or epinephrine. These are all considered 'true' stress chemicals, and there were elevated amounts in the mice. After several tests, and eventually using humans, it was confirmed that watching horror movies increased the production of these chemicals. This can lead to sweating, erratic heartbeats, shallow breathing, and issues falling asleep. To think a movie alone, essentially moving pictures and sound on a screen, can so easily affect the most crucial part of our body is simply fascinating. Not only that, humans seem to enjoy getting scared. Horror movies are among the most paid for and are most commonly the most hyped form of entertainment on social media. Horror movies appeal to a person's mind, and I'm interested in finding out how, and why. There are several theories, and yet no firmly set explanation has been proposed. The horror genre is simply full of secrets, and I want to find out what effects people the most.