I was watching the Halloween remake by Rob Zombie last night, and as I was watching it, I realized the other dimension of horror films that make them interesting. Horror movies are designed to make you have a specific reaction to them, fear. Unlike certain paintings that we have discussed, which can have varying reactions, horror films have one basic aim.
On a basic level, all horror films are trying to make your body feel so much fear that your heart rate increases, and your body responds with the "fight or flight" mechanism, releasing adrenaline, and causing some people to scream. One characteristic of a good horror film is the ability to not only give you a window to another world, but also bring you into the world, and convince your brain that it IS real.
This is an interesting concept, because everyone knows that your T.V. cannot physically harm you (in most cases), yet our body reacts to horror films as if there is an imminent physical danger. This phenomenon seems to be created through an easing of our minds into the world of the movie. This allows for the context of the film to dictate our primal reactions, and if the filmmaker is talented, draw us into the world completely.
Much like some paintings we have viewed, horror films require complete attention for them to take their full effect on us. If our minds slip out of the "reality" created by the film, the effects of the movie are lessened, or non-existent. However, if we turn off all the lights, and watch a horror film by ourselves, we are much more likely to feel the full effect of the movie, and become engrossed in the movie's "reality."
I agree, in order for a horror movie to be successful, the characters must look scary to the audience. This requires the skills of many talented make-up artists and as a result horror movies can be a form of art too. Because the make-up artists have to be creative in order to create the most horrifying monsters imaginable.
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