The Psychology Behind Why We Love Scary Movies

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Film critic and pop culture analyst Sucharita Tyagi explains we're so tickled by horror

Co-authored by Dev Murphy, MA

Last Updated: April 3, 2026 Fact Checked

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Why People Love Scary Movies

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Does everyone like horror movies?

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Which demographics like horror movies?

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Whether you're a Stephen King stan or you can't wait for the next Scream sequel, horror movies have cemented their place in pop culture history—but why do so many of us gravitate towards these frightening and even disturbing films? Is it healthy to be so obsessed with scary movies? Why is being afraid actually kind of fun sometimes? You're in the right place: we did a deep dive into the psychology of scary movies to uncover the reasons horror is one of the highest-grossing movie genres. Keep reading for the spooky scoop!

Why do people love horror movies?

Film critic and pop culture analyst Sucharita Tyagi says people enjoy horror movies because they give them a moment of cathartic relief. They allow you to live out different fears and release built-up emotions. They’re also exciting and evoke the same thrill that you get when you go on a roller coaster.

Section 1 of 3:

Why People Love Scary Movies

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They give us an adrenaline rush. Watching scary movies fills us with some strong emotions, including negative ones, like anxiety and fear, and positive ones, like excitement and relief when the problem is resolved at the end of the movie.^{[1]
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Go to source} All of these emotions can trigger the release of adrenaline, which results in heightened sensations, a major energy boost, and even a euphoric high. Basically, it feels good to be scared—in a safe environment, of course.^{[2]
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They offer new and exciting experiences. A good movie transports us, and horror movies in particular can give us the chance to live in an adventurous alternate reality for a while. Think of apocalyptic zombie flicks like Night of the Living Dead or 28 Days Later: they give us glimpses of a reality we (hopefully) will never have to experience. But after watching these movies, we might feel a sense of accomplishment, as if we were really there, helping fight off zombies.^{[3]
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- Horror movies have even been shown to increase our resilience and lower our anxiety by giving us a safe space to "practice" feeling terror.^{[4]
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- Some mental health professionals even posit that people with anxiety or PTSD may benefit from watching horror films as a way to help them overcome their fears, become more resilient, and explore their trauma in a safe context.^{[5]
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They help us hone our senses. Earlier humans faced threats much more often than we do today, but we've still got excellent threat detection skills, and watching scary movies can help us sharpen them. Watching a horror movie, you might find yourself on alert, waiting for the next jump scare, wondering who will die the next bloody death—and that can actually help you hone your instincts!^{[6]
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They let us safely explore the dark side of humanity. How many Jeffrey Dahmer biopics do we need at this point? Apparently, a lot. While our obsession with horror and true crime can seem pretty twisted, it's actually natural to be curious about what people are capable of. This is one reason Silence of the Lambs' Hannibal Lecter remains such an iconic villain: he's terrifying, but utterly fascinating. How could someone do such horrendous things? we wonder. And what am I capable of?
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They offer a distraction from everyday life. Let's face it, the world's looking pretty grim these days. So why do so many of us fill up our free time with equally grim narratives? As American urban legends podcaster Chelsea Weber-Smith explains, a lot of people turn to scary stories because they "give you a little bit of fear that's a bit more fun than…some of the truly scary things that happen in our culture and politics."^{[7]
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Chelsey Weber-Smith
American Urban Legends Podcaster

Expert Interview} After all, if you're invested in whether Bruce Campbell is going to survive the demonic forces freed by the Necronomicon in Evil Dead, you're probably not wondering what Donald Trump is doing right now.

Section 2 of 3:

Does everyone like horror movies?

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No, not everyone likes horror movies. And that's (usually) totally fine! Not every genre is every viewer's cup of tea, and studies suggest somewhere between a quarter and a third of the population avoid scary movies. There are lots of reasons some viewers might prefer less frightening forms of entertainment:^{[8]
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- They don't like being scared. Probably obvious, but some people are highly sensitive and just don't enjoy the strong sensations often elicited by horror movies. Fair enough!
  - Looking for a horror movie that isn't too scary? Check out our forum for beginner-friendly film recs from other wikiHow users!
- They're prejudiced against the genre. Despite being one of the most popular genres in cinematic history, scary movies get a bad rap as lacking in depth (making it extra exciting when a horror film like Sinners gets so much attention at the Oscars). Some people who haven't been exposed enough to the genre may assume all horror movies are the same and that they wouldn't like any of them.
  - To these people, we say: please reach out to your horror buff friend and ask for their recs. We're sure they've got plenty of suggestions!

Section 3 of 3:

What kind of people like horror movies?

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Men tend to like horror way more than women do. Studies show male viewers enjoy horror movies a lot more than female viewers. This is possibly because women tend to experience greater levels of anxiety, fear, and disgust sensitivity than men do.^{[9]
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Go to source} However, there are still tons of women who love horror movies!
- Women's comparative distaste for horror films could also be connected to the genre's tradition of employing misogynistic tropes, which are seen by some viewers as promoting purity culture and gender-based violence and sexual assault against women.^{[10]
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- At the same time, however, horror was historically a heroine-dominated genre—think of Marion Crane in Psycho or quintessential final girl Laurie Strode in Halloween—at a time when women were typically only supporting characters in other movies. As critic Nina Wallen observes, horror is simultaneously "the most misogynistic and feminist genre there is."^{[11]
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Some studies indicate people with lower empathy gravitate towards horror. The idea is that people who can tolerate watching a character be brutally murdered on a screen must have less empathy towards real-life people. This theory, however, is obviously contentious, with some researchers arguing that empathy towards a real person shouldn't be equated to empathy towards a fictional character.^{[12]
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- It's also worth pointing out the obvious: there are soooo many different kinds of horror movies, and being a fan of comedy horrors like Ready or Not and Shaun of the Dead doesn't necessarily mean you're going to also love the extremely gory Terrifier or seek out snuff films or something.
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People who seek out new sensations enjoy horror. Of all movie genres, horror tends to elicit some of the strongest reactions. Some scholars have therefore suggested that people who actively seek out new and exciting experiences may gravitate more towards scary movies than people who don't, but research is somewhat limited.^{[13]
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