第1648期:Why do people like horror films?

What’s your favourite genre of film? For many people who love being petrified, or scared out of their wits, by jump scares that answer will be horror. Whether it’s splatter films, wastelands in the apocalypse, monsters like demons, zombies, vampires, werewolves or phantoms, there’s something to suit everyone’s taste. But just why do people enjoy watching these terrifying films?

你最喜欢的电影类型是什么？对于许多喜欢被吓呆或吓得魂飞魄散的人来说，跳跃恐慌的答案将是恐怖的。无论是泼溅片、末世荒原，还是恶魔、僵尸、吸血鬼、狼人、幻影等怪物，总有一款适合你。但是，为什么人们喜欢看这些恐怖电影呢？

First off, being scared can give us a rush of adrenaline. The heart starts pumping, making these films exhilarating. But the fact you’re actually at home safe on the sofa makes the experience of being frightened all the more enjoyable because what’s happening to the characters on the screen is far removed from your experience of being in your living room eating popcorn. It feels more thrilling.

首先，害怕会让我们肾上腺素激增。心脏开始跳动，使这些电影令人振奋。但事实上你实际上是在家里安全地坐在沙发上，这让害怕的体验变得更加愉快，因为屏幕上的角色发生的事情与你在客厅吃爆米花的体验相去甚远。感觉更刺激。

Coltan Scrivner, a PhD candidate in the Department of Comparative Human Development at The University of Chicago, argues that people who watch horror films learn how to regulate their anxiety. A study that he co-authored found that horror fans exhibited greater resilience during the early stages on the Covid-19 pandemic than those who didn’t.

芝加哥大学比较人类发展系的博士候选人 Coltan Scrivner 认为，观看恐怖片的人学会了如何调节他们的焦虑。他与人合着的一项研究发现，恐怖迷在 Covid-19 大流行的早期阶段表现出比没有恐怖迷的人更大的韧性。

Also, some horror fans think they could survive the events on screen. That gives those viewers a sense of superiority. We often mock the typical tropes of horror films. Why do they try to escape the masked killer by running upstairs and confining themselves? The characters often make terrible decisions that lead to their deaths – decisions we as viewers believe we wouldn’t make.

此外，一些恐怖粉丝认为他们可以在屏幕上的事件中幸存下来。这给那些观众一种优越感。我们经常嘲笑恐怖片的典型比喻。他们为什么要跑上楼把自己关起来以逃避蒙面杀手？角色经常做出导致他们死亡的可怕决定——我们作为观众认为我们不会做出的决定。

So, whether it’s to help people regulate their anxiety, be thrilled by getting scared, or to feel superior mocking the decisions of the characters, there are many reasons people love watching horror films – and if they really scare you, maybe it’s best to watch them with the lights on.

所以，无论是为了帮助人们调节焦虑、在害怕时感到兴奋，还是在嘲笑角色的决定时感到优越，人们喜欢看恐怖片的原因有很多——如果他们真的吓到你，也许最好看他们开着灯。

词汇表

petrified 吓呆了
scared out of one’s wits 吓得 “魂飞魄散”
jump scare （影视、电子游戏中的）猛然一吓，吓一大跳
wasteland 不毛之地，荒地
apocalypse 世界末日
monster 怪物
demon 魔鬼
zombie 僵尸
vampire 吸血鬼
werewolf 狼人
phantom 幽灵
terrifying 吓人的
rush of adrenaline 肾上腺素激增
exhilarating 令人兴致高涨的，激动人心的
frightened 害怕的
thrilling 惊心动魄的
trope （艺术作品中的）典型形象、主题
masked 蒙面的