Things That Go Bump in the Night(are you afraid of the dark?)

Abstract

Since I was a little girl, I have been fascinated with horror. The first book I ever purchased for myself was Silence of the Lambs at 13 years old. I've seen all of the Saw films, read every Stephen King tale, and been to more haunted houses than I can count on two hands. I know I enjoy it all. But until I started this paper, I didn't really know why. Why for myself, or for anyone else. Isn't it bizarre that we as humans deliberately attend scary movie showings? Does it make any sense that we would want to be scared, with shivers sent down our spines and nightmares plaguing our dreams for weeks after? Why do we pay $10-$50 to walk through haunted houses, with actors wielding hatches jumping out from doors, and spooky ghost children trailing behind us? On paper, these sound like wholly unpleasant experiences. But in practice - there is something about that thrill that keeps us coming back for more.