How do monster movies affect people mentally or emotionally?
Informative Speech
Emilia Niu
According to Diane Ackerman in “Why Horror Movies Still Gnaw at Us”, we “rush to movie theaters, sit in the cave-dark and confront the horror”. To start with, let us think of some simple questions: why do you like to go to the cinema to see monster movies every time they come out? Do you feel anything that urges you and makes you feel you can not help yourself from seeing it? Why do you continue to see them even though you are afraid?
We can answer these questions in several ways. The first explanation is that we, the audience, like to search for relief from the tension (Harpster). People hold their breath and sweat when they see a creature as tall as the Empire State Building roaring, but people immediately breathe a sigh of relief after the monster has disappeared.
The second explanation is that people are searching for an understanding of the dark side of humanity (Harpster). People would like to judge when they see, for example, a bio-medical company intentionally and inhumanely placing innocent animals into cruel experiments.
The third explanation is that people want to practice fear in case of real horror (Harpster). Since technology develops rapidly, the evil biomedical company in the film would make the audience think of the medical company in real life.
To address the willingness of people to go see monster movies, the psychological nature of feeling scared or, in other words, feelings associated with horror play an important role. It can further be explained more scientifically.
Firstly, when people see monster movies, they produce horror feelings naturally in their brains, just like the way they produced romantic feelings when they experienced romantic arousal ("Why we Love to be Afraid").
Secondly, the emotions associated with horror are considered being a motivation for people. Feelings of fear are the psychological mechanisms that evolved in humans. The fear reaction begins in the brain and spreads throughout the body for optimal defense or escape response ("Why we Love to be Afraid").
So where specifically does the fear reaction begin? There is a part of our brain which detects emotional characteristics in a stimulating state. The fear reaction starts in the amygdala region of the brain, and the amygdala region operates the fear (Gourley).
For example, as long as we see a face with emotions, the amygdala can be activated. This reaction is more intense in emotional anger and fear. Stimulation of danger signals can trigger a fear response in the amygdala and activate areas of motor function related to escape responses. It also triggers the release of stress hormones and the sympathetic nervous system (Gourley).
Then, what is the influence of this stimulation? It causes the body to change, simultaneously making us more efficient at risk (Harpster). The brain becomes highly alert, accelerating breathing, increasing both heart rate and blood pressure, and causing blood and glucose flow to the skeletal muscles ("Why we Love to be Afraid").
Subconsciously, audiences want more stimulation to make them feel excited, especially for young people, called “sensation seekers” ("Why we Love to be Afraid"). And stimulus is exactly what monster movies produce. Meanwhile, the audience’s body reacts with the film, specifically with the characters inside the movie. They create physical harmony, and harmony makes the audience feel fevered.
In conclusion, monster movies do affect people mentally and emotionally. The horror feelings that people produce while seeing monster movies have scientific reasons for existence, operating, and making an influence. What is its purpose? It is just like any other psychological feelings-anger, sadness, disappointment-produced by the human body for better emotional perception, helping people seek stimulation, harmony, and emotional arousal in themselves ("Why we Love to be Afraid").
Annotated Bibliography
Ackerman, Diane. "Film; Why Horror Movies Still Gnaw At Us." New York Times, 5 Apr. 1987. elibrary,
www.explore.proquest.com/elibrary/document/426457200?searchid=1568599196&accountid=338. Accessed 29 Oct. 2019.
This source directly discusses the motivation that drives people to see horror movies. Besides, not only it gives detailed information on the examination of people’s behavior, but it also gives a specific analysis of the nuclear weapons’ influence over humans. This source is most useful in writing about nuclear weapons’ influence over the movie industry. I will be able to find similarities and references in this article to address social influence over movie production and the normal audience who would like to see monster movies.
Gourley, Catherine. "Writing about Science: The Physiology of Fear." Writing, vol. 21, no. 2,10 1998, pp. 16-17.
elibrary, www.explore.proquest.com/elibrary/document/196499339?accountid=338. Accessed 8 Nov. 2019.
This source discusses the process of the body when people experiencing fear. It also holds the opinion that the brain controls the body’s reaction. The writer suggests that the brain is the center that gives all the orders and tells the body how to react to fear. This source could strengthen the idea of the brain’s role in the body and give a detailed process when it functions.
Harpster, Dayna. "Experts Opine Why we Like Horror Movies."The News-Press, 29 Oct. 2009.
library. www.explore.proquest.com/382561282?searchid=1568600041&accountid=338. Accessed 29 Oct. 2019.
There could be many reasons for people to search for the thrill that they obtained while watching horror movies. This source provides specific information on the reasons why people search for the thrill, for instance, understanding humanity, searching for relief, and practicing fear in real life, etc. Since I would like to examine “how do monster movies influence people mentally and emotionally”, this source will prove the interactive influence in the horror movie’s perspective. Similarly, I will be able to relate these reasons as examples to my thesis.
"Why we Love to be Afraid." University Wire, 15 Oct. 2013.elibrary, www.explore.proquest.
com/elibrary/document/1441936908?searchid=1568599796&accountid=338. Accessed 29 Oct. 2019.
This source is scientific because it examines the feelings people produce while seeing horror movies and why these feelings play an essential role in people’s brains and affect people’s behaviors. It explains “why people like to watch horror movies that made them scared” in the perspective of the science behind the human body, for example, the chemicals that the human body produces. I will be able to use this scientific reference when talking about the process behind the human body while seeing monster movies since they all create fear.