Carroll suggests that people's fascination with horror does not come from our obsession with tragic events but rather the way in which these events are worked into a plot. I would like to think this is true in some aspects for example, I might go to a Quentin Tarantino film because I enjoy his ability to thrill me with plot twists and his outlandish camera work, despite the fact that his films are extremely violent and often notably filled with gore. Humans enjoy participating in their "mental game" which involves submerging ourselves into fictional situations which force us to consider our own morals and question ourselves. Audiences often find themselves thinking "would I have done that?" or "I would have gotten away differently" in a way similar to how other art forms help us to do the same. Villains in horror represent those things that we hate, find socially unacceptable and often, some form of the "seven deadly sins" which we are told not to overindulge in or we will turn out like these villains. The psychological game of learning about this villain as it impacts our life, struggling with it, finally confronting the villain (i.e. our own conflicts), and finding a way to defeat it is symbolic of our everyday struggles and problem solving conflicts. People can find an outlet for these struggles in horror, it has the attractive element of indulging in these horrific, sometimes animalistic situations which we are deprived of in everyday life.
But what is it about this specific genre that draws people in? What is the psychological explanation for the recent popularity of "slasher" films which lack plot development (excluding the "low-cost" element which explains reality TV shows, etc)?
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