The Psychology of Horror Films by Mike Battista

For the last few years I've been investigating horror movies, and why the heck people would willingly expose themselves to things that are, by all objective standards, unpleasant.

I found a lot of interesting reasons, but I'll have to cut it down to one or two key points. One conclusion I think people would find interesting is that both males and females tend to exaggerate their reactions to horror, though in different ways. This falls in line with one of the best-named theories in psychology: the "snuggle theory of horror enjoyment."