The Joys of Being a Ghoul
Let me validate your macabre side
I'm deeply fascinated by my own love of the macabre — I often wonder what it is about horror that so many of us find so captivating. Is there something deeper hidden behind all the seemingly meaningless gore?
Fear is something we usually try to avoid, so it might seem odd that we choose to watch horror movies that intentionally scare us. And yet, several psychological theories explain why we're drawn to horror. One claims that horror lets us experience danger in a safe environment. Similarly, Kant believed we can encounter a higher form of beauty and transcendence by admiring powerful and even threatening things, he called that the experience of ‘sublime’. Kant found the sublime in fierce storms, ancient ruins, and other dark beauties, but he thought we need to be in a safe place to fully appreciate them without our survival instincts kicking in.
Similarly, being chased by a masked killer sounds terrifying. But when we're watching a movie at home or in a theatre, we can face these fears safely and get captivated by the unlikely scenarios. It's a way to flirt with danger without any real consequences, letting us fully experience fear without our primal instincts taking over.
Some theories suggest that horror movies help us deal with trauma, manage anxiety, get used to fear, or induce an adrenaline rush. While there might be some truth to that, I think it oversimplifies horror and makes fans look like ‘adrenaline junkies’. This view overlooks the deep artistic and cathartic value that horror truly holds.
When I talk about horror, I'm not referring to gory parodies like Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey. I mean true masterpieces that haunted us for years — the works of Dario Argento, the art of Junji Ito, the worlds crafted by Ari Aster, or even series like Saw. I think our generation has moved away from typical themes like zombies or haunted houses. Starting with millennials and more so with Gen Z, horror has shifted toward social experiments, exploring human nature, and body horror. The kind of horror that doesn't rely on jump scares or splatter but on making us uncomfortable through various cognitive dissonances, by mixing things that don't usually go together. For example, The Shining is renowned for taking the innocent image of two young twins and twisting it in a terrifying context.
Horror is often seen as amplifying negative emotions — like rage, despair, and madness — feelings that aren't considered noble. But these emotions are part of all of us, we deal with them every day. Junji Ito, who created some of the most shocking and gruesome mangas of our time, said that his stories and characters are "not so different from reality."
I disagree with people who say horror "makes people twisted." That's like claiming that watching too many sad movies or listening to melancholic songs will make you depressed. If we enjoy horror media, much like someone might prefer sad music when they're feeling down, it's because the art reflects something inside us. I believe nothing is created in isolation, everything is a reflection. Sure, in liking horror shows we have some morbid curiosity, but that doesn't make us twisted. Rather, horror offers an opportunity for acceptance and self-discovery of this turbulent part of ourselves. I don't think anyone is completely free of morbid curiosity or a "dark side”, those who appreciate horror and psychological stories are just more in touch with that aspect of themselves.
Isn’t art, after all, a medium to normalise people’s darkest fetishes? Interestingly, because horror touches on intimate and taboo parts of ourselves, the horror community becomes a place for deep connections. I've never been part of a stronger community than the horror one because no one is ashamed to share any kind of weird discovery induced by a work of art. We're all comfortable with that imperfect part that makes us human — something many people try to hide. So, especially on this terrific day of Halloween, let yourself indulge in horror. Whether it's a movie, a Junji Ito manga, a scary Youtube compilation, or chilling Reddit posts, there's something cathartic about the thrill of terror and indulging in it can actually do us some good.
Image from Wikimedia Commons
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