Why women love horror movies

i'm a huge horror movie fan! takashi miike, dario argento, george romero, lucio fulci!!

the only reason i don't particularly care for any of the recent horror movies is that they only do it for the shock value and it doesn't make them scary. i really liked the saw movies, but that's because i like a mental element to horror.

The only Horror movie I have ever liked was of course SCREAM. I hate horror and I hate gore.  

-I speak in random thoughts

I'm surprised no one asked her :)

Final Girl

I have been a fan of horror movies since I was a little girl. I was the weird girl who watched the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre whenever I felt down about life ( ex. "I think I may be queer and my friends won't like me anymore if I tell them v/s being chased by a maniac with a chainsaw and put on a meat hook. Hmmm. Which DO I think may be worse? Hmmm...")

Jennifer's Body was disappointing to me.  I think it tried to go somewhere between Heathers and Ginger Snaps and ended up being a slighty better Jawbreaker. It wasn't a bad way to spend an hour and  half of your time but not a great way, either (weirdly enough, I think Adam Brody was the best part about this movie b/c he's the only one who intentinally made me laugh). The Descent, Ginger Snaps (and the prequel but not the sequel), She Creature, the first Scream, Carrie, House of 1,000 Corpses, The Devil's Rejects, Cujo, the OG Texas Chainsaw, Re-Animator, the OG Night of the Living Dead ...THESE were great ways to spend an hour and half of your time!

was The Final Destination. Mind you, I totally identified with the main MALE character: a nice guy. 

Horror: I think it's very primitive: when I was a child I used to imagine monsters in the grandsparents' attic (of a very old house). I thought there was something very sexual too: like sexual secrets nobody knows... Like a secret dirty child-eater... I think horror has to do with sex. The poster above makes it clear.

When I grew up, I hated when the young women were slaughtered in movies. Still, I watched because I identified with the surviving hero or heroin.

Women are more interesting now in horror movies. The main female character is strong and sensitive, like in The Final Destination. 

Yes, I like to watch horror movies.  They test me in all safety.

when I was a kid, I was always on the monster's side. I really identified with that, I cant tell much people that because they start backing away. *cough*

I dont really know why I like horror movies, some are pretty funny honestly. All Jason and Freddy series made me laugh so much, and ofcourse Chucky, it was hillarious.

 I know I'll get alot of hate for this, but women slaughtering was fun. Im sensitive when kids are involved, if there is a possibility of a kid getting hurt I'd literaly freak and start tearing up, but anything else I dont care. and Oh yeah, animals, thats just sad, I cant watch that.

But adult humans pretty much deserve the hacking.

She's always the one that falls,breaks her ankel then gets chopped in half.

I'm not a fan of scary movies other than Friday the 13th and stuff like that.Zombies scare me to death,and I HATE it when things pop out of no where.Just plain phycos are cool with me.

I love horror movies because of the suspense the movies bring when you are watching them onscreen.

but I have to admit that if I smell the plot of the movie from a mile away, I don't watch it because I'm subjective to the types of films I see, if I know that the movie might make me yawn I skip it.

If it's based on a true story. Or atleast inspired by a true story. Silence of the Lambs (inspired by Albert Fish), Texas Chainsaw Massacre (inspired by Ed Gein), Monster (based on prostitute serial killer Aileen Wuornos), Zodiac (based on The Zodiac Killer), Summer of Sam (based on David Berkowitz) and many more. It might just be because I'm majoring in Criminology and find this stuff fascinating, but, mainly because it shows the true horror of your everyday person.

I'm a huge fan of horror films and have been since I was a little girl. I've often tried to analyze why I love them so much and have had a hard time putting it into words. I guess watching movie heroines in horror films and seeing how much they have to go through made the worries and hardships in my life seem almost trivial. Horror is a form of escapism in a way, at least for me. Also, many horror films contain premises that will never or are not likely to ever actually happen. The real horrors that occur in day to day life are much scarier to me. I almost can't even watch or read cnn anymore. It makes me sick. A while ago I found a great quote by a horror literature author named E.C. McMullen that I thought might add something to this discussion. What do you think? I think it's perfect...

"There are some who don't understand the nobility of horror fiction. Isn't there enough horror in the world? they ask. For all other forms of literature, the value of human life is optional. For horror fiction, it's absolutely necessary. If we don't value the life of the threatened protagonist, we can't be scared. And through our fear, we better understand the individual fears and values of our species across the world"

I'm a fan of suspense horror. Movies like Gothika (w/ Halle Berry) and also What Lies Beneath top my list. I think they fall into that category.

Others I've enjoyed include The Ring, Final Destination (the first one), I Know What You Did Last Summer,Scream, and 100 Feet.

I'm not a fan of a ridiculous amount of sequels i.e. Saw. It's just more about finding new and different ways to gross you out. I stopped watching after Saw II.

Also not a fan of the demonic, possessed, based on a true story combo. I think it would give me nightmares at the ripe old age of 27.

I'm sure this will start a nice debate, but I love horror movies and I believe the French are doing it better than anyone these days. High Tension, Inside, Martyrs, Them, and Irreversible. All have strong female characters, but these characters are put through very horrific things. There is lots of suspense, but the gore is substantial as well.

The MOST undigestable horror movie I have seen is Murder, Set, Pieces. Tons of gore and female exploitation. 

I don't care for the torture-porn genre of horror, but I love to find the humanity or lack there of in the characters in horror films.

gore...neve, i like suspense probably why Scream is the only 'horror' movie i liked. well, i'd have to say The Exorsist (original) is awesome, but i only managed to watch the first few minutes and last few minutes of it, i was a little kid and yes i had nightmares that i battled with until highschool.

i don't really get horror films, i find them boring...it's predictable, there's no moral values (well there is but...you get what i mean), and the guy/girl i like always gets killed... 

I love a good scare, and thus am a big fan of horror movies, but I think you guys have missed a big one:

Why do we love horror movies? Because during the scary parts we can snuggle up to the person next to us LOL XD 

 I'm more into the ghost, monster, and zombie films. I looove zombie films. I hate hack and slash films, such as saw. I think they're extra dumb and I just can't get into them. I am a huge fraidy cat but I can't help but watchscary movies ):

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"...As in a woman? As are you a woman? So you mean you two are lesbifriends?"

As a huge movie buff, I have to say it sucks when people make assumptions about what girls watch. I was at the theater watching a western and a guy in the theater seemed completely shocked to see me in there. My taste truly does extend through every genre, time period, and country.

That said, I am not a fan of the modern horror genre. In horror, I am attracted to great writing as with other films. Today's horror movie smacks of body count and lazy scripts not to mention horrid acting. I simply can't get with that. When I think of horror films that are truly great, I think of Alien (technically sci-fi), Silence of the Lambs, Rosemary's Baby, and Jaws. I haven't seen anything horror-wise that attracts me at all in a LONG time. I will give M Night Shyamalan some credit (as hated as he tends to be) because at least he's doing something original. I like psychological thillers and find that what you don't see is far more disturbing than what movies today are all too willing to show you.

looked like the kind I'd like to be invited to=) On a more serious note, I am not a movie buff and even less a horror movie buff. Too often they are just Scary or Gross (or both) and there are few characters that I even care about even a little bit. And the storylines often suck, honnestly the last horror I saw I laughed when the main character died her horrible death. I would watch  if the characters and storylines got better; I'm gonna start some horror research. 

Draco dormines nunquam titillandus

... but only when it's the serial killer kind. When it's a kid doing the killing or just freaky stuff it freaks me out too much. I'm scared enough of children as it is, don't need extra scenarios playing in my head when I stumble upon a little kid in the dark.

But I agree that a movies used to be a lot scarier, because they didn't show all the gore and all the hacking and slashing. They just go overboard and it's all so fake that I can't really get into it.

Thankfully we still have the Japanese to write good horror for us, they still seem to have a knack for it.

I watched that one when i was 12 its pretty terrible...almost so bad its good terrible. I have always loved horror movies...I hate the whole gore porn genre that has become popular over the last few years.  Have to say I agree with ndgogrl21 France is producing some amazing horror movies though I didnt really like Haut Tension it was a little too graphic. However the best horror movie I have seen of late is All the Boys Love Mandy Lane.

 As far as Rob Zombie goes I dont mind his movies but hes has some very backwards views about women. So Im not surprised that he dosent understand why women like the genre i dont think he understands women to begin with In the audio commentary for Halloween he made some comments about a scene invovling a topless actress. He didnt see any reason why she should be uncomfortable with what he was asking her to do he also didnt really seem to have a lot of respect for her in general. The way he talked about he, he made her sound like nothing more than a piece of meat. 

I can't help it!  I love horror movies.  However, they have to be well made, and those are hard to come by.  Here's an article I wrote on my top 10 horror movies:

Top 10 Halloween Movies that Scared Us to Death

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I loveeee scary films.... I may have to sleep in the same bed as somebody and have them come to the toilet with me for the rest of the night/week, but I do love them!

 Horror films have always been my favorite ever since I was young and forced to watch movies like Childs Play, Frightnight, Evil dead and all those....even tho then they scared the beejeebus outta me I still love um.

Actually I think I might go watch a scary movie now......and I'm home alone....oh gaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!

JUST SHUG.

I love horror movies. The gorier the better. I even love the cheesey B flicks, I saw Freddy when I was 4, I had nightmares for a year, but I was sold. I grew up on horror flicks. They are my favorite. I grew up on Wes Craven and Steven King movies. My mom would never let me watch Jason though. She said because he was more like a real person it was too gruesome for me. I was only allowed to watch paranormal type horror flicks.

There isn't a horror movie I won't watch. No matter how horrible the acting, cheesey the lines, I won't turn it off. I mean I think Lesbian Vampire Killers and Black Cristmas are some awesome flicks. I mean they don't compare to Hostel, House of 1000 Corpses, or Saw, but they're worth watching.

Last night, I got home late and there was this movie on Logo. The Gay Bed and Breakfast of Terror, or something like that. The movie was awful, but I watched it in its entirety.  Not because it was a gay flick, cause I've never been able to sit through movies like It's in the Water, and Popcorn Chutney, but because I wanted to see who was going to die, and how. I like it when the bad guys win.

Call me an crazy, but I like seeing naked girls get dismembered. I like seeing anyone get dismembered. I don't like movies with worm like creatures like Slither though. 

I hate horror movies, I can't sit through any of them without screaming out loud or closing my eyes. Worst thing about my scary situation is that my family are huge horror movie buffs, this sucks.

Psychological thrillers for me.  All the greats of the genre:

The Haunting (1963), The Uninvited (1944), The Innocents, The Spiral Staircase, Carnival of Souls and, in the popcorn movie genre, the very fast paced, pre-code The Mystery of the Wax Museum with Fay Wray. In the latter the wisecracking reporter dame who is the film's hero is first seen tossed (and this during Prohibition, lol).

I think they would make a great October 31 oeuvre, and all are cheap to own (about $5-8 each). Except for The Uninvited, which isn't on DVD yet.

Insulting...   Pathetic...   Backward ...  Crippled ...  Primitive ...  

 Desensitizing ...   but Influential ...   and Hypnotic ...

If a zebra is getting slashed in the jungle - all other zebras stay away from that area. Same with all other animals. Even cockroaches stay away from an area where cockroaches are being slaughtered ... and cockroaches eat other cockroaches...

But human beings - Oh we'll pay you $10-$20 dollars to go se other human beings being slashed . We'll pay you scare us.

Like the Romans used to pay to go see Gladiators die... and then they needed more so they got women in there to sexualize the death...  It was disgusting how far they went... but I've seen movies go all the way and show very disgusting stuff.

We havent changed much.

Can no one come up with a Better idea than FEAR???  

Our subconsious doesnt know what's real or not. A part of your brain is believing EVEVRYTHING you're seeing.... specially everything you're FEELING. 

Fear and Anxiety: 

- Immediatly effect our posture: specially our NECK . The more we feel them --- the more the effect becomes permanent.   Till we're old with a million aches n pains and cant even stand up right.

- Effects our breathing pattern. Constricts the lungs ... deflates them.  As opposed to laughter.. which is the best excercie and cure for the lungs and many other things!

Its a good sign that women still see them LESS horror than men .. 

I do hope women viewers have an effect to change them ...and I hope women trust their instincts and dont try to tughen up and be like boys.

The female body is a better and faster indicator of what is healthy and what is not. It is designed to be that way.

The male body is simpy not degisned to be super-sensitive in that way... the male body is more likely to keep loading toxins and letting them change him/weaken him.

A female body will develop ten different AVERSIONS to toxins. She will complain about smells, about feel , about touch, about this and that and that.  She should trust her own body. 

When a woman instinctly avoids something there is thousands of years of evolution behind it.

I love them. Aggressive zombies/infected creatures will always be scary for me. I also love the sad ones (The Descent(it was for me), May, The Orphanage), the weird (Videodrome, Kitchen Sink) and the humorous (Evil Dead, Planet Terror, The Convent(which I discovered through finalgirl's site)).

I know Coraline is for young adults but the book and movie creeped me out.