ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Park, Michelle. “The Aesthetics and Psychology Behind Horror Films.” Undergraduate Honors College Theses 2016-, Long Island University. 2018. Chapter 1: The Allure of Horror Film (pg 3-12). https://digitalcommons.liu.edu/post_honors_theses/31.

In this first chapter “The Allure of Horror Film” of Park’s Honors Program Thesis on “The Aesthetics and Psychology Behind Horror Films”, she examines several psychological theories and aspects to reveal why humans are driven to enjoy horror movies. This chapter talks about the few theories she has on why humans watch horror films and how it attracts us, subconscious mind, catharsis, curiosity and fascination, thrill-seeking, a reflection of our fears, etc. are some of the concepts that have been proposed. She also talks about why people choose to watch fiction (especially horror) films over documentaries.

Through this chapter, Parks gets straight to the point of how and why people are attracted to horror movies and what makes this genre appealing by making use of multiple theories from philosophers, psychoanalysts, and psychologists (e.g. Glenn D. Walters’ “Understanding the Popular Appeal of Horror Cinema: An Integrated-Interactive Model”) to support her reasons. Park also used examples of popular genres/themes in horror movies to support her point. This research is a useful source for its credible information.

Quite a few points from Park’s thesis and the theories that she mentioned could be very valuable for a project that explores what makes the horror genre alluring and what the important/significant elements of horror films are. Quoting this source could be a relatively reliable way to support areas that examine techniques that can terrify audiences. This source also provides a good series of theories from different philosophers, psychoanalysts, and psychologists that can be further investigated if needed. This source could help shape the plot and shots of the short psychological horror film less traditionally and in a way that it is less predictable and expected by the audience.