I came across a short piece in a 2011 edition of "Scientific American Mind" entitled "The Power of Negative Thinking." The article noted research suggesting that both the experience of something painful (physically or emotionally) and the expectation that we will experience that same negative sensation again actually enables us to go through repeated experiences with less discomfort.
My mind immediately went to the horror film audience, or at least the ones who enjoy repeated and similar experiences of shock, disgust, fear, through the medium of film. So once you've seen a realistically believable beheading on film, you can go on watching various slasher films where the heads go thunk as they hit the ground. It's not so terrible the second time around.
But then I remember other suggestions that viewing horror and experiencing those "negatively charged" emotions is a positive thrill, something enjoyable and even desirable. Does that mean that once you lose the "thrill" or the ability to be shocked and scared, you no longer enjoy horror cinema as much? Or perhaps I should say that you no longer "desire" seeing a film that promises similar scenes of gore and violence? Does this lead to falling ticket sales for sequels far down a franchise assembly line? Or does this explain why so many viewers demand the same old "slash" but offered in new and creative ways?
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