Abstract
This article aims to explain the act of watching white-knuckle horror films in relation to extraversion and openness traits. The setting of horror films can be filmed in a cemetery, forest, dorms, or a big abandoned house that is believed to be haunted. The participants of the horror movie setting are mostly young adults or kids who are common targets for evil. They can be 5 in total and some adults are also involved like the priest and the parents of the children. It can be done at night which helps in the background setting of the movie. The statistics used can be gross-out, horror, or terror. White knuckle horror films are to highlight insensible terrors, wishes, needs, and primitive models hidden deep in our mutual subconscious.
Introduction
White-knuckle horror films are a unique genre because they are the only type of film that people enjoy watching while experiencing intense fear. Extroversion and openness are associated with both aggression and fear reactions (Blakley et al., 2029). They explain why humans enjoy watching such violent films that may scare them. Although, they know they will also try to avoid them as soon as possible after experiencing them or even seeing them again just to know how it ends. This, therefore, helps the person make decisions on how they would behave in that situation (Martin, 2019). People who watch alone or with friends would not be as effective at mirroring emotions based on their personalities.
Theoretical Framework
This study aims to examine self-reported bond type dynamics and examine the relationship between personality traits and white-knuckle horror film watching; especially among those who identify themselves as introverts. It also explores how these findings might vary within different subgroups defined by gender (Yaksic, 2022). The purpose of the topic is to analyze whether or not extroverts can be more susceptible to experiencing a negative state by watching white-knuckle horror films, as well as whether there is a difference between this for men and women.
The movie “The Crucifixion” is an example of a white-knuckle horror movie based on a true story that is related to extraversion and openness in its story. In this movie, fear attacks when a broadcaster starts to investigate the death of a holy sister during the exorcism exercise (Hansen, 2020). The purpose of the movie is to explain the true story of Sister Adelina Marinescu was possessed and was a victim of Tanacu exorcism.
The main character in this story is Sophie Cookson an English actress who acts as the journalist, Nicole Rawlins. Father Dumitru is a character in the story who was interviewed by Nicole about the death of Adelina when he was in jail. Sister Vaduva who was a close friend of Adelina meets up with Nicole to discuss the death of Adelina when they are at her funeral. She then shows Nicole where the exorcism exercise was carried out by Bishop Gornick. She finds out that the nun was possessed by a demon called Agares. She also finds from Vaduva, Adelina’s close friend, that Adelina engaged in a relationship with her lover which made her become unstable in his Christian belief. Eventually, the relationship ended in a sad outcome where Adelina begged forgiveness from God instead of opening doors for the demon to possess her and later kill her.
After Nicole made her conclusions, she then starts experiencing nightmares. She struggles to find the demon and then later solves the mystery which results in Father Dumitru and the nun’s arrest for Adelina’s murder. The results of the story mean that the extraversion and openness traits portrayed by Nicole can be of great help in our present society. Subgenre films have been a contentious existence in modern fear (Kinder & O’Steen, 2022). The results express how some believers are willing to engage in sinful acts to satisfy their desires.
Rationale
The results of this study suggest that watching white-knuckle horror movies is more likely to result in an extroverted, open, and non-cautious mindset. The higher the intensity of the situation in the movie and the more engaged we are with what we are watching (or experiencing), the less reserved it is possible to be (Martin, 2019). The current study addresses a gap in the literature by testing whether trait psychopathy, an interpersonal factor of personality that is often assumed a prerequisite for real-life violent behaviour, is also a predictor of staying tuned during horror movies. The study takes advantage of self-report measures that allow for controlled comparisons with individuals high on extroversion and low on psychopathy at baseline, as well as those who became high on psychopathy after watching violent movies.
Aims and Hypothesis
The aim of this study was to examine whether the personality trait of extroversion and the trait of openness are related to white-knuckle horror film watching. The hypothesis was that those who scored high on extroversion would be more willing to watch a film with a higher fear budget rating and more likely to do so on a daily basis. The study also aims to find out whether white knuckle horror film watching has different effects on both males and females.
Methods
A team of researchers used pre-existing data from a large national survey on white-knuckle horror film credibility to investigate whether it was possible to detect correlations between the extent to which individuals display extroversion and openness, and the tendency to watch white-knuckle horror films. The researchers found that high scores on these measures were associated with a greater likelihood of watching white-knuckle horror films.
Results
This study tested the hypothesis that extroversion and openness would be positively associated with engagement with white-knuckle horror films and negatively associated with anxiety. The results suggest that although they both predict anxiety, openness is more strongly linked to fear of danger, while extroversion is more strongly linked to engaging in thrilling activities associated with thrill-seeking. The results also suggest that most people would be willing to give up their comfort in pursuit of adrenaline-seeking activities be it danger or thrill-seeking ones.
Discussion
White-knuckle horror film watching is a common pastime among extroverted people. This is due to the fact that participants usually work in the service industry or are not very happy at their jobs, which induces depression or anxiety (Adnum, 2022). Netflix shows like Stranger Things and The Handmaid’s Tale give participants an opportunity to “escape” reality and become immersed in another world. This study looked at whether these two personality traits were related to white-knuckle horror film watching. As expected, extroversion was negatively correlated with interest in watching horror films, and openness was positively correlated with interest in watching horror films. Given that white-knuckle horror films are well known for their visceral and frightening nature, it would make sense if those who are more prone to take risks would also be more interested in sitting through such films.
Conclusion
White-knuckle horror film watching is not an inherently extroverted or open experience. However, people who watch more white-knuckle horror films also reported being more extroverted, and men watching in groups also reported being more open to new experiences and ideas than those who didn’t watch much. Openness seems to derive from a willingness to try new things and it, therefore, makes sense that people who are more extroverted will be less likely to avoid the cinema seat next to their date than those with introverted tendencies.
References
Adnum, M. (2022). My own private new queer cinema. Book reviews.
Blakley, J., Watson-Currie, E., Shin, H. S., Valenti, L. T., Saucier, C., & Boisvert, H. (2019). Are you what you watch? Tracking the political divide through TV preferences. Norman Lear Center. Web.
Hansen, R. (2020). Hotly in pursuit of the real: Notes toward a memoir. Slant.
Kinder, B., & O’Steen, B. (2022). Making the cut at pixar: The Art of editing animation. Taylor & Francis.
Martin, G. N. (2019). (Why) do you like scary movies? A review of the empirical research on psychological responses to horror films. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2298.
Yaksic, E. (2022). Killer Data: Modern perspectives on serial murder. Routledge.