Research on the Horror Genre Audience
Demographics:
The horror genre audience has an extremely diverse audience ranging from age, gender identity, race, and educational background. Horror films have been known to appeal more to younger audiences between the ages of 30-45 as horror was at its peak in the 1980s-1990s and this is what this age group grew up looking forward to seeing in the theater.
Gender wise men enjoy horror more with 52% in a recent YouGov poll whereas 48% of women said they enjoyed it.
Educational wise it has been shown that people who have lower educational stasis enjoy horror movies 3x the amount than those who have a higher education or college degree. Which is extremely baffling to me as my father had a bachelor's degree and highly enjoyed horror movies.
Racially many surveys and polls show that Hispanic and white individuals make up most of the horror loving audience.
Psychological Appeal
Why do people enjoy fear and adrenaline?
People enjoy horror movies for a variety of reasons but mostly because they provide a safe place to experience a controlled sense of fear or thrill, often resulting in an adrenaline rush, while knowing they are not in danger. This can be exciting mentally and physically, allowing them to explore the darker and evil nature of humans and the curiosity of the unknown.
Types of Horror Fans
Horror fans can be put into 3 categories adrenaline junkies, white knucklers, and dark copers.
Adrenaline Junkies: get a mood boost from the intense experiences of horror and thriller. Some examples of movies these fans would enjoy would be: Get Out, Paranormal Activity, and The Descent.
White Knucklers: they watch horror/thriller films to learn about themselves and their emotions towards the film. Some examples of movies these fans would enjoy would include It Follows, The Babadook, and The Others.
Dark Copers: they use horror to cope with their anxiety and emotions, or just as a comfort film. Some examples of movies these fans would enjoy would be: The Exorcist, The Shinning, and The Texas Chainsaw Murders.
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