A History of Horror in Cinema Or, a Reflection of Society's Fears Over the Decades. ; LEARN MORE with our online filmmaking course. “Horror films are the present-day version of the epic poems and ballads told round the fires of our ancestors.” Do you feel the chill in the air? Pumpkins sit on porches with their twisted grins, carved and hollowed and lit from within. Cobwebs cover most trees in my neighborhood, and inflatable monsters stalk the yards. Yup. Here in the US, Halloween Season is officially in full swing! Are you a fan of October’s spooky thrills? Surprisingly, your answer actually may be influenced by your genes. In 2008, researchers from the University of Bonn in Germany found that people’s proclivity for all things horror may be linked to a variant of the “COMT” gene “that affects a chemical in the brain that is linked to anxiety”. Specifically: “People who have two copies of one version of the gene are more easily disturbed when viewing unpleasant pictures, the scientists discovered. That version of the gene weakens the effect of a signaling chemical in the brain that helps control certain emotions. The scientists found that those carrying two copies of it were significantly more startled by frightening images than others. By contrast, those who had one copy of the gene and one copy of another version were able to keep their emotions in check far more readily. The study… also found that those with two copies of...
Published By: Lights Film School Blog - Friday, 19 October, 2018