RESEARCH - Horrors Effect on Audience

Many critics think that the horror genre has a negative effect on its audience, this has been said for hundreds of years. Plato has been quoted saying that if you watch violence, the audience will act violent in real life, this is why he wanted Greek Tragedies banned. This point was re-ittirated during the Jamie Bulger killing, the killnig represented one in the film 'Child's Play 3'. The newspapers printed that the children watched this, and got their idea's from it. However when the case came to court it turned out the children never even watched the film. This is because the press believe horror fans to be ignorant, when research suggests that horror fans know a lot about the genre.

David Buckingham a top media researcher believe children watch horror for a number of reasons: -they liek to watch horror with friends for social interaction
-it offers a growing up experience; an insight into the adult world
-it helps them learn how to cope with fear, the fact that they "survived" watching it is a big deal to them

Finally his research also suggests that children won't actually believe what happens in the film will happen in real life, its the doubt that will keep them awake at night.