It is a seemingly perverse instinct: paying £12 to enter a darkened room and be subjected to images specifically engineered to terrify you for 90 minutes. The good news is that you aren't a masochist, or (worse) a sadist. The allure of horror movies stems from an entirely natural impulse, honed by millions of years of evolutionary psychology. Fear keeps us alive and competitive as a species, compelling us to avoid danger and anticipate attack, making us fearful of pain, afraid of death, and cautious of the unknown. "We're pumped full of adrenalin and cortisol during a horror film," says Dr Michael Sinclair, the clinical director at City Psychology Group. "Our 'fight or flight'...
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