[Editor]

For all of their stomach-turning gore, horror films and haunted houses attract people in droves. This ability of the human brain to turn fear on its head could be a key to treating phobias and anxiety disorders, according to scientists.

Source: http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/06...ear_factor.html

[Bright One]

So it's a chemical response in our brains and whether you find it enjoyable or not depends on your level of consciousness.

And even if you really did perceive it as a "real" threat, you'd probably have a different experience to a child. Children are not mentally or physically capable of looking after themselves but look to their parents for protection whereas adults can protect themselves or look to the "pack" for protection. That might be a simplification, in that you get physically weak adults and adults with the mental-ages of children, it's unwise to deal in absolutes etc. etc., but I think for the most part it does run true... growing into adulthood does bring its changes regardless. And even if someone never managed to develop physically or mentally, they'll come a time when the parents are not going to be able to take care of them anyway until they're not even around to do so.

Maybe that's why I loved horror films when I was on the cusp of puberty, because it was a way of coming to grips with what "reality" is as the child's brain transforms into the adolescent's brain which turns into the adult's brain. Another motivation for watching these films was the nudity, experiencing those first proto-adult sexual urges and getting to grips with them (no pun intended).

This post has been edited by Bright One: 27 November 2006 - 05:26 PM