How scary films make us feel alive: Psychologist claims we are driven to watch horror movies because our lives are boring 

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Many see a trip to the cinema as a way to relax and unwind from the stresses of everyday life.

But if it is a horror film you have opted to see, the very opposite may be true.

Our lives are now so boring that people are driven to see scary movies to escape from the tedi-um, according to a top psychologist.

He believes that today’s ‘vanilla society’ is so safe that we are unable to experience the thrills once enjoyed by our ancestors so seek them out on the big screen instead.

A survey conducted by Empire Cinemas named the 360-degree head turn in The Exorcist as the scariest moment in film ever

This comes as it was revealed that almost one fifth of adults claim the most frightened they have ever been is at the cinema.

Dr David Lewis said: ‘Most people go from cradle to grave without ever being truly scared. I think that figure is more of a reflection of the vanilla lives we are leading if that’s the most scared people have ever been.’

And over one in ten people claim to have developed a phobia or fear after viewing a film on the big screen.

A survey conducted by Empire Cinemas also revealed the scariest film moments, which was topped by the 360-degree head turn in The Exorcist. Scenes from classic movies including Alien, Psycho and Silence of the Lambs also made the list.

The results of the survey showed that younger people were more likely to choose modern horror films like The Ring.

Scenes from classic movies including Alien (pictured), Psycho and Silence of the Lambs also made the list

Dr Lewis said this is because they are more ‘visually literate’ than the older generation and are better at processing the quick changes between scenes that have become prevalent in modern horror movies.

He said that scary films have become so popular because we feel the need to return to our cavemen-like state when we experienced genuine fear, which releases ‘feel-good hormones’ like dopamine and adrenaline. Our modern lives are so dull that we have to look for an artificial re-placement.

He added: ‘We live in a very safe environment. Your chances of being killed or injured, particu-larly in this country, are very, very low indeed. In a sense we are deprived of our more primitive responses to the world. There were times when nature really was tooth and claw and your chances of surviving to a ripe old age we much more limited, as there was more crime and dan-ger around.

‘We lack this. We feel the need to give our stone-age man or woman a buzz every now and again just to remind us we are still alive. I think we live in a fairly vanilla society and every now and again we want to spice up our lives, but in a way that doesn’t actually put us in any danger.’

The results of the survey showed that younger people were more likely to choose modern horror films like The Ring (pictured)

He said that when it comes to creating feelings of terror, movie makers rely on several powerful psychological tricks.

‘One is to provoke what is called the “startle” response,’ he said. ‘This is a primitive, inbuilt, reac-tion to anything unexpected and therefore potentially threatening. It triggers the audiences’ “fight or flight” survival system; adrenalin floods through their bodies, their pupils widen, muscles tense, palms become sweaty, mouths go dry and pulses race. By combining a startling image, such as the moment an alien bursts from Kane’s chest [in the film Alien], with suitably fear arousing music a director can produce gasps of horror from an audience. These involuntary reactions intensify the terror for everyone.’