Horror movies

it's a movie that's meant to scare the livin' buh-jeezus outta you?

any clue about the formal aesthetics linked to it, (i have it in my humanities course (World Views) so if u have any clue about the world view linked to it or what makes a horror movie part of popular culture, please say it here )

I think horror movies are popular because they scare people in a safe way. You might scream, but you know that's it's just a movie.

Watching a horror movie is like eating junk food. I know it's not good for me but sometimes I do it anyway.

You're dubious of Wikipedia -- FilmSite.org is always a good avenue to explore for definitions. I belong to Encyclopedia Britannica but haven't looked up the article on horror films. I've been to more than one lectures, usually at film schools, where this genre is explored thoroughly.

Here's the link to FilmSite's essay:

http://www.filmsite.org/horrorfilms.html

The problem is always going to be in the hybrid of horror mixed with sci-fi, fantasy, crime, and other genres. "The Silence of the Lambs" is a good example of a crime film but is most often noted as a horror film. There is a lot of the horror element in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. "Alien" is a sci-fi horror movie as well as "Frankenstein." It depends on your beliefs if "Dracula" is, in fact, a horror fantasy flick.

thx

I hate scary movies that just make me laugh. aka. Missed call...