Why We Turn to Horror When Times Are Bad

History shows us something fascinating: whenever the world feels uncertain, people reach for horror. From classic gothic novels born during times of plague and unrest, to modern streaming hits that rise during economic downturns, horror thrives when things seem bleak.

But why do we, as fans, crave fear most when we’re already surrounded by it in real life?

The answer lies in psychology, history, and the unique role horror plays in helping us process collective anxiety.

Horror as a Mirror of Society

Horror has always reflected society’s darkest fears. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was written during a time of rapid scientific change. George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead mirrored racial tension and political unrest in the 1960s. Even slashers of the 1980s, with their obsession over teens being punished for “bad” behavior, echoed America’s moral panics.

When the world feels unstable, horror provides a distorted mirror, allowing us to confront real anxieties in symbolic, heightened ways. We might not have zombies in the streets, but the dread of collapse feels eerily familiar.

Controlled Fear in an Uncontrollable World

Psychologists argue that horror is a safe space to practice fear. When the news cycle feels overwhelming, horror gives us a structured, fictional environment where danger is thrilling but ultimately contained.

Watching a haunted house movie or reading a terrifying novel lets us face monsters we can actually defeat, unlike the faceless fears of economic collapse, pandemics, or war. In short: horror gives us the catharsis of surviving something scary, even when real life feels like it’s spiraling out of control.

Horror Booms in Hard Times

Look at the timeline:

• The Great Depression: Universal’s classic monsters—Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy—exploded in popularity.

• The 1970s: Vietnam, Watergate, and social unrest gave us gritty, paranoid horror like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Halloween.

• Post-9/11: Torture horror and apocalyptic films like Saw and 28 Days Later dominated the screen.

• The 2020 Pandemic: Interest in outbreak and isolation horror spiked—films like Contagion surged in popularity, and audiences binged chilling series on streaming platforms.

Horror doesn’t just survive in hard times—it thrives.

The Comfort of Community

Another reason horror flourishes in bad times: it builds community. Fans love gathering (whether in theaters, online, or at conventions) to share scares together. This sense of solidarity, screaming, laughing, and analyzing horror, reminds us that we’re not alone.

Even at its darkest, horror is strangely comforting because it turns solitary fears into collective experiences.

Facing the Unspoken

Sometimes, horror is the only genre that dares to say the quiet part out loud. While dramas may skirt around big existential fears, horror puts them front and center: death, decay, isolation, loss of control.

By watching someone else endure these struggles on screen or in a book, we can process our own hidden anxieties. Horror names the thing we fear and, in doing so, makes it feel a little less impossible to survive.

Why Horror Will Always Have a Place

No matter how good or bad times get, horror will never disappear. When the world feels bright and hopeful, horror gives us fun thrills and imaginative escapism. But when the world feels dark, horror becomes essential, helping us wrestle with dread, find catharsis, and share fear in a way that makes us feel alive.

So the next time you’re curled up watching a scary movie during a tough week, know this: you’re part of a long tradition of turning to horror when things get hard. And maybe that’s why the genre remains one of the most resilient forms of storytelling.

Wrestle with your dread with my latest horror tale called The Given - out now!

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