Cinema to Die For
By Bayleigh Toth Nov. 4, 2026
Dr. Mary Kline wakes up tied to a chair, facing her patient, Clark. Around them, a dinner table with bright yellow walls surrounding her and uncanny figures that look human, but are not quite right. Kline is trapped in the Backrooms, an endless maze of corridors. She turns her head to see a tall figure slowly approaching froma yellow hallway, an 8-foot tall pirate-like monster that is a distorted version of Clark. Watching from her heated theater seat, a woman grips her popcorn tightly with fear and suspense for what might come next.
Horror movies depend on the manipulation of curiosity, revulsion and fear. However, horror does more than just instill terror; according to Dolf Zillmann’s 1970s excitation transfer theory,, the relief viewers feel after intense fear can produce a euphoric high. Yet, not everyone enjoys this sensation: Psych Central reports that about 10% of the U.S population enjoys the feeling horror films evoke. A 2005 research study done by Cynthia A. Hoffner and Kenneth J. Levine found that horror movie lovers tend to be less empathetic, while highly empathetic viewers are more disturbed by others’ suffering. In addition, some people seek out horror movies with the intention of stimulating sensory reactions, which may be associated with greater aggression, especially in male viewers.
”I think what really makes or breaks a horror movie is the acting—Jenna Ortega is one of my favorite actresses and I really enjoy her performance in Scream 5 and 6 with scenes that require portrayals of sadness and nervousness. When an actor can convey raw emotions so authentically, it makes you experience those emotions alongside them, which is exactly what makes a horror movie effective,” Senior Amulya Tadimetic said.
Film historian James Kendrick argues that the best scary movies adapt to society’s biggest cultural fears. After the Vietnam War, the U.S. was filled with rampant serial killers like Ted Bundy and the Zodiac Killer, leading to a general anxiety in American society throughout the 70s and 80s. The fear of crime and death that was prevalent at the time was reflected in slasher films like “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th.” A modern example is Curry Barker’s breakout horror film which taps into Generation Z women’s fears of the ‘nice guy’ who believes his ‘kindness’ entitles him to a woman’s affection, exploring anxieties around coercion and consent.
“I think modern horror movies use a lot of personal worry and specific emotional experiences for their horror, like “Hereditary” being about generational trauma. I feel like having more dark and complex underlying themes in horror films enriches the genre,” Christopher Barros, Foreign Languages Department, said.
‘Found footage’ is a subgenre of horror that is shot in a format made to appear as if it were a person recording or documenting a nonfictional event, usually presented in a dramatic way. “The Blair Witch Project” is a 1999 film that’s considered a centerpiece of the genre and is famous for bringing a whole subgenre to the mainstream with massive box office and critical success. Found footage has evolved in the internet age, with Kane Parsons’s “Backrooms” exemplifying the genre’s modern appeal. Originating as an internet myth from an online post in 2019, “Backrooms” plays on modern fears around the unknown and the uncanny. In the film and his YouTube series, Parsons is able to use nostalgia of the 90s and blend it with Gen Z’s cultural fears of isolation and separation after the Covid-19 pandemic. The main character of the film, Clark, struggles with human connections, claiming it is the way he’s wired and finds comfort in the familiarity of the backrooms despite the dangerous doppelgänger creatures, in which many young introverted people who grew up in the internet age can relate to.
As audiences seek horror that reflects their fears beyond the screen, filmmakers like Kane Parsons and Curry Barker are helping pave the way for a new wave of horror that draws on contemporary anxieties and unconventional storytelling. As human’s fears change and evolve, so do the horror movies that they want to watch.
About the Contributors
Bayleigh Toth
Staff Writer
Bayleigh Toth is a sophomore at Leland High School and works in the writing and media department for The Charger Account. When not at school, she's probably in a movie theater, reading, or working on a craft project.
Lucas Yi
Artist
Lucas Yi is a sophomore at Leland High, and is one of many artists for the Leland Charger Account. Lucas loves to paint an draw, especially with ink pens. In his free time, Lucas is often playing basketball with his friends or binge watching animes/movies, as he has nothing better to do when not hanging out with his pals.
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