The Horror Genre - Intended Effect

Different genres of films have different intended effects, for example comedy is designed to make people laugh, action films are designed to thrill, excite and entertain the audience, whereas documentaries are designed to inform and melodramas are intended to move the audience emotionally.

The intended effect of horror films is to scare and unsettle the audience through tension, gruesome or bloody imagery, jumpscares and plot lines that invoke a sense of terror. Audiences often find horror movies cathartic as it enables them to experience threat and danger (that they wouldn't wish to experience in real life) in the safety of a cinema.