Audience Research - Horror

Audience Research

Horror

The usual age for someone watching a horror movie is between 15 and 25, during young adulthood they are in the key stages of developing themselves and learning more about the world. They want to try new things and experiment with different emotions and feelings. They want to rush into life without being guided and therefore seek all thrill they can get, horror movies provide this thrill and can excite the young audience easier than an older one. The young audience are also less susceptible to being put off the film by violence or unnatural images which may make older audiences feel negative towards the film.

As we would expect males are more likely to watch horror films than females are, this is due to the stereotypical thrill seeker which is portrayed with a boy and the thrill boys seek to contest with there young adult hormones. Violence is also a convention of horror films which is often loved by males not females as they seek the thrill of violence, blood and got whereas females are more likely to seek love and security. Horror films are therefore more attractive to males as they seek the thrill horror films supply

Something which many wouldn't have thought of is which class films are aimed at, in this instance horror films are aimed at working class as the level of thrill and excitement which is gained from a horror film is high. Higher class tend to watch horror films as a sub genre on another genre such as romance or action as the higher class seek a higher level of satisfaction when watching a film.

The audiences of horror movies are often groups of friends however there are key groups of audiences who often see horror movies. Couples who are either on a first date or have been in a relationship for a long time but not married commonly go and see horror films. The comfort that is needed after a horror film is perfect to make a first date successful, also it's a good conversation starter after the film and therefore popular conversation choice.

The audience of horror films can often relate to the characters in the film, they often form a relationship due to the similarities and therefore have a stronger emotional pull to the film. The relation of the character also puts the audience in the shoes of the characters gaining a stronger horror effect.

Overall the general demographic for an audience watching a horror movie can be fairly broad however the majority of the audience will be young (16-24) males who seek a cheap thrill. Otherwise it's likely to be couples on a first date.