At first glance, spending around two hours willingly subjecting your nervous system to creeping dread, silent slashers and pesky poltergeists might seem illogical. Still, millions of people continue to see horror films in theaters each year, making it the fastest-rising genre at the box office. So, why do we do it?  

Horror Fans, Defined  

If you’re not the type of person who likes to cuddle up under a fuzzy blanket on a rainy night with a classic creature feature, you might be wondering who is.  

Through a couple of benchmark studies looking at the habits and responses of horror movie-watchers as well as haunted house visitors, researchers have come to define three overall types of horror fans: the “Adrenaline Junkie,” the “White Knuckler” and the “Dark Coper.”  

Adrenaline Junkies: These fans are most motivated by the immediate rush and subsequent mood boost they experience by participating in thrill-seeking activities, like theme park rides. They might feel more “alive” due to their experience of fear.  

White Knucklers: These fans muscle through their favorite spooky flicks not for the feelings they experience during the biggest jump scares, but for the sense of pride and accomplishment they experience once the credits have rolled.  

Dark Copers: Typically motivated by real-life struggles, these fans use horror to make sense of a world they find scary, which often leads to self-discovery and personal growth. They might see the thrill-seeking experience as a means of directly addressing anxiety or depression in a controlled setting.  

What Does It Mean? 

A 2022 study examined the reported benefits of haunted house attendees. The results indicated that the three different types of horror fans tend to experience unique benefits when participating in horror as leisure.  

Those identified as Adrenaline Junkies most often reported “immediate enjoyment,” those identified as White Knucklers reported “personal growth,” and those identified as Dark Copers reported “both.” Researchers believe this suggests that horror-adjacent leisure activities might be just as motivated by personal growth and self-discovery as they are by fun and sensation-seeking.  

Additionally, a 2021 study found that horror fans and fans of “prepper” (for example, alien-invasion, apocalyptic or zombie) films exhibited less psychological distress and greater positive resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.   

It’s important to note that these general categorizations are just that, and real people are far more complex, but the findings in these studies appear to suggest that thrill-seeking activities can be a great outlet for engaging with fears and uncomfortable situations in a safe and controlled environment, at least for certain groups.  

So, why not dim the lights and give something spooky a try this Halloween season?  

 Sources:   

“Adrenaline junkies and white-knucklers: A quantitative study of fear management in haunted house visitors,” Mathias Clasen et al., Poetics, April 2019.   

“How Halloween Scares Can Soothe Anxiety,” Delaney Rebernik, TIME, time.com, Oct. 27, 2025.  

“Pandemic practice: Horror fans and morbidly curious individuals are more psychologically resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Coltan Scrivner et al., Personality and Individual Differences, Jan. 1, 2021.   

“The Psychological Benefits of Scary Play in Three Types of Horror Fans,” Coltan Scrivner et al., Journal of Media Psychology, Aug. 9, 2022.   

“2023 Top-Grossing Movies in North America,” The Numbers, the-numbers.com, Accessed Sept. 4, 2026.