Once again, Howard has managed to make a broad generalization that is not only incorrect but potentially unhealthy. He supports this argument by quoting a study that showed students who watched a documentary on Mother Teresa had a better functioning immune-system than a group of students who had been watching films of the Nazis. The propoganda of the Nazis is disgusting. There is no comparison. In fact, a more valid argument could be made that horror films are a healthy, even cathartic, release of stress and emotions, which is why they have remained so popular over the years.
People like to be scared, but only when they know they are safe.
All of us go through life each day with thousands of fears swimming around in our minds. Those who bottle up such fears and try not to think about them, let alone confront them, are the same people who go to scary movies and have nightmares because they do not want to tthink about such dangers. They are also people who, generally, scare easily and potentially often walk through life always afraid that something will jump out at them from around every corner. However, the people who enjoy such films, consciously or not, enjoy being scared. They like sitting down in the comfort of a dark movie theatre, tubs of popcorn in their laps, cups filled with soda on the armrest, watching to see what will happen next while always knowing that whatever happens is part of a make-believe fantasy world.