EXCL: Film Experts Explain Gen Z’s ‘Obsession’ With Horror Genre

In light of blockbusters often feeling predictable, horror has climbed to the top of global cinema.

Independent films such as Midsommar illustrate the genre’s diversity. Franchise hits like Nosferatu or Terrifier show how it evolves into a cultural mirror. There is one audience demographic that’s taking charge, and it’s Gen Z. But why now?

One interviewee is Professor Jacob Soule from Drew University, who teaches English, Film, and popular courses such as Hitchcock Studies. He described horror as “both a reflection of its culture and a contributor to it.”

This type of classic horror punished sexuality and difference, echoing conservative social fears; meanwhile, horror challenges those same norms. This is such a case with Get Out and Us. These films expose racial anxieties and societal status. Even a movie like Hereditary or The Babadook transforms domestic spaces into psychological rabbit holes.

In order words, horror movies don’t just scare us.. they tap into the psyche in ways that demonstrate our culture’s hidden meanings.

Younger audiences like Gen Z, have turned horror into a social ritual. They stream horror stories, share jump scare reactions online, turn gore or psychopaths into popular memes.

Psychologically, horror might offer a kind of exposure therapy. It may also provide a coping mechanism. This mechanism is yet to be researched by psychologists. An interviewee, Kamil Zapasnik, who also teaches Film at Drew university says, “Horror turns our collective fears and anxieties into a consumable narrative. This transformation allows us to process these unconscious fears.”

This could potentially explain why so many young people find comfort in discomfort. Watching horror together becomes a bonding experience. It is a way to laugh at fear while acknowledging it.

Behind the scenes is a sharp economic reality. Horror films can be inexpensive. It’s studios like Blumhouse and A24 that have mastered this formula of filmmaking.

This is the case with films like Talk to Me or Jennifer’s Body on small budgets that rival superhero profits. Still, as Zapasnik noted, market saturation might explain the rise in extreme gore. “Maybe there is an economic logic. As the market gets saturated, it becomes harder to stand out,” he explained.

Shock value does sell, and it keeps audiences completely addicted to the next big thing.

It’s safe to say that horror was once considered an underappreciated entertainment; it now commands a universal critical respect. Films like Psycho, Rosemary’s Baby, and The Wicker Man have paved its way for today’s artistic revival. It’s now examined in film studies courses and applauded at film festivals. Horror became the representation for cultural anxieties that most people refuse to mention out loud.

As the world becomes a stranger, every form of horror only becomes more truthful.