Film Preferences Following a Murder

Abstract

Evidence from various sources suggests that, under safe conditions of exposure, people may show preference for potentially fear-inducing events. To test for the existence of this phenomenon, general attendance at a film depicting cold-blooded murder and at a control film were compared on the two days following the occurrence of a murder and on the same two days one week prior to the murder. Only attendance at the murder movie rose (89%) two days after the murder when compared with the same day a week before. Also, girls in the victim's dormitory showed a greater preference for the murder movie one week after the crime, whereas girls in a control dorm showed no preference. Theoretical interpretations were proposed to account for these findings.