By Jeff Bowen (Account Supervisor)
We assume that we’re rational beings. However, as neuroscientists and behavioral economists tell us, the human decision-making process is often quite irrational.
This is never more evident than in classic horror films.
If you’ve had a chance to read my bio on our site, you’ll know I’m pretty obsessed with this genre. A few years back, I taught a college level course called “Horror Films & Humanity” where we took a critical and close look at scary movies and how they have reflected society’s real-world fears and anxieties since their inception.
So, with Halloween coming up, I thought it would be fun to look at horror movies through a behavioral science lens, thus providing some marketing advice and suggestions for some good scary movie-watching this month. Let’s take a look at some examples, shall we?
“Why don’t you move out of your obviously haunted house?”
Some of the best scary stories and horror films have revolved around the idea of a haunted house, particularly films such as The Amityville Horror (1979), The Changeling (1980) and Poltergeist (1982) – although, with the latter, it could be argued that it was the little girl that was haunted and not the house. That’s a discussion for another day.
We all sit on our couches with our popcorn enjoying the good scares, wondering “Why don’t you just LEAVE? Why would anyone stay in a house like that?”
Well, one possible reason might be the Status Quo Bias, which suggests that we as humans have a preference for the way things are. People just do not like change.
This concept helps explain why it’s so difficult to get people to change banks, insurance providers, and even brands they don’t particularly love. There is a comfort level and expectation that makes it hard to switch.
Another thought could be the Sunk Cost Effect. When we invest in something that clearly isn’t working – in this case, a haunted house – we’ll continue to try and make things work, in order to avoid failure or the feeling that we’ve wasted time, effort or money.
These are just two common human behaviors that explain why people in horror films are so adamant about staying in their homes, even after they’ve seen household furniture levitate or scary ghosts emerging from their television sets.
“Why are you going into that creepy basement/forest/closet alone??”
If you ever find yourself in a horror film and you hear a strange noise, do not investigate alone like the protagonists in The Innkeepers (2011) or The House of The Devil (2009) insist on doing.
George Loewenstein’s Information Gap Theory tells us that when there is a gap between what we know and what we want to know, we are more likely to take steps to close that information gap.
While in scary movies that might encourage a babysitter to walk alone into a dark, creepy basement to check an unfamiliar noise – thus leading to her inevitable death – we can use this theory in the real world to entice customers and get them to take action.
“Why do you trust someone just because they’re an authority figure?”
The Authority Principle states that we trust and are more easily persuaded by those with authority. This makes sense in real life, and it explains why it’s usually a good idea to use agency ratings, association memberships or endorsements from thought leaders in your marketing.
However, in the mixed up world of horror films, following the “authority” is not such a good idea. In film after film, we see those in power ignoring the evidence or committing outright evil acts themselves. See the parents in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Sheriff Hoyt in the remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) or the British military in 28 Days Later (2002).
“Why are you running up the stairs instead of going out the front door??”
A famous horror movie cliché is the victim running up stairs to get away from the monster or killer. Slasher flicks like Halloween (1978) and Scream (1996) are notorious for this.
As an audience, we’re yelling at the screen, completely perplexed by why someone wouldn’t just sneak out the back door or garage when they’re being chased. Instead, they run up the stairs, where they will obviously get caught! Why, oh why, would someone do such a thing?
I racked my brain trying to find a human behavior trigger that could explain such an ill-advised choice, but in the end? It’s really just an extreme example of how truly irrational our decision-making can be.
That’s why it’s SO important for marketers to use behavioral science to nudge potential customers toward better, healthier decisions (that don’t include closing themselves off when running from a monster).
So, this Halloween season while you’re ideally enjoying some good scary movies and yelling at the characters for being so darn irrational, think about some of the irrational decisions you might be making in your everyday life.
To discover how you can boost results by helping prospective customers overcome their irrational behavior, connect with the Wilde Agency team now at info@wildeagency.com.
We can also be found on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram, where we regularly share behavioral science tips, marketing news and behind-the-scenes pics from Wilde Agency headquarters.
The post The Behavioral Science Behind Horror Movie Characters’ Terrible, Disturbingly Irrational Choices appeared first on Wilde Agency.
