What Effects Can Horror Have On An Audience? (Cohen- 1972).

Norm:

• Anxious
• Fear
• Alarm
• Alert
• Nervous
• Uncomfortable
• Enjoyable

Extreme:

• Panic Attack
• Hysteria
• Screaming
• Crying
• Fainting
• Heart Attacks

Venerable to effects: Older women of a fragile condition.

Who protects Us/responsible: Audience, BBFC

What Age Is Horror Suitable? 15/18+

Moral Panic

Horror films are often the centre of moral panic.

• Cohen (1972), argues that moral panic is when the media amplifies an event to refer its consequences to much wider social issues. Essentially becoming a 'crusade' against behaviours or perceived negative developments in society.
• Daily Mail, Daily Express, News Of The World, Sun & Mirror- can create moral panic.
• Moral panic works by raising alarm in people, the incident is representative of a decline on standards or values- being that society is becoming more dangerous/permissive.
• Appeals to a fragmented and fragile post-war consensus.
• Suggests that morality today is not as string as it was.
• Panic arises by deliberately isolating the event from socio-economic political circumstances in with 'event' took place.

Moral panic caused a change in law- 1984 Video Recording Acts that gave BBFC the power to classify videos and amendment to Criminal Justice and the Public Order Bill that insisted BBFC took issues of 'harm' on board when classifying films.