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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/29/horror-movies-personality-test
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| Horror movies: the personality test | Horror movies: the personality test |
| (6 months later) | |
| Some scientific studies sound like more fun than others. The ones where you get paid danger money for taking potentially lethal medicines – they're cool. The ones where you sit in a lab and administer ever-increasing electric shocks to strangers in order to show how the Nazis came to power, even better. But how about a scientific study where all you have to do is watch horror movie trailers? That right there is the dream. | Some scientific studies sound like more fun than others. The ones where you get paid danger money for taking potentially lethal medicines – they're cool. The ones where you sit in a lab and administer ever-increasing electric shocks to strangers in order to show how the Nazis came to power, even better. But how about a scientific study where all you have to do is watch horror movie trailers? That right there is the dream. |
| For 482 people that dream recently came true when they were asked by academics to watch a variety of gory trailers and offer their response. Would it be the promise of gore that would make someone want to watch the full film, or the promise of seeing a teenage girl in a bloodied singlet triumph over evil? The results suggested the latter: that people were attracted to movies that promised heroes stepping up and doing over bad guys. Dr Anne Bartsch, who led the study, offered the following: "Perhaps depictions of violence that are perceived as meaningful, moving and thought-provoking can foster empathy with victims, admiration for acts of courage and moral beauty in the face of violence, or self-reflection with regard to violent impulses." Gotcha, doc. | For 482 people that dream recently came true when they were asked by academics to watch a variety of gory trailers and offer their response. Would it be the promise of gore that would make someone want to watch the full film, or the promise of seeing a teenage girl in a bloodied singlet triumph over evil? The results suggested the latter: that people were attracted to movies that promised heroes stepping up and doing over bad guys. Dr Anne Bartsch, who led the study, offered the following: "Perhaps depictions of violence that are perceived as meaningful, moving and thought-provoking can foster empathy with victims, admiration for acts of courage and moral beauty in the face of violence, or self-reflection with regard to violent impulses." Gotcha, doc. |
| The results will probably come as a relief to those who worried that horror movies, rather than fascinating their viewers with images of moral beauty, led to people getting off on gore and becoming desensitised to violence. At the same time it does pose a few questions, chief of which being: just how often will a human being be expected to show courage in the face of a zombie invasion? | The results will probably come as a relief to those who worried that horror movies, rather than fascinating their viewers with images of moral beauty, led to people getting off on gore and becoming desensitised to violence. At the same time it does pose a few questions, chief of which being: just how often will a human being be expected to show courage in the face of a zombie invasion? |
| So with the issue still very much up for discussion I have prepared my own rigorous psychometric test. If you would be so kind as to watch the following trailers then respond to the questions below I will be able to gauge whether you're a nice person or a monster hiding deep traits of psychopathy. | So with the issue still very much up for discussion I have prepared my own rigorous psychometric test. If you would be so kind as to watch the following trailers then respond to the questions below I will be able to gauge whether you're a nice person or a monster hiding deep traits of psychopathy. |
| Trailer 1 – You're Next | Trailer 1 – You're Next |
| It's a movie with a lot of buzz behind it, promising the possibility of watching an entire bourgeois family get taken out by a killer wearing a dog mask. At least I think it's a dog mask. Watch the trailer then answer the questions below: | It's a movie with a lot of buzz behind it, promising the possibility of watching an entire bourgeois family get taken out by a killer wearing a dog mask. At least I think it's a dog mask. Watch the trailer then answer the questions below: |
| 1. The beginning of the trailer shows a family gathering in a nice house in the country and acting all smug. Select the answer that most closely matches your response. | 1. The beginning of the trailer shows a family gathering in a nice house in the country and acting all smug. Select the answer that most closely matches your response. |
| a) Awww, innit sweet to see a family eating, praying and seductively undoing bras together? | a) Awww, innit sweet to see a family eating, praying and seductively undoing bras together? |
| b) Yeah, sure they're smug, but they love each other so that's got to count for something. | b) Yeah, sure they're smug, but they love each other so that's got to count for something. |
| c) Where's my dog mask? | c) Where's my dog mask? |
| 2. Later in the trailer a killer in a dog mask enters the house, scrawling "your next" in what looks like blood. Select the answer that most closely reflects your response. | 2. Later in the trailer a killer in a dog mask enters the house, scrawling "your next" in what looks like blood. Select the answer that most closely reflects your response. |
| a) OMG, OMG, he's coming for the family. Hide! No, don't hide! Oh god, I don't know what to do! | a) OMG, OMG, he's coming for the family. Hide! No, don't hide! Oh god, I don't know what to do! |
| b) OMG, OMG, he's coming for the family. It's time for one of the more photogenic young women to stand up and be counted. | b) OMG, OMG, he's coming for the family. It's time for one of the more photogenic young women to stand up and be counted. |
| c) OMG, OMG, he's coming for the family. Good. | c) OMG, OMG, he's coming for the family. Good. |
| d) It says "your", not "you're". | d) It says "your", not "you're". |
| Trailer 2: Evil Dead | Trailer 2: Evil Dead |
| The much-anticipated remake of the Sam Raimi zombie classic. And this time, the zombies can say nursery rhymes. | The much-anticipated remake of the Sam Raimi zombie classic. And this time, the zombies can say nursery rhymes. |
| 1. In the opening minute of the trailer, you see a man laughing as he opens a book that says "leave this book alone". Select the answer that most closely reflects your response. | 1. In the opening minute of the trailer, you see a man laughing as he opens a book that says "leave this book alone". Select the answer that most closely reflects your response. |
| a) You're going to regret that mate. | a) You're going to regret that mate. |
| b) Pillock. | b) Pillock. |
| c) That's my book. How did you get hold of my book? | c) That's my book. How did you get hold of my book? |
| 2. In the second minute of the trailer a zombie pukes a load of blood all over a photogenic young woman. Select the answer etc and so on. | 2. In the second minute of the trailer a zombie pukes a load of blood all over a photogenic young woman. Select the answer etc and so on. |
| a) Blood on whites? That'll takes ages to get off. | a) Blood on whites? That'll takes ages to get off. |
| b) It's time for the photogenic young woman to stand up and be counted. | b) It's time for the photogenic young woman to stand up and be counted. |
| c) MUST. PUKE. BLOOD. | c) MUST. PUKE. BLOOD. |
| Trailer 3: Paranormal Activity 4 | Trailer 3: Paranormal Activity 4 |
| The latest instalment of the box-office-conquering franchise came out last year. But that doesn't make its message about preschool children any less relevant. | The latest instalment of the box-office-conquering franchise came out last year. But that doesn't make its message about preschool children any less relevant. |
| 1. This trailer suggests that a small boy has a direct link to an evil poltergeist spirit. Select the answer that most closely reflects your response. | 1. This trailer suggests that a small boy has a direct link to an evil poltergeist spirit. Select the answer that most closely reflects your response. |
| a) Kids will say anything to get out of tidying their room. | a) Kids will say anything to get out of tidying their room. |
| b) It's time for the photogenic young woman to stand up and give her little brother a chinese burn. | b) It's time for the photogenic young woman to stand up and give her little brother a chinese burn. |
| c) Go, my poltergeist, cause havoc! | c) Go, my poltergeist, cause havoc! |
| 2. What is the scariest bit about this trailer? | 2. What is the scariest bit about this trailer? |
| a) Terrible words coming from the mouths of the innocent. | a) Terrible words coming from the mouths of the innocent. |
| b) The use of "found footage" to make everything seem more real. | b) The use of "found footage" to make everything seem more real. |
| c) That blatant plug for Microsoft Kinect in, like, the first 10 seconds. | c) That blatant plug for Microsoft Kinect in, like, the first 10 seconds. |
| Answers | Answers |
| Mostly As: You are a good person, full of moral beauty. The worst crime you would ever commit is taking your other half's driving points. | Mostly As: You are a good person, full of moral beauty. The worst crime you would ever commit is taking your other half's driving points. |
| Mostly Bs: You are a normal person, who believes in the redemptive power of photogenic young women. The worst crime you would ever commit is burglary. | Mostly Bs: You are a normal person, who believes in the redemptive power of photogenic young women. The worst crime you would ever commit is burglary. |
| Mostly Cs: You are a psychopath. Stop right where you are and hand yourself in. The worst crime you would ever commit is running North Korea. | Mostly Cs: You are a psychopath. Stop right where you are and hand yourself in. The worst crime you would ever commit is running North Korea. |
| Mostly Ds. You are a pedant. There is no hope for you. | Mostly Ds. You are a pedant. There is no hope for you. |
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