7 Reasons Horror Fans Tend To Be The Most Intelligent Kind Of Viewer
People who are drawn to paranormal and horror are drawn to things other people prefer not to talk about.
1. Horror movie fans are not like regular movie watchers. They don’t just passively view a film, they analyze it and dissect all the minutiae. There are students of the masters and theories about why someone ran up the stairs instead of running out the front door. Are there any other kind of movies with so many easter eggs? Not as a genre, because their views just aren’t as observant.
2. The genre is closer-knit than other genres, meaning allusions between movies is more common. When you watch a horror movie, it’s expected that you already have a breadth of knowledge about what other horror movies are like so you can understand the cliches — and be wowed by what’s new.
3. Generally, interest in horror expands past just watching movies. Fans have intellectual hobbies within the category but beyond their TVs. Some people become amateur ghost hunters or become obsessed with how special effects and makeup work. Other people are readers and can tell you all the ways Kubrick’s Shining differs from King’s.
4. They’re independent thinkers. People who are drawn to paranormal and horror are drawn to things other people prefer not to talk about. It’s precisely because other people shy away from it that it becomes intriguing to someone who doesn’t think quite like everyone else.
5. Horror movies are mysteries, they are meant to be solved while watching them. Every horror movie deals with an element of the unknown — what is happening? Why is it happening??? Who is doing it?? The horror viewer is a detective, who looks for clues and puts theories together in their head while watching. Veteran horror fans can sniff the killer out from a lineup a mile away.
6. They embrace the darker side of life. While other people prefer not to think about death, horror fans have the mental strength to embrace it and think about it often — for fun. They’re not as interested in ideas everyone else is talking about, they’re interested in the unknown.
7. They’re not afraid to be seen as, well, weird. People who don’t “get” horror can often have thin-skin where the genre is concerned. They tell horror fans they are “weird” for loving movies that are just about “gore and senseless deaths.” It’s the ability to be misunderstood and allow for nuance that makes horror fans smarter people on average. 
