For 50 years, Knott’s Scary Farm has been a Halloween staple here in Southern California, luring thousands every year to experience unique scare mazes, eerie scare zones, and horrifying creatures. But why have people, myself included, willingly subjected themselves to a night horror? Is it the adrenaline rush? Something in our psychology? The answer lies behind the blend of fear and enjoyment it can offer which was made apparent to me on Knott’s Scary Farm’s opening night, September 29th.
The anticipation alone is a roller coaster of emotions. As I drove up and saw the queue of people waiting to enter Knott’s Scary Farm, the line between fear and enjoyment blurred. With butterflies in my stomach, heart racing, and even trembling I wondered why I felt this way. After all, I had been to Knott’s Scary Farm before; genuine fear seemed irrational, so I chalked it up to excitement.
While watching the rope drop at 7pm to announce opening night I could still feel a mix of fear and excitement as monsters rushed towards the crowd, popping out at every turn, startling, and even chasing you. Oddly enough, after each scare laughter always followed; fear was mixed with a sense of euphoria and excitement.
And while I was in line for the new scare mazes, my group and I yearned to be startled again; getting startled became enjoyable. And this cycle repeats: entering new mazes, celebrating victories with my group for completing the terrifying mazes, experiencing scare zones, and then getting startled once again; a cycle of fear, accomplishment and euphoria.
But what is the psychology behind this phenomenon and cycle? The key to enjoying these seemingly life-threatening situations is to know your life is not actually in danger. Your brain processes that Knott’s Scary Farm is a controlled and safe environment, and the amygdala—located next to your hippocampus—triggers your fight or flight response giving you a rush of adrenaline and dopamine (a chemical release that sends out pleasure signals), which creates a sense of enjoyment and natural euphoria.
Thanks to emotional contagion, the shared experience with others can affect and intensify your reaction; the physiological state of fear—adrenaline and dopamine—is reinterpreted as a positive experience by your prefrontal cortex, so when your friends scream and laugh, you scream and laugh.
Eventually, after a long night of continuous jump scares the amygdala stops responding as intensely and often as it did in the beginning of the night. Initially, at the rope drop, fear and excitement is continuous, but when dopamine releases wane, the boredom and search for a new thrill sets in. Your brain and consciousness is wired to seek and eventually enjoy these horror experiences.
Knott’s Scary Farm allows you to experience a thrilling journey into your psyche where adrenaline, dopamine, shared experiences, and controlled fright give you a perfect spooky night. People return year after year to Knott’s Scary Farm, are they crazy? No, this unique horror experience offers not only scares, but an electrifying rush when confronting fears in a safe and enjoyable environment.
Photo Credit: Flickr/Nikki Knight