IT

[Aquila]

I read somewhere that the desire for scary stories goes all the way back to when ghost stories were told over campfires in ancient times. What these stories do is provoke the emotion of "fear". Through these stories we experience "fear" in a controlled and safe environment. This helps us to feel fear, to understand fear, to recognize fear, and even overcome fear. In each story we face what terrifies us. And through the protagonist, we overcome it and gain some sense of victory over our fear. And so "scary stories" (and perhaps movies?) actually serve a purpose. The problem is when one obsesses over the rush of feeling fear. To get that rush, they will consume themselves with dark subjects, and horrific entertainments to experience the rush.

I'm no expert. But that's something I remember reading.