Coltan Scrivner

Behavioral Scientist Explains the Science of Fear and Why Horror is so Divisive

Horror is the least liked genre, and also the most loved. Behavioral scientist and horror producer Coltan Scrivner explains why there’s almost no one in the middle.

Coltan Scrivner is a psychologist at Arizona State University, a researcher with the Recreational Fear Lab in Denmark, creator of the Morbid Curiosity Scale, and author of Morbidly Curious: A Scientist Explains Why We Can’t Look Away. He also founded the Nightmare in the Ozarks Film Festival and runs the Eureka Springs Zombie Crawl.

In Part 2 of our “Unpacking Horror” series, Coltan gives us his definition of horror (it comes down to one word), pushes back on the idea that horror struggles on streaming, and explains why horror booms when it reflects what a generation is anxious about.

He also reveals which group scores highest on his morbid curiosity test and what haunted house operators understand about fear that filmmakers miss.

Plus: his pick for the best horror movie ever made, and why he doesn’t think Get Out or Obsession will stand the test of time.

Take the Morbid Curiosity Scale

Tune in!

xx cg

“I think if some filmmakers would go through haunted houses to see what scares them, that might help them construct stories where their characters are more vulnerable.”

- Coltan Scrivner

Episode Transcript