Morbid Curiosity and Empathy
in Horror Film Preferences

Notably, there is not a single standalone horror film among the top 100 highest-grossing films of all time, a pattern that aligns with the horror genre's polarized. 

For the experiment, I designed 16 original movie posters and an original AMC-style movie ticket-purchasing website using Wix (see below). A Qualtrics survey was integrated directly into the website, allowing participants to browse films, add one selection to the cart, and then complete the survey. This immersive experience allowed participants to browse movie posters, read detailed film descriptions, and engage in natural click behavior, creating a realistic movie-selection flow alongside psychological assessment.

Our primary analysis implemented a multi-nominal regression, demonstrating that trait empathy and morbid curiosity jointly predict interest in horror films. Rather than revealing a distinct "pure horror" audience, the results showed that participants who selected horror films also commonly expressed preferences for comedy, drama, and romance, indicating that genre preferences tend to overlap.

These findings suggest that hybrid films can appeal to horror-curious audiences by leveraging universally loved genres. The results indicate more opportunities for clearer cross-genre branding (e.g., morbid comedy, dark drama) and the use of empathy-driven storytelling and intentional character development to reach broader audiences. Given that there is no standalone horror film among the top 100 highest-grossing films of all time, this approach positions horror as a genre with significant opportunities for expanded market reach through cross-genre integration.