Why do you think that it is more difficult to scare today's audiences compared to audiences in the 1800's?

Question

Today's audience's seem to require much more in order to scare them compared to the people in the 1800's. (Literature, movies, ect.)

Answer 1

Instead of murders being hush hush and kept quiet like so many other horrific crimes, people are desensitized by the changes in our society since the 1800's. It seems like nothing is shocking to our current society and culture with films like Friday the 13th, The Hills have Eyes and so on...

Answer 2

I watched a documentary about the movie, The Exorcist, which was created in 1973.  When people went to see the movie, they were scared out of their minds.  A lot of people couldn't even stay to finish seeing the movie.  People ran out of the theatres crying hysterically and even vomiting.  Now, we laugh at the terrible special effects and a lot of people aren't even phased by the movie.

Answer 3

Plain and simple...people today have become desensitized because of all the horribly realistic traumatic movies that are out there today.  The shock value wears off after a while.  Also...I'm pretty sure there weren't any movies in the 1800s.  ( :

Answer 4

We see, face, and experience more horror today than ever before.  We are desensitized and numb.

Answer 5

People were sheltered back then... today everyone has seen it all, heard it all, and probably done most of it.

Answer 6

We've seen more in the World than they had seen, we have less innocence and we've seen what they produced, so original ideas have to somehow keep evolving.  Somehow though, it is impossible to beat the classics and things of the past.  They ( previous generations ) were the pioneers, we just refine their ideas and products, modify them or update them.