P3A295: Epidemiology of Violence and Traumatic Injuries Depicted in Horror Films

Background: Streaming platforms provide quick access to a variety of popular films, and this access may be especially easy for tech-savvy children. As horror films increase in popularity and child/adolescent viewership, it is important to investigate the characteristics of violence and traumatic injuries depicted in popular horror films. Previous research has investigated violence depicted in other popular film genres, such as superhero and combat-related films, and other research has reported the substantial impact media consumption has on children and adolescents. The objective of our study was to determine the epidemiology of violence and traumatic injuries depicted in a select number of horror films.

Methods: Eight horror films [Jaws (1975), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), The Conjuring (2013), It (2017), Get Out (2017), A Quiet Place (2018), Halloween (2018), Us (2019)] were selected for analysis. These films were selected by cross referencing the highest rated horror films on Business Insider with the highest grossing horror films based on Business Insider, Collider, Wikipedia, and IMDB’s websites. Each film was independently viewed and scored by five coinvestigators. The following data for each film were recorded: total number of events depicting violence, amount of time (in minutes) that each film depicted violence, total number of injuries, types of injuries, weapons used to inflict injury, mortality rate of victims, and victim demographics [age (pediatric vs. adult), gender, race].

Results: Analysis was performed on 182 events depicting violence. The most common traumatic injuries depicted were blunt force trauma to the head (17%), neck strangulation (12%), stab to the chest (7%), and drag/pull of the body (6%). The most common weapon used were hands/upper extremities (31%), knives (7%), scissors (7%), guns (6%), and feet/lower extremities (6%). 52% of victims of violence did not survive their injuries The most common victim demographics depicted in our sample of films were adult, male, and white. The average length of time violent events were depicted in our sample of films was 28 minutes per film, representing 26% of the films’ total length.

Conclusion: Based on our sample, a significant portion of the films depict violence and traumatic injuries, often to the head/neck caused by hand/upper extremities and knives, and frequently leading to death. Exposure to violence can have a significant impact on aggression in children and adolescents, having further implications in their development and behavior. Pediatric healthcare providers can mitigate some of the known harmful effects of violent media on children and adolescents by encouraging limited horror film exposure.