ABSTRACT
Dolf Zillmann’s work is characterized by a continuous exploration of new frontiers in the emotional impact of and exposure to entertainment media. Although the genres explored are often considered superficial, of little cultural value, even “sleazy,” they are typically the ones that get the ratings, box office revenues, video rental receipts, and tremendous profits. For instance, according to Perkins (2001), HBO claims that the sexually explicit reality-based program Real Sex subsidizes quality programs like Spike Lee’s 4 Little Girls (which generated only one third the audience of the former in a given week). Similarly, viewers have been drawn to horror films since the first ghastly images appeared on the big screen. The horror genre has continued to fascinate audiences through the combination of frightening plots with nonverbal elements. Horror films seem to tap an inner vein that is subliminal and emotional in nature. Increasingly they also have incorporated the ever-popular ingredients of violence and sex. Nevertheless, as Dolf Zillmann and his colleagues have shown, they also fulfill important social and psychological functions.
