Spoilers Go Bump in the Night : Impacts of Minor and Major Reveals on Horror Film Enjoyment

Abstract

Abstract. Spoilers are frequently a source of concern for entertainment audiences. Online discussions, promotional materials, and reviews can all potentially reveal pertinent information about story plotlines, presumably ruining suspense and enjoyment. Despite these common apprehensions, recent experimental evidence suggests that narrative spoilers have modest and inconsistent effects on enjoyment and other audience responses. In this study, we investigate the implications of spoilers for horror films, a genre reliant on suspenseful thrills. Each participant was exposed to multiple scenes from a single horror film, and spoilers were manipulated at different stages of the narrative for both minor and major plot points. Results indicate no main effects of spoilers for enjoyment, transportation, suspense, processing fluency, or reactance. However, need for affect moderated positive enjoyment effects of spoilers for smaller plot points such as scary moments or sudden twists. These results indicate that those who value the thrills of horror films may receive enjoyment from the anticipation produced by minor spoilers about smaller plot points.