According to Dr Maggie Kerr, too really enjoy a scary situation, we have to know we’re in a safe environment.
It’s all about experiencing the flood of adrenaline, endorphins, and dopamine, but in a completely safe space. Haunted houses are great at this because they trigger fear and activate a physical reaction but our brain has time to process the fact that these are not “real” threats. You see it all the time: someone screams and jumps and then immediately starts laughing and smiling.