Main content

A Frytful Scare, Part 1

Curious CasesSeries 14

Why do we like being scared? Science sleuths Drs Rutherford and Fry investigate.

It was a dark and stormy night around the time of Halloween. A secret message arrived addressed to Rutherford & Fry from a mysterious woman called Heidi Daugh, who demanded to know: "Why do people like to be scared? For example, going on scary amusement park rides and watching horror movies that make you jump.”

What followed was an investigation over two chapters, which would test our intrepid duo to their very limits. In this first instalment, they explore the history of horror, starting with its literary origins in the Gothic fiction classic 'The Castle of Otranto'.

Adam challenges Hannah to watch a horror film without hiding behind a cushion. She quizzes horror scholar Mathias Clasen to find out why some people love the feeling of terror, whilst it leaves other cold.

Sociologist Margee Kerr and psychologist Claudia Hammond are also on hand to explore why scary movies are so powerful and popular.

Presenters: Hannah Fry, Adam Rutherford
Producer: Michelle Martin

FIrst broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2019.

Available now

31 minutes

Last on

Thu 17 Feb 202221:45
BBC Radio 4 Extra

More episodes

Previous

You are at the first episode

Next

A Frytful Scare, Part 2Series 14

See all episodes from Curious Cases

Broadcasts

  • Wed 30 Oct 201909:30
    BBC Radio 4
  • Wed 30 Oct 201920:45
    BBC Radio 4
  • Sat 2 Nov 201905:45
    BBC Radio 4
  • Sun 13 Feb 202210:45
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Sun 13 Feb 202221:45
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Thu 17 Feb 202211:45
    BBC Radio 4 Extra
  • Thu 17 Feb 202221:45
    BBC Radio 4 Extra

Featured in...

Why do you see faces in unexpected places?

Why do you see faces in unexpected places?

We are “hardwired” for recognising faces and it starts at birth.

Podcast

  • Curious Cases

    Hannah Fry and Dara Ó Briain tackle listeners' conundrums with the power of science!