What scares you? Horror movies? Conspiracy theories? A former reality star running America? Fear is a long-used marketing tool, and research suggests it can enhance the emotional connection people feel with brands. Canvas8 spoke to Lea Dunn of the Foster School of Business to find out how.

Immersive experiences are being used to entertain people in powerful new ways. With the appetite for event-based entertainment on the rise, UK-based group Fire Hazard is using fear to engage players in fictional worlds that’ll leave them with nightmares.

The allure of a virtual world – in which anyone could have magical powers and take risks without consequences – is evidenced by the fact that nearly 19 million people play video games in the UK alone. Canvas8 sat down with Dr. Andrew Kuo to understand why we actively escape into virtual worlds.

Scaring people is big business, with horrors making up all of the ten most profitable films from the last five years. But what creates those heart-in-mouth moments? Keith Bound, who studies the psychophysiological responses to suspense, explains to Canvas8 what gets us on the edge of our seats.