why we crave horror movies

A tumbleweed crosses the path of four sheriffs marching to their deaths; they march without fear and with pistols strapped at their waists. As they march all the town's folks watch in awe over what is about to occur. Finally, at the end of their march the four sheriffs have arrived at the O.K. Corral. Awaiting them are four red bandana-wearing men who begin to stare the sheriffs down. Continuing to stare each other down a silence begins to fall between the eight men. In the midst of the silence, the eight men draw their hands closer to their pistol wearing waists. With an itchy trigger finger, one of the sheriffs winks at one of the bandana wearing men. Startled in anger at the sheriffs' wink the bandana wearing man began to reach for his pistol. Before he could draw out his pistol the sheriffs, who winked had pulled out his gun. The silence breaks as bullets start to fly.
The scene depicted above is from the movie Tombstone, which is possibly one of the greatest cowboy movies ever made. Throughout the thirties to the sixties, the cowboy film genre dominated theaters everywhere. People used to pay to see saddleback riding John Wayne and gun slinging Dean Martin take down some rotten bank-robbing bandit. Though throughout the thirties to the sixties an unspecified number of cowboy movies were made, in today's world cowboy films are practically extinct. Hardly ever in theaters, do I see a poster or trailer for a cowboy movie. Instead of seeing advertisement for cowboy movies, I come across posters and trailers for horror genre films. How could a genre where justice does not prevail be more popular than cowboy movies?
Creator of the monstrous man-eating dog Cujo, crazed hotel killer Jack Torrance, and the miracle-working inmate ...

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... would come day after day and vie for the best seats." The description Medieval Tortures provided of an execution by guillotine sounds very similar to how audiences watch horror movies. For both horror films and guillotine executions large crowds are attracted, people fight for the best seats, and individuals are killed. BLANK Though both horror films and guillotine executions are terrifying they offer us a necessary break from our daily lives.
Once audiences under why they watch horror movies they will gain a better understanding of themselves. An understanding of how we watch horror movies to control and conquer our nightmares. Also an understanding for the reason why we follow society's rules is due to feeding our dark sides. Along with feeding our dark sides, audiences will gain an understanding that we watch horror movies to take a break from our daily lives.