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Stephen King's essay 'Why We Crave Horror Movies
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Stephen King's essay 'Why We Crave Horror Movies
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These days, more and more people are making the choice of going to the cinema to be scared out of their wits, and they actually find it thrilling. But why? "Why We Crave Horror Movies” is an essay in which the auther, Stephen King, whos one of the most succesful horror witers, assumes that we as humans are mentally ill. ”I think that we’re all mentally ill; those of us outside the asylums only hide it a little better – and maybe not all that much better, after all.” King gives his reasoning as to why we make the independent decision to buy a ticket and watch other human beings get killed. In other words, why we go cinema to watch horror movies. Futhermore he explains that that people enjoy watching horror movies because they to keep our insane
human nature from getting out of control by satisfying our need for the scary, sick, and gruesom. He gives us three “simple and obvious reasons” why we like horror movies. To show that we are not afraid, to maintain sanity and re-establish our feeling of normality , and to have fun. It is apparent that tone of the essay is humorous and playful. He shares jokes like “What’s the difference between a truckload of bowling balls and a truckload of babies?” and even encourages the reader laugh by using “heh-heh”. Futhermore he makes fun of people when refering to “the verses (I don’t dare call it poetry) of Leonard Nimoy”
Everyday is a challenge and we experience things that we like and we don’t like. There are things we always want to leave behind and move forward; however, we cannot. As humans if we are told not to do something, we want to try it anyway to see the outcome. In the same manner, if we are told about a movie being scary we go out of our comfort zone to experience it and then later be frightened. Stephen T.Asma mentions,“Monsters can stand as symbols of human vulnerability and crisis, and as such they play imaginative foils for thinking about our own responses to mence” (62). When we watch horror movies, we force ourselves to imagine the wrong and undesirable. These thoughts in our head cause us to believe that our own obstacles are likely to cause a threat or danger to ourselves. In the same manner, horror movies can be represented as obstacles in our life that we don’t want to go through and we do it anyway to feel good about our own situations that they are not as bad as others. Stephen King also depicts, “We also go to re-establish our feelings of essential normality; the horror movie is innately conservative, even reactionary.”(King 16). Horror movies may put us in a mindset where we feel safe and more comfortable with our own situations but explore our options in worse situations. It gives us an example of what people did in their fright time and how we should confront each and every
In his essay, “Why We Crave Horror Movies” King attempts to bring understanding to the phenomenon of the horror film genre. He states “sanity becomes a matter of degree” eluding to the theory that sanity is relative and that all humans are relatively insane. Jack the Ripper and the Cleveland Torso Murderer were the examples of humans on one extreme of the spectrum of sanity; saints represent the other safe end of the sanity spectrum. He illustrates the thought that in order for human kind to stay functionally sane there needs to be some sort of outlet for our violent “mad” thoughts. In King’s view horror movies provide a stable outlet and mental relief for innate madness. King argues that his insanity/ant civilization emotions are ingrained
One of America’s famous actress film director and producer Katie Aselton once said,” I don’t love horror movies with something surreal happening. That doesn’t work for me. What’s terrifying is something that could actually happen to me and what I would do. I don’t know how to throw a punch, and I’ve never had to do it.” This quote shows connection to King’s article. I’m starting to consider that everyone has a crazy side. Why We Crave Horror Movies explains the reason people want to go see horror movies. The average person enjoys the horror movies because they are in a safe environment knowing they can not be harmed. By discussing the argumentative strategies such as ethos, logos,
Horror is one of many fears humans have. We all have many terrors, but horror is the one that gets the best of us. Some crave, while others resent, the feeling horror movies bring to our body and the emotions that we experience. In Stephen King’s article, “Why We Crave Horror,” he explains that it is a part of the “Human Condition,” to crave the horror. King gives many strong and accurate claims on why we crave the horror movies, such as; testing our ability to face our fears, to re-establish our feelings of normality, and to experience a peculiar sort of fun.
In the essay “Why We Crave Horror Movie,” Stephen King describes that horror movies are beneficial for the people because we are all mentally ill. King explains that horror movie is a sort of release because everyone has a dark side in our body, so watching horror movie can keep the hungry alligators under control. People watch horror movie because they want to prove themselves that they are not afraid of a horror movie, and they are normal people too. King describes horror movie like a roller coaster, so people have enough courage to sit through the whole ride. People also enjoy seeing other people in danger. A horror movie can also keep the dark emotion down such as violence and aggression, and it allows people to remain happy and sane. A horror movie can
There are many more aspects of society that can be explored through films, both mentioned here and in entirely different genres. However, when it comes down to it, the fears and unspoken attitudes in a society can be the most telling of all. Whether it’s a little girl crawling out of something so common and unthreatening as a television, or an unspoken mistrust of a government, there is much that horror films can tell about not only separate countries, but the world as a whole. In a few years, horror will change again.
King states, “Why? Some of the reasons are simple and obvious. To show that we can, that we are not afraid, that we can ride this roller coaster.”, and what he means by this is the reason why that select people watch horror movies is because of how we come to terms with the things we fear. We perceive the things we fear and rationalize them through the content we watch, and King goes on to support this idea later on through the essay. In other words, to steer clear from irrationality, people use the horror genre to face the fears they have gained through the human
The appeal of horror film is effective due to the traits of the human mind. Filmgoers of horror leave theaters with a positive train of thought, yet the negative nature of the content presented points to psychological factors which cause their enjoyment. Answers are found by looking at the psychological factors, how an individual processes emotional arousal, identifies with issues that they consider relevant, and perceives reality, help to explain why films presenting such horrific imagery excites many people. Many horror franchises create a level of violence and gore that is offensive to most, yet viewers continue to swarm theaters, making the horror film industry extremely profitable. Graphic horror cinema relies on shocking imagery as much as storytelling to create an effective type of entertainment. The subject matter, alone, does not provide enough attraction to bring back viewers. When looking at the psychological drivers behind the films, it can be seen that the composition addresses a level much deeper than the entertainment that makes horror
PREVIEW MAIN POINTS: today I will discuss, some of the reasons we are interest, the chemicals in our bodies that are set off when we watch them and ways to be less afraid when watching these horrifying movies.
As humans we often want to satisfy our curiosity whether the outcome is good or bad. We love to be shocked because it gives us a sense of adrenaline. So when we watch horror films, we have the opportunity to face our fears. However, since we are aware that these films are completely fictional we don’t have to face anything in reality. It then becomes a sense of mind over matter. Moreover, during a horror film our fight or flight responses are active and entertained until the end of the movie. Similar to how our body acts during a rollercoaster, we are thrilled and on edge at every drop, flip, and turn until the end when we know it’s all over. Most people enjoy the sense of feeling scared while being safe. Which could lead to explain why watching horror and chaos happen in someone else's life help us to feel relieved of our own problems we face in our own lives. Which is also called excitation transfer process, where According to Glenn Sparks, one reason as to why horror films are so appealing is how you feel after watching the movie. Glenn Sparks found out through research that when people watch frightening films, their heart rate, blood pressure and respiration increases. He also claims that after the film is over, this physiological arousal lingers. That means that any positive emotions you experience are intensified. Instead of focusing on the fright you felt during the film, you recall
Ever since the advent of celluloid films, horror movies have always held a fascination for viewers. Just why do people pay good money to be scared out of their wits? Apart from its entertainment value, the horror movie satisfies certain primordial needs in man. Through the horror movies, one is able to come to grips with one's personal demons, fear of death and other irrational phobias and in the process achieve a catharsis. Far from being morbid, such movies actually affirm life for the movie-goer, for he is able to emerge from the dark into the light, both literally and figuratively, having explored the world beyond our normal perception as well as the deep recesses of the human soul and say, "It's good to be alive."
A horror movie “makes people think, what if it was reality?” said by a thrill seeker person who was waiting to watch a horror movie. Experts also cite more various reasons about why people enjoy watching scary movies. For the thrill of it and also because it seems real for thrill seekers; these are some secretes reveled to show why thrill seekers enjoy horror movies. Feeling the sense of evil and being curious about understanding humanity’s dark side makes horror movies a perfect way of enjoying these feelings, and relieving the tension of curiosity about violent, blood and terrorism. Moreover, experts said that not only desirability to blood and fear could consider as an attraction to whose ...
However now, after reading King’s article some of these physiological reasons connect It’s a “psychic relief… to lapse into simplicity irrationality and even outright madness is extended so rarely” (King 358). The permission that my parents gave me to watch a scary movie could be their subconscious minds trying to exercise that irrational thoughts; by letting a child watch a scary movie and witness the sight of fear is fulfilling the internal “mental illness” as King writes. Now the similar thing my parents did to me, I do by myself. I know myself and I truly hate horror movies. I am always stress and tense watching the movie and I would always get nightmares that recurred all the time, but I’m still here sitting in the theater watching another one. There are protagonist, antagonist, and there is the killer of the movie; there is always that one guy or girl everyone hates and you lowkey want them to be killed. That is an example of King describing “anticivilization emotions and insanity levels.” In the classic zombie movie Dawn of the Dead, a character named Steve is a schmuck that I absolutely hated. Everything that came out of his mouth made everyone aggravating. I just wanted him to die so bad, I just kept thinking “ the best part of the movie is when scumbag Steve dies.” The hurtful thoughts that come up in our heads is set on a scale of crazy. I
Filled with twisted ideas, blood, gore, and supernatural occurring’s, I can understand why a lot of Americans do not crave putting in such a film. What I do not understand is why a lot of them don’t enjoy a good scare here and there. I dont see the mass majority of people watching for the pure pleasure of the ideas and images a film provokes. Most horror movies show possibilities with a real risk factor, diving into a world filled with killers, clowns, and your skilled boogie man. We’re not watching because we feed off the violence and twisted scenes, but were craving the feeling and adrenaline that is triggered by such images and ideas. Watching from a safe place such as your couch, offers an out of body experience simply by putting on a movie. For me, there was nothing more exciting that really could happen late at night, especially when you’re in middle
To begin with, the genre of horror uses blood and violence, for a good storyline. In addition, the bittersweet circumstances of love that is explored in the genre of romance. On top of that, the valuable lessons which are learned in dramatic movies. Furthermore, the happiness that are brought by comedic movies. Last but not least, are the extents of the creativity of the human mind, which are vividly expressed in the movies of science fiction. To summarize, each movie genre are one of a kind, yet special in its own ways, therefore it is loved and valued by millions of