As the technology for moving pictures has developed over time, the film industry has grown in popularity. One part of the film industry that has increased dramatically, is horror. The intent of a horror film is to induce a sense of spine chilling fear and gut wrenching grotesque feelings, to provide a cathartic release of tension. However, it does just the opposite. Even though horror movies help develop peoples problem solving skills, people should refrain from watching horror movies, because horror movies create a false sense of reality. This provides for an increased feeling of paranoia, which may lead to insomnia, thus negatively impacting the health of the viewer. Some people may argue that horror movies are in fact beneficial because of the brain’s coping mechanism to deal with the sensation of watching the horror movies. When watching horror movies the brain feels as though it is enveloped in the situation along with the main character. The brain feels the need to react to the situation as if it were actually living the situation; regardless of knowing that what is happening in the movie is not real. According to WebMD, this is because the brain has not properly adapted to the idea of a movie (Sine). People believe horror movies to be beneficial as it causes the brain to secrete many different hormones such as adrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin. Fear has since helped us survive for thousands of years (Don’t be Afraid). However capitalizing on this primal reflex may be detrimental to the health of the viewer as it creates a false sense of reality in the their minds. With the advanced technology that allows people to stream whatever they want from a device connected to the internet, young children are becoming more regu... ... middle of paper ... ...rmones secreted are not being properly used as, evolutionary, needed. The feelings of an instant rush as though you have just jumped out of a plane, or propelled 128 miles-per-hour on a roller coaster, all without leaving your seat while watching Silent Hill, or the Grudge, seems exciting. However that rush may be the cause your mental decay. A viewer may be subject to massive amounts of anxiety during and after a Horror film. People should take steps to avoid avidly watching horror films. Horror films may affect the mind in many ways, in the short and long terms. If children are exposed to horror films at an early age the affects may be even more drastic, than with adults. Watching horror movies creates a false sense of reality and inputs the mind into a void of uncertainty, resulting in the destruction of the very essence of the person, that is emotional sanity.
The article Why We Crave Horror Movies by Stephen King distinguishes why we truly do crave horror movies. Stephen King goes into depth on the many reasons on why we, as humans, find horror movies intriguing and how we all have some sort of insanity within us. He does this by using different rhetorical techniques and appealing to the audience through ways such as experience, emotion and logic. Apart from that he also relates a numerous amount of aspects on why we crave horror movies to our lives. Throughout this essay I will be evaluating the authors arguments and points on why society finds horror movies so desirable and captivating.
King chooses to compare the minds of a child and an adult to see the different resilience levels when exposed to the horror genre. He describes his findings as a paradox, “Children, who are physically quite weak, lift the weight of unbelief with ease” (PP 118). King assumes because the mind of an adult is mature it can handle the horrific depictions within the horror variety yet children seem too be able to withstand the pressure. King backed his theory by analyzing Walt Disney’s movies and their impact on a child’s imagination. Walt Disney’s movie Bambi is what Stephen King pinpointed when comparing the toll of horrific events in children and adult minds. King questioned adults about what was most terrifying about a movie when they were younger and they stated, “Bambi’s father shot by the hunter, or Bambi and his mother running before the forest fire” (PP 119). Another aspect King unveiled was the Doppler Effect and that, “A part of ‘growing up’ is the fact that everything has a scare potential for the child under eight” (PP 119). The cognitive imagination does not stop developing it just suppresses certain mental functions to draw a line between what is real and what is not. Horror novelist mask the tension with comedy yet with one swift motion it, “Knocks the adult props out from under us and tumbles us back down the slide into childhood” (PP
...is that isn’t always the case. Often, we either became the prey or the predator. Another reason is that we need to reassure ourselves our lives could be worse. We have this idea that what happens in movies only happens in movies and therefore we watch these films to guarantee our worst fears will never become our reality, regardless of how realistic it may seem. Lastly, we watch the genre of film that best matches our current mood or events that previously took place that day. Our emotions are key; if we’re depressed, we may be more likely to watch a horror film.
To begin with, some people would say they enjoy a horror movie that gets them scared out of their wits. They go see these movies once a month on average, for fun, each time choosing a newer sequel like “Final Destination” or “The evil Dead”. King says “When we pay our four or five bucks and seat ourselves at tenth-row center in a theater showing a horror movie we are daring the nightmare” (405). As a writer of best-sel...
Stephen King, a very well-known writer and director, has a passionate voice when it comes to anything dealing with horror. In “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” King calls us out for knowing that we love the adrenaline rush and how we are so captivated by horror movies. He explains how we watch horror movies for the level of fun. King proposes that we go to defy ourselves; to see how far it can push us and that is what makes the experience so interesting. We lock our inner psycho from reality and feed it with the demonic, bloody violence found in horror movies. Doing this suggests that horror movies are our fix for our psychotic thoughts. Stephen King’s “Why We Crave Horror Movies” portrays that we are all insane in some weird way through
Horror films are designed to frighten the audience and engage them in their worst fears, while captivating and entertaining at the same time. Horror films often center on the darker side of life, on what is forbidden and strange. These films play with society’s fears, its nightmare’s and vulnerability, the terror of the unknown, the fear of death, the loss of identity, and the fear of sexuality. Horror films are generally set in spooky old mansions, fog-ridden areas, or dark locales with unknown human, supernatural or grotesque creatures lurking about. These creatures can range from vampires, madmen, devils, unfriendly ghosts, monsters, mad scientists, demons, zombies, evil spirits, satanic villains, the possessed, werewolves and freaks to the unseen and even the mere presence of evil.
Modern day horror films are very different from the first horror films which date back to the late nineteenth century, but the goal of shocking the audience is still the same. Over the course of its existence, the horror industry has had to innovate new ways to keep its viewers on the edge of their seats. Horror films are frightening films created solely to ignite anxiety and panic within the viewers. Dread and alarm summon deep fears by captivating the audience with a shocking, terrifying, and unpredictable finale that leaves the viewer stunned. (Horror Films)
Frank Farley, professor at Temple University says otherwise. He said the reason a horror movie can make you fearful is because it relies on your brain to make connections between fake and real events.
Would you rather be horrified beyond repair or thrilled to the point of no return? In horror, the main purpose is to invoke fear and dread into the audience in the most unrealistic way. Horror movies involve supernatural entities such as ghosts, vampires, teleportation, and being completely immortal. As thriller films are grounded in realism and involve more suspense, mystery, and a sense of panic. Though both genres will frighten the audience, it will happen in two different ways. Whether the horror thrills or the thriller horrifies, a scare is always incorporated.
Has anyone ever stopped and thought about why movie remakes exist? There is always a simple explanation to this conception, and it’s either that Hollywood directors are “lazy” or that Hollywood wants to destroy our childhood scares. For the most part, Hollywood isn’t literally attempting to become futile or destroy the integrity of films, but it’s much for the profit of recreating former popular movies. In addition to that, the revamp graphic quality allows for older movie plots to compete against their modern counterparts, but there still remains an issue. In order to reestablish an older horror film, a newer one has to take its place for the sake of pleasing the current technologically adept generation; however, alterations may completely
“Horror films don’t create fear. They release it.” – Wes Craven. Considering the nature of horror, enjoying horror serves as a paradox. If horror is revolting why is it enjoyable? However, many people take pleasure in the thrills and suspense of horror. In the genre of horror, the quality of work is dependent on whether a book/film succeeds in scaring people since fear is an emotional response. Readers and viewers of the genre horror experience fear from an author's ability to provoke emotional responses through the element of fear of the unknown, placing the reader in the character's perspective and engaging the audience's curiosity.
Horror movies which are with the intent to scare and elicit fear and paranoia in the viewers. The goal is to leave viewers on high-alert and terrified. To evoke fear and leave a significant impact with you even after the movie finishes. Have you ever watched a horror movie and you’re left feeling shaky and frightful? These movies use fear as the driving force to spike your adrenaline, anxiety
When we watch an intense scene in a film our heart rate and blood pressure increase. This can and does lead to heart attacks, in people who have cardiovascular weaknesses. Even if you are young and healthy, watching horror movies can mess with you in ways you didn’t expect. When you get scared your adrenaline and cortisone levels spike. This in turn can dredge up repressed traumatic memories. The change in your brain chemistry reminds you of times when it was in a similar state, even if you had no idea you even had those memories. An example of a Horror movies that have influenced real life is Jaws. This blockbuster has a large shark terrorizing a small resort town, causing the local police chief to team with a marine biologist and shark hunter to take it down. Though shark attacks are hugely infrequent in real life, Spielberg’s film blew away that fact and struck fear deep into beach-loving folks’ hearts, causing widespread panic that a shark could strike at any time. The movie’s sheer terror factor was nothing like audiences had seen before, and the result was that, for a while, beach tourism took a notable hit from coast to coast as punters feared they would be munched to pieces. Every single person who saw
Do you remember watching scary movies when you were little? You would sit close to your parents and hide behind a pillow, covering your eyes enough just to barely see. As people grow older they either love horror movies or they hate them. There is no inbetween. As the years have progressed horror movies have gained popularity. They attract young adults, teenagers, and the occasional middle age group. In the 1930’s horror movies attracted middle aged adults rather than young adults. People were attracted to the films for reasons like: the history of horror movies, the popular movie Dracula, and the appeal of fantasy.
The danger involved in violent movies, and the stimulation of the mind, also attracts people to watch them. The idea of people getting hurt, and seeing dangerous situations, may lure people in to see the outcome. I remember the first time I watched the movie “Terminator.” There was a scene where the child in the movie was being protec...