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Horror genre abstract
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What makes a good horror story and why do we love them? It shouldn’t be natural for us to be drawn to the terrifying world of monster fiction, we should cower and run from it, right? A great monster story utilizes the elements of fear, obsession, power and mystery while drawing parallels to real world demons to give us the heart pounding adrenaline rush we desire to keep us coming back. Monsters don’t only exist in our fiction, monsters are real, they exist. Fear, obsession, and power are key elements that turn the average human into a blood raving beast, and those same parallels are drawn in our fiction. Adolf Hitler is a prime example of a real world human monster; but what makes him such a demon? Hitler was obsessed with power, and he …show more content…
Sure, we may turn in a late assignment or break a traffic law here and there, but we aren’t crazy murderers… most of the time. People are fascinated by the unknown, and horror stories show us the mystery of the dark side of the human condition. I have just finished the novel series Gone by Michael Grant, it is a very dark novel series much like Lord of The Flies and in it I discovered one of the most fascinating and disturbing monsters of all time: a character that goes by the name of Drake. Drake is obsessed with domination and power, he loves to tie down his victims and whip them viscously but not kill them immediately. He enjoys taunting his victims and telling them they are weak, giving them hope and snatching it away. He is one of my favorite characters in the book because he makes me simply perplexed. He is a very frightening character and I am always guessing what his next move is, which is the worst part. I never know when he is going to strike or how (besides whipping) he will attack his victims. He is so creepy because he is so unknown and fascinating, yet he is a human just like us. The horror that is the Drake character gives the reader a combination of fear and fascination all the while still reminding them that someone out there in the world is just like him, which is the most frightening part of
“The only motive that there was was to completely control a person… and keep them with me as long as possible, even if it meant just keeping a part of them.” Using this statement, Jeffrey Dahmer offers his insight about what made him the cruel, demented being people have known him to be for the last 25 years. Many questions still remain, however. How do we, in society, define the term “monster”? What makes a monster? What shapes our perceptions of monsters, and how do these perceptions change over time? Several centuries passed between the time of Grendel from the epic poem, Beowulf, and the Milwaukee Monster, Jeffrey Dahmer, for instance. Grendel is a creation of the Anglo-Saxons, whose culture
Much of the initial appeal of monster stories comes from the fact that they, like their twisted
Throughout history we see monsters taking many different shapes and sizes. Whether it be a ghoul in the midst of a cold nightly stroll or a mass genocide, monsters are lurking everywhere and our perception of what monsters truly are, is enhancing their growth as a force with which to be reckoned. Fear of the unknown is seen throughout time, but as humans progress we are finding that things we once were afraid of we are less frightening than they once were. Monsters can evoke fear in their targeted victims rather than physically harm their victims. For instance, every year a new horror film is released with the next scary beast, but why do we call something a monster even if we know it is not real? Even certain people and creatures are classified as monsters, but are they really monsters, or do their actions speak of monstrous doings? In his article and book chapter Monsters and the Moral Imagination and chapter 5 of On Monsters, Stephen Asma suggests that monstrosity, as we know it, is on the rise as humans progress, and how we perceive monsters can often define monstrosities in itself, providing evidence as to why monster cultures are on the rise, and showing how human progress has evolved our perception of how we think on the topic that is monsters.
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.
Do you ever wonder how monsters are created in our society? The dehumanization of individuals can cause both the perpetrator and the dehumanized to act in monstrous ways. But, why and how are they created in our world? Some monsters are created to “help us cope with what we dread most in life” (Donovan) and in turn bring communities together. Philip Zimbardo, a social psychologist, believes that anonymity and the situation a “good” person is in can cause them to act monstrously. Although the effects of a monster can be devastating, communities come together to combat them through reconciliation as well as the promotion of heroism.
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.
Horror movies have to follow a certain formula that makes them successful and entertaining to the general audience. Firstly, horror movies have to be scary. This is usually the whole point of going to these types of movies. The argument that horror movies are enjoyable begins with how much the movie makes someone jump as well as how creepy the movie is. Secondly, these movies have to have gore. From the classic slasher movies to the zombie movies, gore has always been fused to the horror genre. This condition also almost always determines if the movie will be rated R or...
Nowadays, people are still enticed by fear, they have a curiosity for the supernatural, evil and frightening. Although modern day society is supposedly politically correct, we are still an immoral society and many of us would treat a creature like Frankenstein’s creation or a vampire like Dracula like a monster. In this way, the novels still have social significance.
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.
At first, The Monster is very kind and sympathetic. He has a good heart, as shown when he collected firewood for the family on the brink of poverty. Like every other human creation, he was not born a murderer. All the Monster wanted was to be accepted and loved by Victor Frankenstein and the other humans but instead he was judged by his appearance and considered to be dangerous. The Monster says, “like Adam, I was created apparently united by no link to any other being in existence…many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me” (page 105). This line is an important part of the novel because the Monster lets it be known how like Adam he was created into this world completely abandoned and like Satan he is angry with those people who have found contentment and satisfaction in their lives. The rejection and unwelcome feeling he is faced with, is the main reason the Monster becomes a killer. Watching another family show love towards each other made the Monster realize how alienated he truly was. He did not know how to deal with his pain and emotions so he murders as
There are countless stories involving monster and villainous creatures terrorizing people and places. Jorge Louis Borges describes his book by saying, “It’s a book of Imaginary Beings examines the origins of monstrous combination of human and animal.” This sheds light on how stories portray monsters through their content. Although many of their stories are different, they all tie around the same concept, which is torture and evil. There are many different types of modern day monsters. Some types of monsters can be clowns, ghosts, vampires, werewolves, murderous and foul people, and anyone or anything that means harm. There are some cases where monsters can change and overcome their derivable ways. For example, in American Horror Story: Season 4, the evil clown, Twisty, murdered and killed everyone he came into contact with; however, it turns out people made fun of him and he did not know any better. He then tried to change his evil ways, but karma caught up with
What is a horror movie? Horror can be defined as an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust. (Wilson) The description of horror is not very pleasant, but for some reason horror films are extremely popular. Why is this so important?
Power can be used for good or evil. It is a very influential force and can make people do things that they may not be accustomed to do. Power can be abused and can be used to hurt innocent people. In Lord of the Flies, Jack makes the best scarier and more daunting than he actually is and attempts to persuade the boys to go to his side because he will offer protection from the horrid monster. He puts fear in the little boys by saying that the beast will come after them so they need to be ready. While huddling with the boys, Jack exclaims, “‘Quiet!’ shouted Jack. ‘You, listen. The beast is sitting up there, whatever it is...’ ‘Hunting,’ said Jack. He remembered his age-old tremors in the forest. ‘Yes, the beast is a hunter” (Golding 126). The fear that Jack enforces in the boys about the beast allows him to gain more power. The boys look to him for protection despite how they might feel about his power and his ways. They ignore their needs and are immobilized from doing their own thing because fear inhibits them to. Prevalent in Lord of the Flies and in history, fear exemplifies how it can allow people to gain power. In the early 1930’s Germany was suffering from an economic depression and they were in desperate need for a strong figure head and a powerful leader. Hitler guaranteed that he would get Germany out of the hole they were digging and rose to power. He was a powerful leader and an even better public
Monsters can come in various physical forms, but all monsters share the same evil mentality. A Monster is a being that harms and puts fear within people. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a prime example of how appearance does not determine whether a creature is a monster or not. In the story, Victor Frankenstein tries to change nature by creating a super human being. The being appears to be a monster. Victor becomes so obsessed with his creation and then rejects it. Victor is the real monster because of his desire for power, lack of respect for nature, and his stubbornness.
The thing that keeps bringing us back to these monster horror stories is mainly, when a new exciting theme is created into a novel and then portrayed in movies. For those people who love monster stories but don’t like reading much, watching a film based on a monster narrative novel would be more exciting which gives the viewer a better experience in their opinion. Either way we all like a good monster story, on a book of a movie we like the thrill of the entertainment and that is what I think brings us back to these