We all have cravings, be it for snacks or sweets, there is always something we desire. We crave horror in the same way. In Stephen King’s essay, “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” he argues that people need to watch horror films in order to release the negative emotions within us. King believes that people feel enjoyment while watching others be terrorized or killed in horror movies. King’s argument has elements that are both agreeable and disagreeable. On one hand he is acceptable when claiming we like the thrill and excitement that comes from watching horror movies; however, his views regarding that the fun comes from seeing others suffer cannot be agreed with because the human condition is not as immoral as he claims it to be. King is right when he argues that people like the sudden excitement of watching a horror film. The horror genre keeps us on the edge of our seats and has us entranced with the overstimulation that comes with them. When he says “To show that we can, that we are not afraid, that we can ride this rollercoaster” he is implying that a horror movie is similar to riding a rollercoaster (King 1). The analogy lets the reader know he is saying people revel in the emotion of a horror movie, even if it scares them. People enjoy riding roller coasters because of the excitement and the rush that comes with it, just like people enjoy horror. The …show more content…
For instance the claim that is not to be agreed with in King’s essay is the one where he declares “The fun comes from seeing others menaced - sometimes killed” (2). King has the mindset that the reason we find horror movies entertaining is because of the torture the characters go through. This opinion of his is completely unacceptable because even though we all have our bad side, the satisfaction isn’t from seeing the people playing the roles die; but from the movie as a whole that is filled with feelings of suspense, curiosity, fear, excitement and so many more
This was effective because by stating that “we’re all mentally ill” (King 414) right off the bat readers will be compelled to continue reading. He might have offended some readers by questioning their mental state but this is inconsequential because it is easier to change a reader’s feelings if they actually read the piece which is what his opening statement insures. His introduction commands attention and requires a strong logical argument to back up this claim. King also does this effectively. As a published writer King knows how to manipulate words and phrases to use in a way that fits his purposes. It was by this skill that he was able to normalize fears and horror movies to transition into his thesis. King gives three reasons for why it is such popular genre to watch, “to show that we can, that we are not afraid…” (414), “to re-establish our feelings of essential normality” (414), and “to have fun” (414). He normalized the phenomenon and logically explained each of these claims. Another effective part of his essay was to establish cause and effect. King illustrated what happens when we submit to our insanity or when we control our emotion by sharing an anecdote about children and the reinforcement they receive from parents and society. He even goes to explain which actions will elicits positive reinforcement and likewise which prompts negative
“Why We Crave Horror Movies,” an essay by the legendary Stephen King, explains two challenging concepts to understand: why people like gory horror movies and how people are able to control their darkest desires. “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 opens the essay by addressing the hard truth- we are all insane. People have dull lives, and often it’s the little bit of crazy within in us tha...
Paranoia has always been an enemy to me in the darkness. This irrational fear has accounted for many sleepless nights, and horror only fuels the fire. Yet, I am still captivated by something that produces such unpleasant results. The culprit just might be one thing-- the characteristics, events, and situations that humans all share that are the ingredients to what makes things such as emotions and ambitions exist; otherwise known as the human condition. Based on these two notions, it is safe to say that in the article “Why We Crave Horror,” Stephen King is correct in claiming that humans crave horror to display some sort of bravery, to reassure feelings of normality, and simply for the fun of it.
The movies “Amelia” from the Trilogy of Terror directed by Dan Curtis and Misery directed by Rob Reiner are similar in plot, in that they both feature bursts of violence, the scheming of plans and the use of knifes. They also meet the three reasons King gives in the interview Why We Crave Horror Movies by Rise B. Axelrod and Charles R. Cooper.
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...
When I was young I would always watch “scary movies” with my sister. For this reason, Every night I would have nightmares after each movie. By all means, I’d end up on the other side of the bed or on the floor. Given that, Stephen King claims his short story “ Why We Crave Horror” is to crave horror by facing our fears and, re-establish our feelings normalcy by getting used to the horror towards something that is called the human condition provided that, he is right about his claims. By all means, His three claims are “To show we can,that we are not afraid, that we can ride this roller coaster”. “ We also go to re-establish our feelings of essential normality”. “ If we share a brotherhood of man, then we also share an insanity of man”.
We crave horror movies simply for “the fun of it” in agreeing with Stephen King Why We Crave Horror movies. King gave multiple examples in his story as to why we crave horror movies and I can agree with just about each and every one of them. After watching a few horror movies for yourself, you will understand why it is easy to agree with King. If you have watched movies such as the 2004 movie Dawn of the Dead, The Purge, or The Conjuring you will also be able to relate to Chuck Klosterman My Zombie, Myself “Zombies are just so easy to kill.” Klostermans theory of zombies are extremely useful because it sheds insight on the difficult yet exciting problem of zombies in the real world. Klosterman’s argument that the repetition of modern life is
In his essay, he explains how people need horror films to feed our dark thoughts that we have drag around without actually doing it. By saying this, he compares people based on how insane they are. King compares the adrenaline rush of rollercoasters to horror movies by saying, “To show that we can, that we are not afraid, that we can ride this roller coaster… And horror movies, like rollercoasters, have always been the special province of the young.” King then compares the feeling of doing something for the first time to doing it multiple times and being immune to what is happening. That’s where he compares youth to horror movies and says, “… by the time one turns 40 or 50, one’s appetite for double twists or 360-degree loops may be considerably depleted.” Both rollercoasters and youth relate to horror movies because of the excessive sense of thrill and adrenaline of doing anything for the first
"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
I don’t disagree with King in his opinion at all, but I feel that maybe this was a bit of a simple answer to a very loaded question. I mean can we really say this about all horror fans? Horror fans have all kinds of different occupations, personalities, and backgrounds so obviously this theory can’t apply to everyone, so in this case, I can only really say why I watch horror movies, and ask you to do some kind of self reflection on your own.
This is a Rhetorical Analysis essay analyzing an article that was published by Playboy in January 1981 by the author Stephen King “Why We Crave Horror Movies”.
“Why We Crave Horror Movies,“ written by Steven King, is both an informative and persuasive essay. King uses his writing skills and charming sense of humor to explain why
Watching horror films just simply for the thrill is one of the biggest theories why we watch horrors. Horror watchers get a rush when scenes play that make you jump and shrill. That feeling they get does not exactly come from getting scared, it mostly comes from when it’s all over and the relief of it being over sets in. While many get disgusted and just can’t handle movies of this genre, others get an enjoyment from it. People also get a thrill from putting themselves in the same situation as the movie. They picture themselves in a life or death situation and think what would they do and how would they react. Also since the heart typically beats faster during a horror film, the adrenaline in the body raises and that feeling is enjoyable and addictive to many. Also if the movie is said to be “based on true events” that gives the viewer and even more thrill ride with the thought that “what if” this happens to me, and they come to thinking “what would I do”. Horror movies are a great way...
Stephen King believes that we are naturally attracted to the horror genre because we can identify with it to some degree and it is also considered a challenge by some to be able to withstand horror. I find it slightly unsettling that to some degree we are all insane according to King, however, I find this to be very believable.
The text King has written states, many reasons as to why we crave horror. I plan to correlate his idea to, “show that we can, that we are not afraid, that we can ride the roller coaster”, to the emotional roller coaster of the two main characters (King1). In The Doll, Amelia starts the movie as a very happy ...