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Why We Crave Horror Movies
Why We Crave Horror Movies
Why We Crave Horror Movies
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For many people, horror movies are a frightful experience. If this is true, then why is horror such a successful movie genre? Do people like to be scared? In this essay, the answer to this question will be investigated, as well as what businesses can do to enhance the movie experience based on the answer. Why do people like horror movies? There are 2 main reasons: one is to experience fear that others must face, and to experience chemical rushes. Fear is a feeling that we are only half- aware of since the fact stands that the majority of Americans lack exposure to traumatic events. Horror movies give you that full fear experience without anyone actually getting hurt. Poorer nations have no choice apart from facing the horrors of life that …show more content…
In fact, only 10 percent of the human population turns fear into pleasure (The Psychology of Horror- Why do we Watch Horror Films, 1). What other factors separate horror movie fans from those who don 't prefer horror movies? A few brains take dopamine and put it into pleasure and relief. Other’s brains will take the dopamine and experience anxiety and fear rather than pleasure. Mature adults will know that they are safe when watching a scary movie, however, young children have a harder time realizing that. Young children furthermore have difficulty distinguishing between reality and fantasy (Koutsidis, 1). People who like horror movies tend to have 2 traits: one is sensation-seeking, which is watching horror movies simply for the thrill, and enlarged aggression …show more content…
There are three main horror film trends in cycle right now. The first is Splatter Horror, which emphasizes gore and violence. This is the newest cycle. (A Brief History of Horror, 1). After 9/11, both American soldiers and enemy soldiers were being tortured, causing the splatter horror genre to find itself in our theaters (Braga, 1). During the mid-2000’s, the splatter horror movie genre was extremely popular. Its popularity has died down, however, it still remains one of the more popular horror movie genres being made today (Mark, 1). The second cycle is called the Found Footage cycle, which emphasizes first-person view to formulate the horror so it is more “realistic” and therefore more scary (A Brief History of Horror, 1). Found footage horror is when a handheld camera is used to do the filming. This is so popular since it is used in real life so often in the news whenever filming a real tragic event. This additionally reflects the real life horrors in our world today . The first movie of that genre was 1999’s The Blair Witch Project, and it has surged in popularity ever since (Braga, 1). The second most recent cycle is the Zombie Cycle, which emphasizes medical disasters causing humans to turn into undead creatures and the breakdown of society (A Brief History of Horror,
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...
Some would say watching horror movies and being scared out of your wits is a fun way to spend their hard earned money. They go see these movies on average once a week, each time choosing a newer version of a trilogy like “Chucky” or “The evil Dead”. Film making has come a long way over the last few decades, the graphic...
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.
Often times I wonder if people go to see horror movies for enjoyment, or is it something much more than that? I have mixed feelings about the idea that, “the horror film has become the modern version of public lynching” (King 562). Horror movies do promote violence and can influence the mindset of the audience, but sanity people is not based on the excitement we receive from watching a horror film. Instead, it is based on what is already within us, not what we witness on a movie screen, but what we experience throughout our lifetime.
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)
...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.
In classical Hollywood cinema, horror films were produced in the notion that as human beings we enjoy the concept of being scared and take it as a form of entertainment. This review examines five scholarly peer-reviewed
Stephen King wrote a very brief essay titled "Why we Crave Horror Movies", in which he explained some of the reasons that people choose to go to horror movies to be entertained. In his essay, King goes on to explain that we as a people need horror movies as a sort of release; to feed the darker elements within all of us without having to sacrifice our humanity (also, civility). King does this by comparing people based on their levels of sanity whereas some societal "eccentricities" are completely acceptable, while some will get you thrown right into the loony bin. It’s summed up pretty well in this quote:
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.
With the development of films, their influence to our lives is increasing at present. The novelty of shooting style influence why many people are in love with horror movie. They love the feeling of stimulate and the art of suspense. In the same time, horror movie could help others to release of stress after intense feeling. But there’s also many people having opposite thought about horror movies.
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.
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
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 ...
People who prefer horror films obviously like to be grossed out or like to be frightened. The horror fans probably tend to enjoy suspense and anxiety. One might suspect these people love to go on frightening roller coaster rides or do other things that would cause suspense and anxiousness. People of this nature might enjoy things that most people would not, considering the amount of gore produced in many horror films. For example, some people watch surgeries on TV. These shows contain blood and things disturbing to others. It would make sense to say that the person who has no problem with the gore in the movies could probably watch and enjoy a surgery on TV.