Stephen King Why We Crave Horror Movies Summary

Humans are unique creations, each one behaves differently. Humans have the propensity to act inhumanely. "Why We Crave Horror Movies," by Stephen King explores the psychology of the human psyche and tries to explain why people are drawn to the horror subgenre. King begins to connect himself to the reader to establish a relationship of understanding the appeal of horror films. Beyond that, he uses emotional appeals as he utilizes bold, questionable statements to engross the reader. After King lays out his disposition, his intent in the essay becomes apparent as he draws comparisons between the human emotional state and its subsequent appeal to horror films, through the use of logical reasoning. However, this attempt to convince the audience

He says, “It is true that the mythic ‘fairy-tale’ horror film intends to take away the shades of grey. …It urges us to put away our more civilized and adult penchant for analysis and to become children again, seeing things in pure blacks and whites” (King 380). King attempts to evoke the reader's emotions and explain why people seek out terror by equating childhood and a simpler time with horror flicks. However, In the same statement, "It is true that the mythic ‘fairy-tale’ horror film intends to take away the shades of grey.” (King 380), King assumes that all horror films have the same intention and effect on the audience, which is not necessarily true. This hasty generalization of the genre of horror as a whole does not save any emotional value to the sentence now. King is unmindful that not every horror film aims to scare or entertain its viewers in the same way, discrediting himself at the same

The humor he uses is inappropriate and repulsive because it trivializes horrific crimes like those committed by “Jack the Ripper [and the] Cleveland Torso Murderer.” (King 380). His credibility is damaged by this humor, which lessens the weight of his case. The humor in this paragraph also perpetuates harmful attitudes and unfavorable stereotypes. For instance, his description of a sister as a "rotten little puke,” (King 381), upholds misogyny and the idea that women are less valuable than men. This weakens King's validity, damaging the argument's plausibility and fosters negative societal attitudes. Additionally, the humor in this passage makes use of false equivalency. King suggests that there is a clear relationship between a person's level of insanity and how society views them when he contrasts how society responds to various types of insanity. This comparison, nevertheless, is inaccurate because a variety of characteristics, such as a person's color, financial background, and gender, among others, affect how they are treated. This mistake calls King's thesis into question and makes it difficult for readers to accept his assertions