In the introduction to Kendall Phillips’ book, “Projected Fears,” he discusses “horror films that made such an impression on American culture that they became instantly recognizable and, indeed, redefined the notion of what a horror film is.” (Phillips 3). This list of movies includes many favorites, such as Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Scream. Phillips later states his thesis, “...my argument in this book is that these [movies] are the most ‘successful’ and ‘influential’ in American history and that their level of success and influence can be correlated to broader cultural anxieties into which they somehow tapped” (Phillips 3).
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.
The way someone react to different situations can show their real personality. It also shows that everyone is a little bit “crazy” in their own way. King stated that ”Horror movies, like roller coasters, have always been the special province of the young. By the time one turns 40 or 50, one’s appetite for double twists or 360-degree loops may be considerably depleted.” (King, 599).
Take the Saw series for example. The Saw movies are some of the most popular horror movies ever made. Ever since the 2004 release of the original movie, people everywhere waited and hoped for another one. Although considered a horror movie, Saw is more like a torture film. It is not just something with clowns and a murderer.
In the reading "Why We Crave Horror Movies," Stephen King writes about why we enjoy watching good horror movies which frighten us. He discusses how our emotions get to the point that we can not handle anymore, and they have to be released. These emotions make us feel anxious and challenge us to do more in life. Horror produces anxiety, but the decisions that we make in life challenge us more. There are many decisions in life that make us challenge ourselves.
There are many people who enjoy watching horror movies and many others who hate horror movies; personally, I’m one of those people who just dislikes horror movies. Both Stephen King and Chuck Klosterman have similar opinions on why we watch horror movies which is for that electrifying feeling. As well as, both Stephen King and Chuck Klosterman analyses differently why we watch horror movies. As King states that we are all mentally ill which is true. We all build up anger and frustration that creates an insane side of us.
While I believe that Stephen King’s “Why We Crave Horror Movies” is a very enjoyable article, I do not agree that horror movies help us keep sane. In fact I think that prolonged looking at violence probably makes us more vulnerable and prone to violence. Or possibly just ignore the violence of others. In this essay, Stephen King explains his opinions on why he thinks that we crave horror movies.
How it affects us, our emotional muscles. It may be that horror movies provide psychic relief on the level because it is an invitation to lapse into simplicity, irrationality and even outright madness extended rarely. “But anticivilization emotions don't go away” (king,Why we crave. 3) this explains why some people think this way. King thought about “ if we share a brotherhood of man, then we also share an insanity of man.
There are multiple people who are intrigue and love horror movies without knowing the reason. In Stephan Kings essay, “Why We Crave Horror Movies” he does his best to find an answer to the question “why do people crave horror movies?” Throughout his essay he came up with certain key points to answer the question. At the beginning of his essay, he makes a bold statement that “we are all mentally ill.” He motions that people just watch horror movies to portray their fearlessness while suppressing their true emotions.
In this article, Stephen King dives deep into the realms of what truly makes a horror film feel so exhilarating and entertaining to audiences around the globe. His ideologies about scary movies is that it gives audience members the motivation that they can handle the ugliness of horror films. Average citizens are willing to pay tickets to sit inside a movie theater and be prone to terrifying moments and unexpected surprises. Next, he explains how scary movies remind us just how ordinary we really are, while conserving our sense of normality and humility. These films provide small glimpses of the extreme emotions that seem so abnormal in society today.
In horror films, the “emotions of the audience are supposed to mirror those of the positive human characters” (Baguette & Drumin, 2011, p. #55). “The characters’ responses counsel us that the appropriate reactions to the monsters in question comprise shuddering, nausea, shrinking, paralysis, screaming, and revulsion” (p. #55). Horror films also have a “genuine fears that even a momentary end of being is a horror
In the articles of “Why Do We Crave Horror Movies” by Stephen King and “My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead by Chuck Klosterman, both author argues have similar ideas to why the human being crave horror movies because of the emotions we get from them. In the articles of “Why Do We Crave Horror Movies” by King and “My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead by Klosterman, both argue that horror in life is in need to bring the sense of humanity. Both King and Klosterman agree that horror is there to test people’s fear and their emotions.
It explains that horror movies are “intended to produce the emotion art-horror” explaining that “these emotions are responses to monsters which are viewed by the characters as disturbances in the natural order” (Feagin 75). Though Autobiography of Red and All The Broken Things aren’t horror stories, this idea of monsters being used to artfully enforce emotions is a great way to describe the way abnormal things are presented in popular
It can be described as “a world of mental nightmares, and that chilling, disturbing tone drives the stories and keeps the readers off balance” (Saricks 231). The “disturbing” tone is what makes the thriller genre what it is. By
Justify whether or not the horror genre is appropriate for teenagers to read Everyone has nightmares, but the horror genre brings those nightmares to life through screenplay and literature. It is highly debated whether or not teenagers should be exposed to such material. Critics may argue that horror inflicts no harm upon its viewers, however, when the facts are reviewed, it is evident that this genre is detrimental on the minds of youth. It can be traumatic, negatively influential, and a corrupting force to fragile adolescents. Primarily, the extreme violence displayed among works in the horror genre can be harrowing to minors.
