Why We Crave Horror Movies?

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Imagine seeing a mass murderer using a chainsaw to relentlessly hew its impotent victim under the shroud of darkness. Gory and bloody in nature, Horror movies possess the capability to intimidate and petrify their viewers. These movies have been around since the early 20th century, constantly gnawing at the idea that there is always something lurking in the dark. The ghastly nature of horror a movie is meant to frighten humans but peculiarly, in today’s contemporary society movie fanatics crave horror movies like it is Sunday dinner. Horror movies are sought after in today’s society primarily because they provide emotional relief, as well as provide an adrenaline filled rush to the average movie watcher. Although most horror movies tend to …show more content…

As a part of an individual’s natural psyche, certain emotions like anger will grow and arise as something malevolent inside the brain. A majority of the time, the only outlet for this anger is to do bodily harm to another man/woman. This dark side is one in which most humans would not like their peers to know that it exists. Stephen King in “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” expresses the idea that these movies have a “dirty job to do.” By watching a violent horror movie, these specific emotions of anger and abhorrence tend to degenerate; the dirty job that King is referring to is this specific action. Horror movies also give emotional relief by allowing the movie-goer to have a relief of the typical sense of fear. …show more content…

The typical human being loves to feel the rush of endorphins that accompanies anything exciting like riding a roller coaster or even going on a Ferris wheel. In theme parks new and improved rides are rarely release so horror movies provide an alternative venue and experience to the thrill seeker. Impossible to tell what is going to happen in the next scene of a horror movie, adrenaline is pumped through the average movie watcher. For people who need the sense of falling off of a cliff, watching a horror movie may give those people the rush that they need. For instance, in A Nightmare on Elm Street the antagonist Freddy Krueger kills people in their dreams leaving room for plenty of suspense. Krueger’s ways of killing people always leave the viewer pondering what he will do and how he will kill next. In his article, King indicates that keeping the gators fed is all that is necessary to live a normal life. King is referring to the gators as the part of the human psyche that craves and loves horror films. The need for keeping these cravings satisfied is the main reason why horror movies have become an addiction in today’s society. As long as a human being will keep these emotions quenched, all other emotions can be accepted and shown

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