In his book The Philosophy of Horror: Or, Paradoxes of the Heart, philosopher Noël Carroll formulates a theory of art-horror and creates a hypothesis for the paradox of horror, explaining why audiences are attracted to horror films when they are disgusted by them. Carroll’s argument focuses on the experience of an emotional response aroused by horror, which he systematizes by establishing a set of three conditions necessary for being art-horrified by a monster. While Carroll’s theory of art-horror is compelling, his definition of a monster is unnecessarily precise, as it eliminates slasher-thriller films featuring humans as the antagonists from the horror genre entirely. This paper consists of three parts: first, a summary of Carroll’s …show more content…
He first discusses the concept that the being or object must be possible by explaining that the term monster “refers to any being not believed to exist now according to contemporary science” (27). Therefore, believing that a monster is possible “does not commit us to a belief in [its] existence” (29); rather, through the monster’s portrayal in the narrative, a viewer becomes convinced that the monster is logically possible and that the viewer’s thoughts about the monster are real. Carroll then expands on his second requirement, the threat component, clarifying that monsters can be physically, morally, or socially threatening. It is essential for a monster to be threatening in one of these three ways – or at least appear to be so – because when these beings “cease to be threatening, they cease to be horrifying” (28). Therefore, the threat component is critical to the experience of art-horror. Finally, Carroll describes that a monster can meet the final requirement of this condition, impurity, in a number of ways, whether by being “categorically interstitial, categorically contradictory, incomplete, or formless” (32). In order to art-horrify, it is necessary that a monster have this impurity in some form, as it arouses disgust in addition to the …show more content…
Carroll argues that the experience horror appears to be intrinsically revolting and terrifying; however large numbers of viewers seem to find pleasure in horror films in spite of its repulsive nature. Carroll hypothesizes that horror is capable of compelling our interests through “normally aversive events” (161) due to the role of the narrative, which acts as a “the crucial locus of our interest and pleasure” (179). He explains that “what holds our interest and yields – in the horror genre need not be, first and foremost, the simple manifestation of the object of art-horror, but the way that manifestation or disclosure is situated as a functional element in an overall narrative element” (179). This suggests that rather than being interested in horror fictions due to the monster’s presence, viewers find gratification from the narrative as a whole. Particularly, viewers are driven by their curiosity and “desire to know” (182) more about the monster, finding gratification in “proving, disclosing, discovering, and confirming the existence of something that is impossible” (181). Carroll maintains that this cognitive pleasure does not cease once the monster has been revealed to viewers; rather they continue to desire more information
I have provided a clear evaluation of his essay in an organized way using the appropriate standards of evaluation. In understanding why humans “Crave Horror Movies” even when some people get nightmares after watching them we find the importance of our emotions and fears. We find those emotions and fears form a body of their own which needs to be maintained properly in order to remain healthy. We see how emotions can be controlled though viewing horror movies. Stephen King’s “Why We Crave Horror Movies” is a well written essay with convincing analogies, comparisons, and urban humor.
One of America’s famous actress film director and producer Katie Aselton once said,” I don’t love horror movies with something surreal happening. That doesn’t work for me. What’s terrifying is something that could actually happen to me and what I would do. I don’t know how to throw a punch, and I’ve never had to do it.” This quote shows connection to King’s article. I’m starting to consider that everyone has a crazy side. Why We Crave Horror Movies explains the reason people want to go see horror movies. The average person enjoys the horror movies because they are in a safe environment knowing they can not be harmed. By discussing the argumentative strategies such as ethos, logos,
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.
It deliberately appeals to all that is worst in us.” Suggestive of the notion that we need horror movies to stay on sane level of the playing field. I believe that this is a far-fetched idea to why we enjoy the blood filled manic movies. I am sure there are those circumstantial people who truly do watch them for pure pleasure and liking, but we can’t take this into account because there will always be circumstantial evidence. As humans, we are naturally curious and we all carry the desire to see what were not supposed to see. We credit most of life’s greatest discoveries on the fact that we are curious, rapidly moving into an era of new findings. For instance, your first reaction when driving by a major car accident is to look, we have the innate tendency to catch a glimpse of the world no one wants to really experience. We know that when we look, odds are were not going to witness a unicorn jumping over a rainbow, but the possibility of seeing a horrific accident or even a mangled
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.
Film scholars around the world agree that all genres of film are part of the “genre cycle”. This cycle contains four different stages that a specific genre goes through. These stages are: primitive, classic, revisionist, and parody. Each stage that the genre goes through brings something different to that genre’s meaning and what the audience expects. I believe that looking at the horror genre will be the most beneficial since it has clearly gone through each stage.
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)
In his essay, “Why We Crave Horror Movies” King attempts to bring understanding to the phenomenon of the horror film genre. He states “sanity becomes a matter of degree” eluding to the theory that sanity is relative and that all humans are relatively insane. Jack the Ripper and the Cleveland Torso Murderer were the examples of humans on one extreme of the spectrum of sanity; saints represent the other safe end of the sanity spectrum. He illustrates the thought that in order for human kind to stay functionally sane there needs to be some sort of outlet for our violent “mad” thoughts. In King’s view horror movies provide a stable outlet and mental relief for innate madness. King argues that his insanity/ant civilization emotions are ingrained
In this short, poetic essay Joyas Voladores by Brian Doyle the paradox of the heart is widely recognizable. He explains love, and how the matter of the heart inflicts joy, but also a deep pain that roots in fear and vulnerability. Doyle begins by contrasting the hummingbird and the blue whale, providing two separate ironies of each creature’s heart, and eventually relates the heart of different animals to that of a human, suggesting that the heart is the driving force behind all living beings, but is also what fails us all.
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.
Horror is one of many fears humans have. We all have many terrors, but horror is the one that gets the best of us. Some crave, while others resent, the feeling horror movies bring to our body and the emotions that we experience. In Stephen King’s article, “Why We Crave Horror,” he explains that it is a part of the “Human Condition,” to crave the horror. King gives many strong and accurate claims on why we crave the horror movies, such as; testing our ability to face our fears, to re-establish our feelings of normality, and to experience a peculiar sort of fun.
Prof. Paul J. Patterson, Ph.D., co-director of Medieval, Renaissance and Reformation Studies at Saint Joseph's University says that throughout history each generation has defined horror largely on the idea of something outside of our understanding that is threatening us. In his class, 'Horror in Literature and Film', he and his students analyse works such as Homer's Odyssey, Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1818), Alfred Hitchcock's works (1940 - 70), the slashers of the 90s, and the post-9/11 movies. Their analysis is that many of the post 9/11 horror films are about torture, while the zombie wave is because of the menace of biological warfare.
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.
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 ...
This essay will focus on the some of the controversies that having special effects in horror movies can cause. One of these issues is how immersive these movies have become. The immersion of horror movies can have a negative impact depending on the maturity of the audience. If the audience is less mature, it can have a negative effect on how the audience behaves and reacts in real life situations which leads to another of source I plan on searching for a scholarly journal that shows a poll of the how some people who watch horror people react negatively in their real-life behavior. Another issue that I will discuss is the increasing cost that it takes for people who want to watch some of the newest horror movie releases.