Horror movies are based on humanity’s disturbing, inner thoughts that are kept hidden by sophisticated and civilized facades. The fact that people pay money to go watch their own race be slaughtered shows that civilization has two sides. There are many theories as to why humans act the way they do, such as Steven King’s “beast within” and “potential lyncher” theories and Stanley Solomon’s “exploration” and “romantic isolationism” theories. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 does a fantastic job of displaying these theories about the horror genre if one knows what they are looking for. Learning about why humans react the way they do to horror films based on the theories of well-known psychologists and horror writers can teach humans a lot about themselves. Stephen King, a well known horror writer, has dedicated his life to the study of horror and human psychology. King is the person that came up with the “beast within” theory. His theory states that everyone is insane, but some people are better than others at hiding it (784). The people that don’t hide it well end up in a psych ward, while others that can hide their dark sides’ remain in society, which is indeed a scary thought in itself (784). King thinks that people watch horror movies in order to keep the gators at bay. The gators King speaks of would be the vicious, dark side of people that he says has to be “fed” in order to maintain sanity (784). He believes that people have two sides, one civilized, and the other blood thirsty and on the brink of snapping. Watching horror movies provides relief for the blood thirsty side, keeping the gators at bay (786). Carl Jung, a psychoanalyst, calls this the “shadow archetype” and believed that shadow is “the dark side of our nat... ... middle of paper ... ...ark sides in horror films. The viewers pay money to watch their own race be butchered in order to “feed” or tame their inner beasts. In all, studying the horror genre and why humans react the way we do teaches humans things about themselves. It teaches people why they feel the way they do when they watch horror movies. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 is a great example to show Steven King’s and Stanley Solomon’s theories on horror flicks. It displayed various theories through various characters and showed how people can have multiple facades. Works Cited The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Dir. Tobe Hooper. Prod. Tobe Hooper and L. M. Kit Carson. By Tobe Hooper and L. M. Kit Carson. Perf. Dennis Hopper. Cannon Group,1986. DVD. King, Stephen. “Why We Crave Horror Movies.” 784-86. Solomon, Stanley J. “The Nightmare World.” 793-800.
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...
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
Overall, in Stephen King’s essay, “Why We Crave Horror Movies”, his suggestion that we view horror movies to “reestablish our feelings of essential normality” (562) and there is a “potential lyncher in almost all of us” (562) has brought forth many aspects that I have never really thought about. Why do we have so much excitement when it comes to horror films? Everyone has their own opinion, which will never end with one definite answer. Stephen King thinks there’s and evil in all of us, but I don’t think so. The evil only comes out if you make it, we do not need horror films for psychic
Horror movies are one of the most fascinating genres of film that exists. They are unrealistic but at the same time, they are also realistic. This realism that they contain is what draws people’s interest towards them because viewers are able to associate aspects of their own lives with the film. Every horror movie, no matter how farfetched the theme or plot may be, contains an element that people can relate to. This element may not be observable to a conscious mind, but to an unconscious mind, it brings back memories of something that has been repressed earlier in our lives (Wood, 197). This recollection of suppressed memories is how horror films create a sense of fear and it is literally what Robin Wood means when he talks about “the return
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
“Why We Crave Horror Movies,” an essay by the legendary Stephen King, explains two challenging concepts to understand: why people like gory horror movies and how people are able to control their darkest desires. “I think that we’re all mentally ill; those of us outside the asylums only hide it a little better – and maybe not all that much better, after all.” King opens the essay by addressing the hard truth- we are all insane. People have dull lives, and often it’s the little bit of crazy within in us tha...
In the short story “Why We Crave Horror Movies” Stephen King accurately states, “ the horror movie is innately conservative, even reactionary.” What this is saying is no matter how bloody or how intense the movie gets, people could always enjoy a little horror in their day. Some movies have those scenes where some person gets injured then killed and that really gets the blood pumping in the viewers and for some people, that essential normality that cures the craziness. To continue, King makes another good point in the short story, “Why We Crave Horror“ and correctly claims, “we may be removed from the beauty of a Robert Redford or a Diana Ross, we are still light years away from true ugliness.” This quote from King’s story states that no matter what happens to people it could always be solved with a quick thrill from a horror movie and that humans do this to have fun with normality. Despite the fact that people seem that it's normal to watch someone get butchered or decapitated but, people can also have some fun and excitement for the
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.
On another note, we crave horror to make us feel a sense of normality. We are able to express the violences, held deep inside us, by watching or reading the horror. In King’s article, Why We Crave Horror, he expresses that, “...we’re all mentally ill; those of us outside the asylums only hide it a little better…” (King, “Why We Crave Horror” 1). This one statement makes the reader think and after reading the rest of the article you're able to understand that the horror we feel keeps the mental illness inside of us. He also states, “As long as you keep the gators fed.” (King, “Why We Crave Horror” 4). This is the ending statement in his argumentative article, relates back to the opening statement. Us humans are the gators and if we are continued to be fed with horror our mental illness will stay inside us and locked away. By watching/reading the horror we are able to stay sane and not go
Sargeant, Jack. "American Nightmare: The Baying Of Pigs: Reflections On The New American Horror Movie." Senses Of Cinema: An Online Film Journal Devoted To The Serious And Eclectic Discussion Of Cinema 15. (2001): MLA International Bibliography. Web.
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 ...