Horror films got their start in 1896 with the two-minute short, Le manoir du diable (The Haunted Castle), shown on Christmas Eve, in Paris. But it was not until 1906, with the remake of Notre-Dame de Paris, Esmeralda, did the genre spilt into subgenres. Esmeralda refined the ‘freak shows’ that previous horror films had begun to resemble. Films like these paved the way for people like Brian De Palma, Alfred Hitchcock, Stephen King, John Carpenter, Steven Spielberg, and his composer, John Williams. There are several key pieces of a horror film, including suspense, mystery, and spoilers, and numerous stereotypes and clichés that have latched on to the growing genre. Horror films are a genre that many people enjoy. No one will ever completely grasp why it is that we crave it. Some believe it’s the thrill and others find it is the feeling of fear itself. According to Alan Jones, author of The Rough Guide to Horror Movies, fear is “… what we feel when anything frightens us or promotes terror or fear” (Jones, ix). Andrew Tudor disagrees. He presumes that the attempts of explaining horror’s appeal are not specific and do not explain all the reasons a mixed population enjoy horror (Tudor). Personally, I credit horrors charm to the thrill it provides the audience. Though inconclusive, many people believe that the main reason horror is so popular is because people actually like being scared. Mark Olsen, of the L.A. Times, believes the reason it is so fun to be scared is because in real life, it isn’t fun (Olsen). Horror provides a safe place where the viewer can explore the dark side of imagination and human psyche. Because the movie ends, even if the ending is not happy, the audience can return to his or her reality unharmed (Olsen). Gina... ... middle of paper ... ...ly). In the 70s, due to a rise in feminism, female protagonists were allowed to resist and a new archetype was created. This movement also created “sexualized terror”, where anyone who had sex in the film died at the end (Blakely). In the 90s, female empowerment was much stronger in most genres, including Neve Campbell’s Scream, where a non-virgin survived, and the “ smart, independent, buff, ready-to-kill-if-necessary” woman existed in several films (Blakely). In recent years, these elements, techniques, stereotypes, and clichés have grown more and more prominent, and while various new parody horror films have been created, the genre is not dying out yet. Considering the many subgenres of horror, ranging anywhere from ghosts to supernatural, anyone can find a horror genre they love. Because of its ever-changing nature, horror will be around for many years to come.
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.
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.
We’re getting close to October and all the scary movie lovers and thrill-seekers gather around and prepare to be scared. However, have we ever thought of why most of us enjoy being scared? The article, “Why Do Some Brains Enjoy Fear?” written by Allegra Ringo explores the science behind supernatural and physical thrills. The reality of something supernatural or somewhat human like but not exactly tears us apart and leaves us wanting more. Most people enjoy the possibilities of a greater form after life and death. All around the world most people are intrigued by ghosts, demons, spirits, hybrids of humans and such, monsters, and even non humans. The answer to the previous question is because of the hype of it all. When
Horror is a genre that aims to create a sense of fear, panic, alarm, and dread for the audience. These films are often unsettling and rely on scaring the audience through a portrayal
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)
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.
The horror genre has many lessons to teach us as an audience although being the genre most connected with that of ridiculousness. It is regularly associated with the reaction it seeks from its audience; both emotional and physical. In cinema success is measured by terrifying chills, bloody deaths and the volume of the audiences scream. The appeal of horror narrative in literature, film and theatre lies in the pleasures it associates with fear, suspense and terror; no matter what it is trying to convey to the audience. Even when writers layer the genre with academic thoughts on psychology, theology and the world in which we live in, horror remains the primary outlet to examine the notions of dread, uncertainly, mysterious and the abject.
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...
Stephen King, a very well-known writer and director, has a passionate voice when it comes to anything dealing with horror. In “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” King calls us out for knowing that we love the adrenaline rush and how we are so captivated by horror movies. He explains how we watch horror movies for the level of fun. King proposes that we go to defy ourselves; to see how far it can push us and that is what makes the experience so interesting. We lock our inner psycho from reality and feed it with the demonic, bloody violence found in horror movies. Doing this suggests that horror movies are our fix for our psychotic thoughts. Stephen King’s “Why We Crave Horror Movies” portrays that we are all insane in some weird way through
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.
In the essay “Why We Crave Horror Movie,” Stephen King describes that horror movies are beneficial for the people because we are all mentally ill. King explains that horror movie is a sort of release because everyone has a dark side in our body, so watching horror movie can keep the hungry alligators under control. People watch horror movie because they want to prove themselves that they are not afraid of a horror movie, and they are normal people too. King describes horror movie like a roller coaster, so people have enough courage to sit through the whole ride. People also enjoy seeing other people in danger. A horror movie can also keep the dark emotion down such as violence and aggression, and it allows people to remain happy and sane. A horror movie can
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 ...
Almost everyone has a favorite genre of film, but how everyone defines their favorite genre can differ greatly. Horror is one of the genres where its definition can be perceived differently by many people. Like all other genres, horror does have rules and traditions that must be included in order for a film to be considered a horror film. These rules and traditions include a protagonist, an antagonist, an escape or escape attempt of some sort, and very influential audio and visual effects.
Would you rather be horrified beyond repair or thrilled to the point of no return? In horror, the main purpose is to invoke fear and dread into the audience in the most unrealistic way. Horror movies involve supernatural entities such as ghosts, vampires, teleportation, and being completely immortal. As thriller films are grounded in realism and involve more suspense, mystery, and a sense of panic. Though both genres will frighten the audience, it will happen in two different ways. Whether the horror thrills or the thriller horrifies, a scare is always incorporated.
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