Stephen King Why We Crave Horror Movies Analysis
Reader Response of “Why We Crave Horror Movies” I thought Stephen King’s opening paragraph in the short story “Why We Crave Horror Movies” was great. I believe it leaves the audience on the edge of the seat wondering what his statements will be. I also like his opening paragraph because I am able to relate to his examples of fears. An opening like King’s leaves the audience curious, and sets the tone for the rest of the paper. My beliefs of the dominant mood, what I have learned from this paper, and my relations might very much differ from yours. In my opinion, I think King is using a playful language. He uses the word “fun” to refer to people watching horror movies. He clearly states that we humans have “sick” jokes for example; “What’s
the difference between a truckload of bowling balls and a truckload of dead babies? (You can’t unload a truckload of dead babies with a pitch fork).” WE as humans find these jokes funny which is why King states we are mentally ill. I feel as if he is successfully getting his point across in this paper. In all of his statements, he uses the word “we” which includes himself into the group he refers to. What I have learned from reading this short story is the reason why I go to horror films. I absolutely hate scary movies because I will always have nightmares for months afterwards. According to King, the reason why we go to horror films is because it makes us feel like a kid again. It lets us use our imagination and feel like a child. King believes that the potential killer is in every one of us, and this could lead to the saying that horror films give us a chance to use that killer in a healthy way other than actually killing someone. King uses many symbols in his piece. King states that horror movies are the way for people to feed their gators, which in my mind means that we watch horror movies to satisfy our “potential lyncher” in us. It could possibly give us the feeling of hurting someone instead of really doing it. King proves in this story that there is always a way for people to let out their frustration. Whether it is to actually kill or if it is to simply watch a horror film. King says horror movies are also a way to have fun. For some people, it is just for fun especially if you have friends to go with. For others, horror movies could just ruin their nights. I know many people, including myself, who will sometimes leave the theatres crying because it was so frightening. I can definitely relate to this because, like I said before, I hate horror movies. The reason I hate them is because they scare me also to the point I can’t drive myself home. You could say that these films leave some people in a state of shock and could leave others with some nasty ideas. Because my beliefs of the dominant mood, what I have learned from this paper, and how I relate to King’s paper, I can’t say that horror movies have given me a brand new look at the world, but I do agree with King in his purpose of writing this story. We all have the same desire to see blood every now and then. This proves that King is right when he says we are all mentally ill. Everyone is, so it is normal for us. Watching these types of films allow us to choose the right decision by letting us release our insanity. We watch people get killed and do not even think about it afterwards.
Works Cited
Hoover, Amanda. "Why We Crave Horror Stories." AP Language. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
King, Stephen, John Langan, and Eliza A. Comodromos. Why We Crave Horror Movies. Ed. Judith Nadell. The Longman Reader 8th Edition ed. New York, NY: Pearson/Longman, 2009. Print.
the difference between a truckload of bowling balls and a truckload of dead babies? (You can’t unload a truckload of dead babies with a pitch fork).” WE as humans find these jokes funny which is why King states we are mentally ill. I feel as if he is successfully getting his point across in this paper. In all of his statements, he uses the word “we” which includes himself into the group he refers to. What I have learned from reading this short story is the reason why I go to horror films. I absolutely hate scary movies because I will always have nightmares for months afterwards. According to King, the reason why we go to horror films is because it makes us feel like a kid again. It lets us use our imagination and feel like a child. King believes that the potential killer is in every one of us, and this could lead to the saying that horror films give us a chance to use that killer in a healthy way other than actually killing someone. King uses many symbols in his piece. King states that horror movies are the way for people to feed their gators, which in my mind means that we watch horror movies to satisfy our “potential lyncher” in us. It could possibly give us the feeling of hurting someone instead of really doing it. King proves in this story that there is always a way for people to let out their frustration. Whether it is to actually kill or if it is to simply watch a horror film. King says horror movies are also a way to have fun. For some people, it is just for fun especially if you have friends to go with. For others, horror movies could just ruin their nights. I know many people, including myself, who will sometimes leave the theatres crying because it was so frightening. I can definitely relate to this because, like I said before, I hate horror movies. The reason I hate them is because they scare me also to the point I can’t drive myself home. You could say that these films leave some people in a state of shock and could leave others with some nasty ideas. Because my beliefs of the dominant mood, what I have learned from this paper, and how I relate to King’s paper, I can’t say that horror movies have given me a brand new look at the world, but I do agree with King in his purpose of writing this story. We all have the same desire to see blood every now and then. This proves that King is right when he says we are all mentally ill. Everyone is, so it is normal for us. Watching these types of films allow us to choose the right decision by letting us release our insanity. We watch people get killed and do not even think about it afterwards.
Works Cited
Hoover, Amanda. "Why We Crave Horror Stories." AP Language. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
King, Stephen, John Langan, and Eliza A. Comodromos. Why We Crave Horror Movies. Ed. Judith Nadell. The Longman Reader 8th Edition ed. New York, NY: Pearson/Longman, 2009. Print.