In “Why We Crave Horror Movies”, Stephen King theorizes that everyone is mentally ill to some degree - some people just hide it better than others. King’ tongue in cheek observation is offered with a touch of humour to alleviate the discomfort which the reader might feel if at any time there was the thought that this actually might be true.
Horror movies, like scary stories and thrilling amusement park rides, allow us to challenge our fears, to show that we are not afraid, to prove that we can. King proposes that these activities confirm for each of us our normality, while also appealing to the worst in all of us, as they allow the freeing of our fantasies without fear of reprisal or repercussion.
This is fun with a twist, macabre and voyeuristic, and enjoyed from the particular vantage point of knowing that it is not real, and more importantly, that it cannot happen to us. The thrill of a horror movie allows not only a suspension of reality, but also of the cynical, jaded view of reality that we feel, as adults, we must bring to bear on our lives. Everyone has demons, which require exorcising, or as King notes, exercising. There is a level of acceptance in society which governs our actions, which is why we need something to achieve the release of these otherwise unacceptable thoughts, hence the need for the sick joke, the scary ride, the horror movie. In the end, we are not judged by our level of sanity but rather by the socially acceptable degree of our actions, of our particular form of insanity.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
He is right, everyone in the world is mentally ill in one way or another. No one is perfect; as King points out we all do odd things. Some people tend to talk to themselves, have to have everything just right everyday or they go crazy, and just do odd things from day to day without giving it a second thought. We do things that are life threatening just to say that we could do it and do things that make us scared just to say that we were able to. We watch movies that freak us out, do crazy stunts, and do things that could end with us giving our lives just for the thrill of it. No one is perfectly normal or perfect in any sense we all do something crazy at some point of our lives, some do such every day. Everyone does it and everyone is insane to a point that it is considered normal, and is almost expected of people. We do not call ourselves insane or think of ourselves as insane because everyone has some insanity in their lives so we just think of it as the way of life. Not thinking of how insane we are by doing it. To a point everyone is mentally ill, there is a little insanity in all of…
- 1303 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
Stephen King is known by his grotesque movies and recognizable writing. In his piece, “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” he explains the human races’ need to watch other people being tortured, mutilated, and eventually killed. King uses two opposing tones in his essay to create an atmosphere that is both humorous and serious.…
- 332 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
his use of first person throughout the article, engage the reader and creates a mutual…
- 552 Words
- 3 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Horror movies bright out the demon in everyone. Normally someone would not be rooting on a person getting sawed in half with a chainsaw or getting stabbed in the back with a knife in the shower. In Steven King’s Why We Crave Horror Movies he discusses why people love horror movies so much. Of course, some people are not a fan of horror movies. Not everyone can handle the jump scares and gore, however some people can sit and watch the massacre for hours. Horror movies supply people with an adrenaline rush and a sensation of fear while bringing out the sociopath side found within everyone.…
- 626 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The essay of Stephen King, Why We Crave Horror Movies, basically talks about how the people in society need to watch the violence portrayed by the media entertainment to satisfy their thirst for evil embodied in their soul and to get away from the reality of life problems. This paper, in my opinion, was not written to persuade the readers to do something a specific way, but to prove a certain point and to make the audience feel a certain way through the use of inductive reasoning, specific word choices, and pathos appeal. The thesis of the essay was that "If we share brother hood of a man, the new also share an insanity of man."…
- 615 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Stephan King is right when he implies we are all mentally ill. It is a matter of how someone handles the insanity, and how to process it mentally. Some people hide it better than others, keeping them from prison. Riding roller coasters, or watching scary movies feeds the insanity inside all of us. It makes us excited and wants us to feel relieved. Insanity does not overcome the mind, it depends on how someone feeds their…
- 585 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Isolation, in medical psychology, is defined as the state or quality of being alone away from others. According to Corey, psychoanalytic theory defines isolation as a defense mechanism that emphasizes on keeping negative cognitions and feelings from influencing other thoughts and feelings (57). Isolation, therefore, is more of a psychological process that creators of psychological horror often exploit to create horrifying films. This paper investigates the effects of isolation on the mental processes of an individual. It also explores the spectacle of isolation in psychological horror films and looks at the deep-seated mental processes and emotions that form the basis for the genre of psychological horror.…
- 589 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Before I got pregnant with my son, I used to love watching scary movies. My favorite was all of the “Saw” movies, but there was a few I’m still scared of watching to this day. In “Why We Crave Horror Movies”, Stephen King explains how each and every one of us have some kind of weird and twisted side that likes to see the horror in some daily things. He talks about riding on the roller coasters at amusement parks, you have this excitement of riding, but then you think of the scary movie where the ride starts falling apart and everyone dies. These types of things make us put ourselves to the test and prove to others that we are able to do some things. Yes, it puts fear in our hearts, but it will never stop us. King makes us realize that when we are young, we are really curious about different things, horror being one. Once we have grown into mature adults, our curiosity has somewhat been fulfilled because we don’t crave the scary things anymore. As a child, we watch children’s movies looking for fun little things. The only thing is that we don’t quite realize that there are issues in those movies that deal with death. For instance, in “The Wizard of Oz”, the Wicked Witch of the west is melted by the water that Dorothy threw on her. Not all of the children’s movies are fun and games. As we look at these movies, we let our thoughts roam where they want. If you think about it, are we normal to laugh at someone who just got their head chopped off. Stephen King says “the potential lyncher is in almost all of us.” He’s saying that all of have had those moments where someone has made you angry or upset, and you just wanted to hurt them. In another way, he could’ve meant the lyncher as showing love, friendship, etc. to one another, and one will be awarded with the same acts of kindness or something else. King says “If we share a brotherhood of man, then we also…
- 456 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Or create your own theory( could be a hybrid of the three or something that goes in a complete differnt direction). If you create your own theory,youwill still need to reference scholary work( the textbook or outside research) to support your claim. in the book by Noel Carroll" the philosophy of Horror" Illusion theory states we are horrified by the manifestation of being in the presence of a monster. the pretend theory states that if we are aware that the monsters are not real then how can we form a genuine emotion of fear.the thought theory states that if thought the monster was real it could create a sense of fear,thought is used here as a term of art that is meant to contrast to belief.the theory i think best answer the question why people enjoy scary movies would be the thought theory.the thoght therory reflects the way i veiw scary movies,it the possiblity that the monster on the film could actually exist at the moment and time that i am actually watching the movie,it creates fear for the remaning of the movie.to be able to entertain scary thoughts brings the horror films to life.in the movie "The Exorcist" th possibilies that the devil can actually possess a child,is frieghting to watch on…
- 974 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Horror movies test us on our fears, desires and mentality. As from the king’s thesis, “the reason we all crave horror movies is because we are all mentally ill”. That gives a point that we need to watch horror movies just to release our tension.Some people prefer horror movies for a different reason. They want to prove to themselves that they are brave and that they fear nothing. People always try to prove certain things true when they are not that sure of themselves. Even though they choose to watch these things, the images are still disturbing for many people.But people have the ability to pay attention as much or as little as they care to in order to control what effect it has on them, emotionally and…
- 740 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
It was the summer of 1983; I was reading my first Horror novel by Jay Anson “The Amityville Horror”, it was the scariest thing I had ever picked up. Despite the late hours I continued to read into the early morning hours until my eyes burned for relief. Whenever I got up to use the rest room I would stand on the end of my bed lean over and open the door and jump so not to be grabbed by monsters that might be laying in wait under my bed. This started a long love affair for horror stories.…
- 658 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In Stephen King’s article “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” he expresses his views as to why he believes humans enjoy watching horror movies so much. In the beginning of the article King writes that he believes every human being is mentally ill, he then spends the rest of the article explaining his reasoning behind his opinion. Although King gave some logical explanations as to why humans crave horror movies, many individuals could disagree with many of his points. Some people may actually be what he considers mentally ill which could be what causes them to gravitate towards horror movies, but that may not be the case for every horror movie lover.…
- 747 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In Stephen King’s “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” he enlightens the audience on their obsession and captivation with horror movies. King describes fears, illnesses, and nightmares that most people in the audience experience. He compares horror movies to roller coasters and explains that the reader often rides or watches them to prove that they are not afraid. King references the horrific movie Die, Monster, Die! And reminds us that we are still far from “true ugliness.” He identifies the kind of twisted fun that comes from watching horror movies. Horror movies allow us to gain control of our emotions and let our imaginations run wild, King explains. Everyone in the audience, as he states, is insane and their insanity can range anywhere from unmentionable…
- 227 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
Horror and thriller are a long standing favorite media type of our kind. A good scare that lingers in our minds sticks with us in ways other genres do not. The interest can span through movies and novels which both deliver results in different ways. Horrors and thrillers also affect our bodies while watching, though also differently. The reasons of why we like to be scared continue to be studied, but a few theories have emerged that are all partially accepted. Horrors and thrillers stimulate both our bodies and minds because they remain a mystery as to why we like them, they have helped us evolve, and they demand our attention.…
- 2291 Words
- 10 Pages
Better Essays -
Having the horror genre gives us a chance to escape reality. Humans go through so many things everyday. Working, going to school, taking care of kids, finishing deadlines, and even cleaning up the house. Lots of people say that it isn’t stressful, but doing all of it in a single day can be a real challenge. In order to win the challenge we have to take a short cut. Anything from the horror/ gothic genre can be that short cut. According to Stephen King in “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” and Carina Chocano in “How Tabloid Train Wrecks are Reinventing Gothic Literature” we humans are a bit wrong in the head. The purpose of the gothic genre is to let people experience a thrilling sensation.…
- 617 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays