Why We Need Horror Movies
Edwin Tompkins
Ms. Allen
English 100-010
04/08/2013
Why We Need Horror Movies In “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” Stephen King writes about horror movies, why we like them, and the purposes they serve us. One of the main reasons he makes in his essay is that he believes that there is a dark and sinister side to all people that craves to see the suffrage and despair of others and that this is why we need these movies. King says that these particular kinds of movies are good in the way that the purpose they serve is to satisfy those desires and urges. Given these two statements, it shows that even though we may have urges from time to time to cause harm or wish ill will that these films serve as a healthy release. King writes in his essay, “The potential lyncher is in almost all of us (excluding saints, past and present; but then, most saints have been crazy in their own ways), and every now and then, he has to be let loose to scream and roll around in the grass.” (110) This is simply a statement that ultimately we are just human beings expressing emotion. Although horror movies are almost always presented with people suffering horrible things like demons, possessions, and even death, they serve as a healthy release to feel the satisfaction for those desires. And they let us just cast aside our normal socially acceptable behaviors to just indulge them. Another statement King writes in his essay is that, “If we are all insane, then sanity becomes a matter of degree.” (110) This is a statement that says sanity is something that can be measured. If this is true then sanity is something that must be controlled in order to maintain civility in society. Horror movies for the normal average person as stated before simply serve as an outlet to release some bad desires; however, some people do take that desire beyond the movies and actually do go out and commit crimes and cause harm to others. To conclude, sanity is something that can be easily kept in
Ms. Allen
English 100-010
04/08/2013
Why We Need Horror Movies In “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” Stephen King writes about horror movies, why we like them, and the purposes they serve us. One of the main reasons he makes in his essay is that he believes that there is a dark and sinister side to all people that craves to see the suffrage and despair of others and that this is why we need these movies. King says that these particular kinds of movies are good in the way that the purpose they serve is to satisfy those desires and urges. Given these two statements, it shows that even though we may have urges from time to time to cause harm or wish ill will that these films serve as a healthy release. King writes in his essay, “The potential lyncher is in almost all of us (excluding saints, past and present; but then, most saints have been crazy in their own ways), and every now and then, he has to be let loose to scream and roll around in the grass.” (110) This is simply a statement that ultimately we are just human beings expressing emotion. Although horror movies are almost always presented with people suffering horrible things like demons, possessions, and even death, they serve as a healthy release to feel the satisfaction for those desires. And they let us just cast aside our normal socially acceptable behaviors to just indulge them. Another statement King writes in his essay is that, “If we are all insane, then sanity becomes a matter of degree.” (110) This is a statement that says sanity is something that can be measured. If this is true then sanity is something that must be controlled in order to maintain civility in society. Horror movies for the normal average person as stated before simply serve as an outlet to release some bad desires; however, some people do take that desire beyond the movies and actually do go out and commit crimes and cause harm to others. To conclude, sanity is something that can be easily kept in
Cited: King, Stephen. “Why We Crave Horror Movies.” Mercury Reader. Eds. Darren Felty, Richard Hartnett, & Roger West. New York: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2011. 109-111. Print.