Combining Thrilling and Killing:Use of Violence in Psychological Thrillers

From the time we are born, we are immediately introduced to influences that will shape and develop our character for the rest of our lives. Our character can be affected in a positive or a negative way by various influences that we encounter on a daily basis. We need to be aware of how much we absorb and let those influences change our behavior. External influences, such as video games, movies, and television shows impact our everyday lives, even when we are not conscious of them.

1. Sobchack’s argument pertaining to on -screen violence that she wrote thirty years ago was that any violent acts portrayed in movies back then was to emphasize the importance of an element in a story, an emphatic way of engaging the viewers and forcing them to feel what the movie was about. It gave them a sense of the substance of the plot which would allow them to feel for the characters and yearn for good to overcome evil. In other words, the effort made to engage audiences through depictions of violence created violence that was artistic and well done, or as Sobchack writes, violence was “aestheticized.” Violence was incorporated into film in a stylistic

Society has been subjected to many violent acts over the course of its history. Although violence is immoral and wrong, somehow people everyday condone and commit violence for countless reasons. Many Hollywood films glorify mindless violence to their advantage and captivate audiences through its entertaining shock value and rake large box office profits. Car chases, crashes and glorified gladiator sword fights are all familiar scenes in which violence is portrayed in an unrealistic glamorised manner.

In Raiders of The Lost Ark, the violence is abundant from beginning to end, - a death tally of 63 (allouttabubblegum) -- but we accept it because it is always the “bad guy” getting hurt -- a greedy guide is skewered by a bed of nails, a relentless thug is chopped by a plane propeller, and numerous Nazis meet their comeuppance by having their faces melt off (Raiders). The violence is often gory and realistic. According to the study,

Serial killers are everywhere. Though eminent during the 1980s, there are now less in the real world and more scattered throughout popular culture. These killers have turned into cultural icons, constantly being referenced throughout favorite television shows and movies. Regardless, the average person is ignorant to this fact; this is just the problem. People are quick to blame these movies and television shows, saying that the vehement and at times macabre scenarios depicted are why we even have dangerous people on this earth. By contrast, this argument, that the increased exposure of violence in pop culture is contributing to real life serial killers, is absurd, and it is actually popular culture being born and influenced by these diabolical kings.

Why We Crave Horror Movies,” Steven King shares his opinion for why society enjoys watching horror films. He is a very well-known author and is very good at what he does. Let’s take a closer look at his article to examine his use of rhetoric to bring his readers to a point of considering a new perspective about themselves. Mr. King takes his reader on a journey of a mix of reasoning and emotions to help guide him or her from one perspective to the other side of a new perspective.

Suspense is a crucial ingredient in the making of horror and thriller films. The significance of suspense in horror films is to bring out the “twist or unexpected moment of realization that makes someone scream and one's heart race. In the film industry, there are various types of genre, but as different as films may seem, they all have one element that links them all together. That element is known as Mise-en-scene. Mise-en-scene is a French phrase that means “putting into the scene.” Mise-en-scene includes elements such as setting, lighting, costume, and figure movement and expression (acting).

Quentin Tarantino is well known and often criticized for his depiction of violence in his films. Although at times graphic, Tarantino’s violence holds a purpose. This paper will look at two films, Jackie Brown and Pulp Fiction, and their depiction of violence and the aesthetics used. It will also look at classic film conventions and ultraviolence aesthetics used by Tarantino.

Being or doing something violent is often one’s way of getting out of a situation or turning to as a last resort. In action movies, there is usually a main character trying to achieve their goal and they revert to violence to advance to it . Violence can be used to achieve what they need or to fulfill their emotions. The characters in All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erica Remarque, The Odyssey, by Homer, and Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, exemplify using violence as a last resort. In All Quiet in the Western Front, Paul Baumer is put in the detrimental position of becoming a soldier. He uses violence to try to achieve a piece of mind. Additionally in The Odyssey, Odysseus faces a cannibal monster, who makes Odysseus fear for his life

Indeed, some of our cinematic images of brutality, savagery, and gore are disturbingly psychotic and totally gratuitous in their usage; but are they representative of something other than shadow? Or is it just that this shadow is out of the managerial range of parents, teachers and clergy? Even if we consider the view of von Franz that: "Not all dark impulses lend themselves to redemption; [and we have to be careful not to] accept everything that comes up from the unconscious" (Interpretation

The portrayal of crimes in all various forms of media are mostly exaggerated and tend to overstay there welcome. When a crime gets reported on the news or any other media they tend to focus on violent crimes only. Most focus sole on crimes in poor neighborhoods and only on certain race and genders. When a crime is portrayed in movies or in video games it is usually unrealistic and tend to be blown out of proportion for the viewers to get them hooked. Once in a while there are good types of media that can correctly describe crimes. Boyz n the Hood is a story about a group of friends who have to struggle and cope to live in the hard streets of Crenshaw, located in Los Angeles. In the film their friend gets killed by a group of blood members and they seek revenge at the end of the film by killing the culprits cold-bloodedly with an AK-47. There are numerous theories described in the books and modules that can help explain why the characters in the film committed the murder and crimes depicted in the film.

Most young children despise horror movies and dread waking up in the middle of the night due to daunting nightmares controlling their sleep. But somewhere in transitioning from a child to a young adult, many begin to acquire a love for horror movies. In “Why We Crave Horror Movies”, Stephen King proposes the idea that watching such gruesome violence keeps our inner demons in check while providing a “psychic relief” (2). Kings’ claim that watching violence prevents violence is simply false; in reality, horror movies desensitize us to the effects of violence and normalize the many acts of violence we see in our world today.

The most striking moments of Heineman’s film shock the audience through their depictions of horrific violence and its effects.

The media has a way of influencing people of all ages. Specifically, violence and horror in the media are the most debated. Why do people go to watch violent movies or horror movies? They go for entertainment without realizing the physical or mental effects. Kathy Benjamin’s “5 Scientific Ways Watching Movies Effects You” and Bernie DeGroat’s “Scary Movies Can Have Lasting Effects on Children and Teens” both mention the negative effects of movies, especially horror movies, with research or studies. However, only one of the essays, “5 Scientific Ways Watching Movies Effects You,” mentions some positive effects. Statistics have shown that watching these type movies can have short and long term repercussions.

I chose to pick a genre, and I chose to do psychological thrillers. What are psychological thrillers? A psychological thriller is a subgenre of horror and thriller fiction that relies on characters' fears and emotional instability to build tension. However, this genre often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre in addition to they typical traits of the thriller genre. ALso. occasionally this genre will border into the, also wide-ranfing, horror genre. The elements of psychological horror focuses on the inside of the characters mind, their mental state. This includes emotions, personality, mental attitude of individuals, inhumane acts and conspiracies. The aim is to get you confused with