Commentary on Stephen King´s Essay About Why People Watch Horror Films

Picture a nine or ten year old, roving the backwoods of Ohio with his friends. One of them had just finished telling a story about how some kids had went missing-- presumed dead, in that very spot. Suddenly, an echo resounds, the sound of snapping branches, heralding the approach of a masked killer. Hearts pounding like a church choir, all of the boys spirit away as fast as they can, shaken to the very core, as their older friend emerges from the brush “Huh, I wonder what that was about”. As is evident in the name, the horror genre, to its credit, is full of stories about children being threatened or harmed in someway, because what’s more horrific than the future being stricken in some way? Just look at the work of

Many authors tend to state their opinion very briefly in their work. This makes it vulnerable for others to agree or disagree on the opinion with facts. Common fallacies also known as logical fallacies and argumentation styles are the most critical ways an author can be debated on leading to ongoing arguments. Logical fallacies are faults in reasoning that weaken our arguments and argumentation styles are types of arguments that modify the text to create a structured essay. Logical fallacies and argumentation styles can either create a more developed essay or can make it vulnerable. This can be avoided with much revision and editing but there will always be someone to judge someone else’s work for any purpose if found. Like many novels that

Stephen King never clearly states the thesis of this essay however there is enough information provided that we can infer one. We need to keep our inner lyncher at bay by feeding ourselves with small portions of demonic, bloody, violence, found in horror movies. King writes “It deliberately appeals to all the worst in us. It is morbidity unchained, our most base instincts let free, our nastiest fantasies realized...” (Why We Crave Horror Movies, paragraph 12) and by doing so he’s implying that horror movies are like a temporary fix for our violent craves.

sample, but it also appeals to population and emotion. To further explain why we crave

Stephen King wrote a very brief essay titled "Why we Crave Horror Movies", in which he explained some of the reasons that people choose to go to horror movies to be entertained. In his essay, King goes on to explain that we as a people need horror movies as a sort of release; to feed the darker elements within all of us without having to sacrifice our humanity (also, civility). King does this by comparing people based on their levels of sanity whereas some societal "eccentricities" are completely acceptable, while some will get you thrown right into the loony bin. It’s summed up pretty well in this quote:

Which is the next thing that Steven King says horror films does for us. As he says, "When we pay our four or five bucks and seat ourselves at tenth-row center in a theatre showing a horror movie we are daring the nightmare."(443).As to say that we are challenging are fear, to say yah I beat it I beat the monster. When I watch a horror film I feel unprotected, isolated, and

Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone was mentally ill? If the only way for people to feel normal was to watch a horrific, bloody movie? In Stephen King’s essay “Why We Crave Horror Movies”, King states that “we’re all mentally ill...those outside the asylum only hide it a little better”(King 1). I completely disagree, if we were all mentally ill, murder would be legal, and killing people would be a daily ritual. Also if we are supposedly “mentally ill” that means that even cute, pure babies are mentally ill also, and that they also crave a good horror movie. This suggests that there is not one person on this planet that doesn’t crave watching the blood and gore of horror movies. King’s statements are clearly false because we all know at least one person that is still afraid of the dark, let alone Jack the Ripper who cuts people’s bodies to shreds. So, if people openly reject the nightmare forced horror movies, that means we all don’t “crave” them.

A new horror film just got released into theaters, are you going to go pay to see it? Most definitely. Horror films draw us in because we are all mentally ill, as Stephen King says. In King’s article “Why we crave horror films” he argues humans are insane, and why it is necessary for them to watch horror films. To defend King’s argument, it is clear to see that humans “need” to “purge” primal urges. People watch these films because they love being scared, feed their mental cravings, and watch for their own entertainment. Everyone has that so-called “insane” side to them, wether they like the films or not.

Watching frightening films such as “It,” Stephen King’s masterpiece, which is engrossing its monumental audience, is a favorite pastime of many young people. This industry is vast and creates a large amount of wealth for many of the people behind it. However, parents should diligently research these films’ psychological effects on minors before allowing their children to engage in this form of entertainment. After all, “‘Given that very young children may not yet know what types of stimuli frighten them most, nor do they enjoy the power to choose which media the family will view, they are in special need of protection from exposure to such scary stimuli before coping strategies are necessary’” (“Scary”). This shows that parents must carefully consider the content they allow their children to see. People watch horror movies for myriad reasons, as shown in Stephen King’s essay “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” and watching these films have both positive and negative effects that parents should be aware of, which are displayed in Stephen King’s essay “Why We Crave Horror Movies” and in the USA Today article “Scary Movies and TV Programs Have Long-Lasting Effects.”

We are all mentally ill and share the insanity of man. Should we force all people to “face their fears” by watching horror? I would say that the answer is most likely not. Not all of us necessarily watch and need horror

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.

In Stephen King's "Why we Crave Horror", the famous novelist argues for a rather depressing explanation of society's fixation with horror movies. He insinuates today's generation's obsession over gory and demonic storylines is a result of our internal need for violence that must be satisfied. Such claims may shock readers at first, however, King's use of diction, imagery and tone leave us no choice but to agree with his analysis of human behaviour. He uses these rhetorical tools to prove to the naive reader that we truly are "mentally ill".

In fact, many details from “ Why We Crave” are relatable. To further add, King makes a very good point when he states, “It may be that horror movies provide psychic relief.. (King, “Why We Crave” 2). King makes this statement because he knows that people need a source to release certain feelings and he knows horror movies is a source. However, King may state that all humans are insane and that horror movies “provide psychic relief” , many humans, on the other hand aren’t insane nor need to be provided with psychic relief.

In the essay, “Why We Crave Horror Movies” by Stephen King, the author talks about the benefits of the horror movies on human beings. He argues that we all behave like mad people by performing weird things like talking to ourselves, showing disgusting faces and having odd fears. Comparing the horror movies with roller coasters, he states that young people are more fascinated by these adventures to prove the point that they can do this and are not afraid of taking challenges. He argues that we get fun by watching people getting hurt and suffering from menacing pain in the movies. Despite having insane thoughts in their mind which they want to execute in reality people are expected to show emotions that are accepted by the society. Horror movies gives psychic relief to these insane

A girl runs frantically through the woods trying to escape an axe wielding villain. The defenseless victim suddenly trips and collapses to the ground. The villain laughs wickedly as he lifts the axe above his head. The girl releases a final scream as the weapon quickly ends her life, causing the audience to go silent as they watch the villain drag away the lifeless body. Death, blood, guts, suspense, screaming, and terror are all just a few things to expect when watching a modern day horror film. What is horror? Horror can be defined as an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust. (Wilson) The description of horror is not very pleasant, but for some reason horror films are extremely popular. Why is this so? People are addicted to the