Horror Movies : A Lasting Impact

My grandma once told me, “If you stay up too late at night, the boogeyman will get you”. I never believed her but I knew I wouldn’t want to see the Boogeyman if he actually existed. Most people would actually want to watch these horrible beings. In this case, they would want to view a horror movie such as “Friday the 13” or “Nightmare on Elm Street”. It is part of our Human Condition to be attracted to the films and asking for more. Stephen King’s claims in “Why we crave horror” asserts us that humans crave horror to face our fears, to re-establish our feelings of normalcy, and to experience a peculiar sort of fun.

In the essay, “Why We Crave Horror Movies,” King explores his insight into why people enjoy and are fascinated watching horror movies. First, King points out “to show that we can, that we are not afraid, that we can ride this roller coaster”. He’s suggesting that horror movies are like roller coaster in that we search for the pleasurable, daring, lighter side of feeling fear and the thrill of trying to overcome it. King further states, horror movies “takes away the shades of grey,” giving the audience permission to return to children again, “seeing things in pure blacks and whites.” King goes on to explain that we go to “re-establish our feelings of normality”; providing psychological relief for the audience, allowing them to “lapse into simplicity, irrationality, and even outright madness." In my opinion, King’s reason for viewing horror films for psychological reasons is the most unsettling. He argues that horror movies gives the audience permission to return to childhood, viewing their emotions in a simple and madness way. I’m not sure everyone has the ability to differentiate these feelings. If we take a moment to observe the actual audience, we would discover that it’s mostly teens and young adults who have difficulty coping with their emotions and very impressionable.

Horror can be defined as a genre meant to psychologically trigger individual fear with the presence of certain supernatural or abstract characteristics. The genre is dependent on people’s fascination with unrealism and the sensation that comes from experiencing fear personified into tangible elements on a screen. Horror films have thrilled audiences for decades, revealing stories of the more sinister parts of life. The popular allure that stems from the genre comes from the tension moviegoers experience when aroused by specific stimuli uniquely present in these cinematic features (Walters). Over time, as the genre progressed, the standardized elements found in a typical horror movie began to shift in different directions primarily due to changing societal circumstances and increasing consumer demand for cinematic innovation. The expansive nature of the different codes and conventions within the horror genre, coupled with the evolution of society’s fascination with these characteristics, has led to the mutation of the genre itself in order to allow for unique approaches to a familiar style in response to both economic developments and taste shifts within the consumer industry.

“The mythic horror movie, like the sick joke, has a dirty job to do. It deliberately appeals to al that is worst in us” (King 398). Stephen King illustrates that scary movies are there for the sole purpose of people releasing the inner demons, and in a safe way finding an adrenaline rush. Without these horror movies many people would have a difficult time finding new ways to release stress and to escape the realities of the world surrounding them.

In the informative essay “Why We Crave Horror Movies”, written by Stephen King, the author believes we are all mentally ill. King goes on throughout the essay employing that people watch horror movies because it reestablishes their normality, and represents the bad in the people watching. King trust the fact that horror films not only appeal to the people watching but also to exhibit to themselves that they are not afraid. Additionally, King articulates that horror films makes people feel like children again. He believes that it gives people old imaginations that composes them to forget about current responsibilities.

I can appreciate the mystery and shock that I get when watching a horror film. Steven King goes on to say that I watch because I want to show I’m not afraid. He goes on to say that it’s like a roller coaster. A good horror movie would get a good scream out of me like a roller coaster. I agree with him on this analogy. Also, that horror films are made to get a reaction out of me. It’s true depending on how scary the film is I might hide my face or leave the room and come back when it’s over. “We go to have fun” he goes on to say it’s a certain kind of fun.

She argues that although audiences crave the feeling of being afraid, they crave being safe while watching scary movies. It means that they know that they can safely be scared while the event is not actually real. An article cites multiple studies to prove her point as to why people crave and enjoy horror films while others do not. She hypothesize that this need for excitement accounts for why this genre is popular among teenagers and younger generations, since the desire for watching horror movies predicted to be decreased with

For century human are fascinated with the concept of death and the creepy crawlers that wonder through the night. As years progress the art of scary storytelling has stayed the same but, in modern day, film producers makes it more enjoyable for all people. The concept of horror movies and scary thing intrigues people for some reason, making it strange that people can actually enjoy these type of things. In 1981 Stephen King wrote an article called Why we crave horror movies. He described the people who enjoy horror movie are the mentally insane, the deep dark void in the back of your head secretly wants to come out.

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

The Basic Steps to Not Surviving a Horror Film The horror genre is a very popular genre that is increasing in popularity every decade. One fault that annoys most viewers is the fact that most people in horror films do stupid things that get them killed. In order to be one of these people, one first needs to know how not to outrun killers outdoors.

Horror is designed to scare, cause alarm and dread, while also entertaining the audience at the same time in a cathartic experience (Dirk, 2016). Horror films are meant for a specific type of audience that enjoy scary films. Dirks (Tim, 2016) approach to genre horror, is that films went back as 100 years ago, from the earliest days our vivid imagination in seeing ghosts in the shadows to be connected emotionally of the unknown, and fear things that are improbable. You watch a horror film, it makes you aware of the scary surroundings, the essence of fear itself, without actually being in any sorts of danger. Dirks argues that there is a fun and thrill factor in being frightened, or watching something disturbing. It gives you that feeling of an adrenaline rush, as well as having that feeling someone is actually next to you lurking in the dark (Dirk, 2016).

A Peculiar Sort of Fun When I was younger I remember being told the most terrifying story and it repeating in my head over and over again, why would people purporposly watch things to feel this type of fear? Stephen King constantly reminds readers why people crave horror so badly, which is to challenge their fears, feel more normal compared to others, and to of course experience fun and excitement fear creates the Human Condition to crave horror. We crave horror to show that we can; to experience an adrenaline rush. Stephen King compares roller coasters to movies because on both it keeps us guessing the next move and makes us scream in different parts.

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.

The effects of a movie or a TV show stay in our minds long after they have ended. Movies do expand our intelligence and emotions, and make us feel sensations that are not usually experienced in our day to day lives. They also help us understand life and remind us what humans are capable of doing, both in the terms of good actions and evil deeds. But the necessity of fright and intense emotions seems to be the sequels of an addiction to passionate emotional responses. Anger, fear, hate, anxiety, and thrill: they are all emotions and feelings that are brought forward by violent media. This addiction recalls our own fears about the unknown, about our doubts and questions about life and death. Horror films help us understand death and our personal relationship with it, and sometimes they bring us closer to come to terms with it. By watching horror movies and shows, the individual experiments with the certainty of death in a form that is not far from grotesque and unhealthy, while still opening his mind and soul to a reality that awaits all of us. And maybe when the time comes and we need to face it, we will understand that those movies we saw or those books we read, filled with fear and horror, are not as bad as we really

Ever since the advent of celluloid films, horror movies have always held a fascination for viewers. Just why do people pay good money to be scared out of their wits? Apart from its entertainment value, the horror movie satisfies certain primordial needs in man. Through the horror movies, one is able to come to grips with one's personal demons, fear of death and other irrational phobias and in the process achieve a catharsis. Far from being morbid, such movies actually affirm life for the movie-goer, for he is able to emerge from the dark into the light, both literally and figuratively, having explored the world beyond our normal perception as well as the deep recesses of the human soul and say, "It's good to be alive."