Horror Movies: Gateway to Our Dark Side

In the world there will always be people we label as ‘bad’. We are taught from a very young age to avoid certain behaviors, which could inevitably turn us into this type of corrupt and immoral person. Instead, we are taught to behave outstandingly, and follow an unspoken social code of morality. There is a universal theme that the good will always overcome the bad; “The good guys always win.” Even on television, in children’s cartoons, this idea is reinforced. It is ingrained in our brain’s that becoming an upstanding citizen is a righteous path for success. But as people get older they tend to develop their own code of morality and do what they think is good for the world. Take Joseph Stalin, for example; though twisted in his beliefs,

Every day people are often seen committing good, kind, and helpful acts while others are found committing acts of evil. One doesn't think, though, of the possibility that those who often do good would rash out in evil acts for no apparent reason at all. It is human nature to simply go along in every day life, knowing right from wrong, knowing the results and consequences of certain acts, and assuming anyone with a different idea is insane. In The Child by Tiger by Thomas Wolfe, a lesson about man's darker side is taught through explorations of imagery, death, and human behavior. By means of these explorations, the reader can then see how humans are capable of losing touch with reality, taking light of killing, and releasing the evil

It is a very arguable subject on whether or not people are born with good intentions, and therefore taught by others the ‘evil’ side of their personality. Whether it is the absence of ethical conduct in human nature, or just the way one perceives a situation, evil seems to be prominent in our everyday lives. Humans seem to have a moral code that follows them with every decision they make, yet despite the laws of morality and society, people of this world still seem to behave inhumanely because of the act of self-preservation, human interest, and who exactly the authority figure is at the time.

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.

There are various reasons due to which people prefer to get this challenging entertainment. Among them the major reason given by the author and that was logically supported by him was their urge to express of pacifying their certain innate yet less appreciated emotions such as fear, aggression, pessimism and anarchy. As these anti-civilized emotions are against the status quo of the society and not get proper expression therefore people like to watch the horror movies. Besides this these horror movies, also bring some sort of recreation to the audiences, whether it includes enjoying the horrifying characters of the movie or seeing their pals manic and distressed. The author had used an ethical approach to differentiate between the movies getting higher ratings compared to others as the former group is more synchronous with the human natural emotions compared to the latter, which includes simple fairy tales of black and

One report by Bernie DeGroat says that watching horror movies can cause effects such as “inability to sleep through the night after exposure” to the graphic movie (DeGroat, par 3). After seeing the movie Jaws, one person said that the thing that scared him the most wasn’t the shark “or actual deaths that was frightening, but the blood” (DeGroat, par 9). According to the Greek philosopher Aristotle, people that watch horror movies are more prone to releasing their negative emotions, also called catharsis. Although, studies have shown that Aristotle is completely wrong, horror movies actually make people more aggressive than they were before watching the movie. Therefore, why would everyone crave horror movies when really they make us more

It is dangerously naive to believe that some people are innately ‘good’ while others are innately ‘evil’ or ‘bad’. In today’s society, ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are relative - one person’s ‘good’ is another’s ‘evil’. These qualities are also flexible. For example, people who chose to behave in a cruel manor can display ‘good’ qualities such as kindness or empathy. Moreover, a supposedly ‘good’ individual can act out due to anger or annoyance.

One thing I have noticed while watching movies, especially while doing the critical viewing, is that we as a society have deemed murder to be ok…. if it’s for the right reason. If a character in a movie has a valid reason i.e. to revenge a loved one, to escape capture, etc... Then we, for lack of better words, encourage murder. We root for the person, even if what they are doing is 100% against the law, we throw that thought to the side and forget about it. In this paper I’m going to give specific examples of times that we deem murder to be ok, as well as give reasons of why we think that we accept it.

The majority people can identify with an encounter with evil practices, whether seeing a malicious exercise on television, or a first-hand experience with an evil catastrophe. Malicious activity occurs all over the world, and it is important to know where it comes from, so people have a better understanding of evil persons and how they should be treated. Evil is inborn. Although some people believe that a person performs nefarious actions because of their experiences, humans often act without restriction and are drawn to malicious activities and behaviors. In addition, humans will blindly follow authority; this is a cycle that is situational and has been found throughout history. Finally, there is genetic evidence that confirms that humans

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

Horror Movies: An Outlet for Insanity We are all insane. Thus, man is evil. Stephen King declares this belief in his essay “Why We Crave Horror Movies”, adding his opinion to the extensive debate on the nature of humankind. Those who believe man is evil are also unable to deny their own corruption.

Newsstands proclaim it. Talk shows trumpet it. Scandal, murder, and deception! People share a common disdain for these evils, scorning those who commit the dirty deeds. Laws are upheld to prevent people from doing “bad” things, but how do people come to an agreement on what is truly wrong? Even as society moves away from traditional teachings and perspectives, many acts are still universally looked down upon. Throughout history, the majority of civilizations have held surprisingly similar moral ideals regarding acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Although moral relativists believe that morality is individually determined, there is, in fact, an objective moral standard that governs all humanity, because a sense of right and wrong is universal, transcends time and culture, and is evident in the majority of people.

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.

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."

A sixteen-year-old boy sits on the couch and watches a horror movie. Suddenly, a scene where a man stabs a woman emerges on the television screen. The boy is not distressed by this scene because he is used to witnessing a great deal of violence before. He just learned a new idea and increased his criminal expertise. As a result, horror movies inspire copycat crimes. Copycat crimes are defined as those that are “inspired, motivated or modeled after acts that have occurred before in the media” (“Understanding”). The crimes themselves either mirror the inspiring acts or are simply based upon them. Violence and criminal behavior shown in horror movies affect people psychologically and physically. Watching violence in the media desensitizes people to the world around them and enables them to become more familiar with violence and crime. One may conclude that horror movies do not affect them because they watch horror for fun, however, people are unconsciously affected by watching horror movies. Although most people believe horror movies do not impact them, horror movies inspire people to commit copycat crimes in real life because the violence portrayed in the media psychologically damages people and makes them more aware of violence.