My and my community reaction to fictionalized horror is very high. Let me begin with my reaction. When I see some horror film, like vampire film. I couldn’t sleep at night and I couldn’t walk in the dark. I remember when I was in highschool I couldn’t go alone to the toilet room if it become dark and I cant take a shower alone. This is because I saw a movie that the vampire came through the shower tube while one girl was washing her body and they eat her. Even when I read some books about it, I cant sit in a room alone. As I mentioned in my discussion, I cant even passby the graveyard that I saw in some horror film that the dead people wake up like vampire. The thing that frighten me is that they will wake up and eat me. I know it is not true
Merriam Webster defines “horror” as “painful and intense fear, dread, or dismay.” A popular definition of horror film argues that horror is subjective-anything that evokes the emotion of horror in an individual is a horror film to that individual. (Horror Writers Association) This definition is far too dependent on the audience for its categorization. Although, the emotional argument being made in films is an essential factor when defining a genre, it cannot be the only device considered for defining the entirety of a genre. I contend that some films are objectively horrifying. Further, a definition of horror should not only incorporate a film’s emotional appeal. The definition must expand to include a film’s ethical and logical appeal. The definition of horror should be all-encompassing. It should articulate how a film argues in every medium, by every element, and from every angle. Additionally, a horror definition should not be limited to the subcategories that it has typically produced: the uncanny, the marvelous horror, and the fantastic horror. (Prohászková, 1-2) This allows no room for growth and expansion in the genre. This definition cannot be articulated without specific examples, and is, therefore, insufficient for our purposes. A narrative, objectively horrific in nature, which contains horrific elements, which delivers strong appeals emotionally, logically, and ethically, which features a “monster,” or source of evil, regardless of its sub-category, falls
Setting conventions play a huge part within the horror genre. Since horror first existed it has been set in ghostly abandoned castles with spooky dark dungeons, gloomy forests and spine-chilling secret passageways. Since these, settings in the horror genre has evolved into a more terrifying definition of scary. In horror movies today we mainly see old, haunted, broken down houses set in isolated forests exactly like the new house the family moves into in ‘The Conjuring’ or like in the horror movie ‘Halloween’, set in a neighbourhood during the night time. Horror has moved into these more sophisticated ideas of creepy and scary as the setting is more relatable to everyday life, and takes a toll on the audience's psychological mind set to start
It has always intrigued me how many people are very fond of horror movies. Heart racing, and terror acts, make the minds of many excited. I have always wanted to find out the cause to why many think like this, Stephen King, the leading role in the field of modern horror fiction, wrote an article “why we crave horror movies?” He may have answered many of the unknow questions we have all wondered. He analyzed with an optimistic artful kind of writing skills from a more psychological perspective. He points at the possible reasons why people to want to watch horror movies. Although many think he may over analyze people, he may be onto a psychosocial phenomenon.
American horror films have often played on our societal fears, and in Candyman (Bernard Rose, 1992), the film directly deals with race, reminding us that it is still very much a problem in society today, and that ‘our traumatic racial past still haunts us’ (Vern, 2015). The film ‘marks the introduction of an African-American monster to the horror mainstream’ (Donaldson, 2011) and it ‘succeeds in asking some very pointed questions about race and class’ (Elizabeth, 1992). Ultimately this is done by investigating ‘the obscure fears we harbour about the unknown’ – or the racial ‘other’ (Blackwell, 2015). Andrew Tudor says that ‘typically, a horror movie will exploit the tensions implicit in a particular contrast, confronting known with the
It is a mind boggling phenomenon that a lot of people are fond of horror movies. To determine the inherent mechanism, Stephen King, the leading role in the field of modern horror fiction, indited this article "Why we crave horror movies?" He analyzes with artful inditing skills from psychological perspective the possible reasons driving people to optically canvass horror movies. In this article, Stephen King provides several explications to why people like horror movies. The simple and conspicuous reasons include that people want to show that they are valiant or they assure themselves that they are absolutely dull compared with the deviant ones in horror movies. A more paramount and implicit reason, according to King, is that people go to have fun because
At a young age I was entranced to the horror genre the moment I set eyes upon my brother’s closet, it was fully loaded with works from R. L. Stine, the icon of children’s horror fiction. R.L. Stine couldn’t be more welcoming than starting his series with Welcome to the Dead House as his first book. In contrast to R.L. Stine’s innocent scares Child’s Play turns the table completely, turning into one of my childhood nightmares growing up, it relapse my interest in horror. A doll coming to life and repudiating human kind with a kitchen knife doesn’t sound peachy. However, that’s what horror is, a raw sensation that strikes fear caused by the unknown, in which in this case is the revival of a human-like object. Horror’s explicit connotation according to the dictionary is an overwhelming and painful feeing caused by something frightfully shocking; a shuddering fear. Therefore, what makes horror appeal to the great masses? McCauley (1998) in his research, states that the fictional nature of horror films affordviewers a sense of control by placing psychological distance between them and the violent acts they have witnessed. In other words Horror films main appeal to the masses is the unrealism of the situation and the knowledge of its fictitious nature which evokes a fascination factor from the viewer. Horror stimulates the amygdala, a part of the brain that secretes
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.
Do you ever wonder why you or other people take delight in watching horror movies? What makes them so interesting? Why does the general society enjoy entertaining themselves with the horror genre? Well, Stephen King might have the answer to that. Mr. King strongly agrees with the idea that we might all have a little craving for watching such morbid scenes or reading about them, and creating our own gruesome scenario. Stephen King believes that humans crave horror for the purpose of facing our fears, to reestablish our feelings of normality, and to have an unusual type of ‘fun’, and he’s right.
It has come into question as to why as a culture we gravitate towards such a taboo genre where things such as torture, supernatural beings, and psychic phenomenon abound? Stephen King (2014) poses that since horror is so violent and insane, that it appeals to the worst in us all, bringing out or inner insanity. However, others have posited that there are functional reasons as to why we love horror such as fears and scary stories having evolutionary qualities, releasing emotions through catharsis and even providing a fictional space to master stressors in
From bloody massacres to demonic possessions, the genre of horror has come a long way, todays horror movies have a variety of things in common with horror movies from the early 1900s. Although horror movies have been around for decades, they’ve changed through out the years. From extreme gore and gushing blood to edge full suspenseful horror; horror movies have different and unique styles.
A vampire was peeping through my window. How many of us can believe we saw something unnatural during our lifetime? The love for horror is something most of us crave. Stephen King wanted to capture his audience with the understanding of horror movies, he is basically telling his readers why people are so intrigued by watching horror movies. He states that maybe we are all mentally ill; despite turning away when we face or see horror we still become intrigued. For example, people going to watch a horror movie at a theater.
Do you enjoy watching murder, the paranormal, and any other morbid scene which makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up, your palms sweat, and your adrenaline surge? Why people enjoy watching murder, tragedy, and carnage in their spare time has been a mysterious phenomenon. If these gruesomely horrific scenes would not be enjoyable in real life, why is watching a recreation of it so riveting? Stephen King, a world-renowned horror novelist, wrote “Why We Crave Horror Movies” to give insight as to why horror movies, although gruesome and morbid, captivate audiences. King also aims to persuade readers to continue to watch horror movies, arguing that they are a crucial part of keeping sanity. King delves into this psychological aspect of humans and believes that the desire to watch horror films is a normal tendency of humankind. “Why We Crave Horror Movies” includes appeals to emotion, logic, and author credibility in order to convince readers of the positive, normal desire to watch horror films, why it is important to watch them, and why the reader should believe what the author is saying. King utilizes the rhetorical devices—pathos, logos, and ethos—in an effective way through the use of metaphor, logic, humor, and emotion to persuade readers that watching horror films is normal.
From people gathered around a campfire telling scary stories to people gathered in a crowded theater people love to be frightened. Scary stories were told to teach a lesson or warn someone about something. Horror movies specifically slasher movies do more than just entertain us in their way, they also warn us to be aware of what we’re doing or our surroundings. In most slasher films, there are certain scenarios that have been repeated and copied from the beginning of the genre. Because of the numerous imitations by other films in the past and the present the themes put forth in ground breaking slasher movies are continually reinventing the genre and have added significantly to horror movie history.
Horror movies. The type of genre that gives a thrill of adrenaline, yet also gives nightmares late at night. Everyone has watched a horror movie at least once in their lives. And during the movie there is also a time in which the viewer just wants to punch the TV screen and call it quits. Whether it is because their favorite character just did something dumb, or because the ending was horrible, there is always a moment in which one thinks: I would have chosen a better option. I could have survived. In literature, it is often the same thing. Believe it or not, fear is a huge contributor to how the story goes; how it ends, and who dies. Fear either motivates the character to take action or, defeats them. But fear doesn’t act alone. Fear influences people, but what influences the fear? The answer is quite simple, no matter how shocking it can be. Just as love brings happiness, it also brings forth the poison of fear. Whether it is the fear of losing the person they love, or fear that they are no longer loved, both of them are huge contributors on how a character’s actions or decisions are influenced.
Horror films have been one the most popular films in society especially during Halloween time. These films make us get excited, scared, and lets the adrenaline rush through our body. Scary movies are used and are seen as entertainment, but what do horror films say about us? According to “The Devil In Disguise: Modern Monster and Their Metaphor” Emma Louise Backe states “Monsters have for centuries been manifestations of society’s fears and anxieties”. (Backe) Monsters change throughout time depending on the new generations. Monsters like the demon have evolved and critique our new generation. Today’s horror films represent the milleninals many fear and anxieties in which critique our generation inner demon or evil around us.