Box Office Revenue For Horror Movies

The role of the female throughout the horror genre has generally reflected the roles of women in society within the social context of the movie. In the early days of movie, women were no more than the weak and defenceless victim. They are ‘the object of the creature’s desire’ , a beautiful yet two-dimensional character who is there for no other reason than to become the victim. As feminism and the role of women in society has developed, so too has the role of the female in the horror genre. This is recognisable in both Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) and John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978).

This open letter is directed at the directors of Horror films. This letter will discus the over used gimmicks and the lack of creativity on their part. It will be written in a conversational way with the use of pathos of how these movies are faulty with a touch of humor, and rhetorical questions to emphasize certain points of my discussion of this topic. I will also use ethos through my time as a film fanatic who is passionate on all that is film especially horror film which is my favorite film genre, and is the largest genre with so many subgenres within it that have the ability to use so much imagination. I have crafted this conversation to be directed towards the directors of horror films with the use of film lingo that is used for this genre, movie examples they should look at, and a deep analysis of what and how this problem cause movie of today to lack in appeal.

2. Pirogi, Jeanine. (2013). Titled: The Rise & Fall of Blockbuster: The very Long & Rewinding Road" (The Street). N.p., 23 Sept. 2010. Wide-Web. 11-Dec.

Horror movies allow us the experience of intense emotional excitement from the unacceptable actions and their consequences in the films.

Unfortunately, we could all be mental cases just waiting to wake up. As Stephen King says it best “I think that we’re all mentally I’ll; those of us outside the asylums only hide it better” He makes a remarkable argument testing the metal state of every true horror movie fan. He points to craziness as if it were normal, as if without these movies people couldn’t unleash a sleeping demon that lies inside us all. He mentions how adolescents show signs of insanity with use of jokes, proving that without “horror movies” people would have no place to free emotions that are kept concealed. Our society makes young people hide their emotions by reinforcing good behavior and punishing those with bad behavior keeping them from having an outlet to vent their frustrations. He believes we go see others menaced- sometimes killed to satisfy an inner twisted psychic, to allow our pathos to escape us, without these films we could be at risk of becoming another “funny farm crazy” or “Jack the ripper “but to what degree is another matter.

One in four college students in a recent study said they experience lingering effects of a frightful movie or TV experience from childhood. (Bernie DeGroat) Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief the someone or something is dangerous causing pain, or threats. It is not appropriate for middle schoolers to read classic horror stories like “The Tell-Tale Heart”, because they can cause them anxiety and it can make them aggressive after watching scary movies.

The coveted low-budget horror movie script is the holy grail of Hollywood. These movies are cheap to make and come with a with a built-in fan base making these scripts some of the most sought after properties in the industry. Examine the profit margins for movies like Paranormal Activity, Halloween, or The Blair Witch Project and you’ll see I’m speaking the truth here. Paranormal Activity raked in over $193 million dollars in profit worldwide. But did you know it only cost a mere $15,000 to make? This type of net profit generally doesn’t happen in other genres.

Through data analyzation of the top 500 movies from 2007-2012, it was found that only 30.8% of

Horror movies throughout history have been known to have their cheesy storylines or continuous bad acting. Especially horror movies. People nowadays could easily spot the flaws in a film and judge them drastically in reviews. Yet, little do people notice the ongoing discrimination between genders. Horror films tend to portray males and females substantially differently because of stereotypical views. There seems to be a pattern in which each gender takes a certain role in a movie continuously. Females are shown to be “objects” such as sex and emotional symbols, while males are shown as strong or powerful and moreover as the main bad guy. Although some of the newer edition films of the horror genre are displaying each gender more and more equal throughout the ongoing years, the gender discrimination dilemma still exists and can be seen by the statistics in the movie industry in general.

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.

Although, the movies released started to attract younger generations, so the industry capitalized on this trend by releasing cheaper movies, of which some became critically acclaimed. By looking

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

4. The bargaining power of buyers: The outlook for the target market isn’t favorable for the movie industry because it will not be growing as fast as the overall population. Buyer power is a strong force because of the target market and several other factors including: the undifferentiated product offered, switching to an alternative is simple and low cost, and customers can stay home and watch movies. The consumers are also complaining about concession and ticket costs, along with the advertisements before the film is shown.

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.

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.