The Pros And Cons Of Horror Genre

When you think of fear, what do you think of? Have you ever been absolutely terrified by something that you become petrified. Your brain is programed to protect you from all threats to your body this protection is known as fear. When we touched a hot pan along with burning ourselves now we will not do that repeatedly for fear of being burned. Mr. King states, three claims that we go to horror movies to have fun  also we go to feel normal then at last, we go to face our fears but is that genuinely true?

The allure of fear is interesting for some people for several reasons. These people have another perspective of how they react when they see something scary or read it. They don’t react the same way as other people that don’t like scary things. Other people like to be scared. Some people motivate others by saying to them they are not so scary and everything that is happening there is not real, since they use fiction elements, like characters, details and scenarios. These scary elements have real details but also have scenarios that are not real, this means it is magical realism. This thought of liking scary things is a physiological problem. Scientist make an article showing proof that there is a big pole of people that like scary scenarios.

As you grow older your views on what you fear change. As a child, I developed a fear of little things such as ghosts, the dark, etc. Once I grow into an adult I developed a of things observed on a daily. Americans between the age group of children and adolescents introduce themselves to bigger fears by watching movies that replayed on the already experienced fears. For example: Freddy Krueger, Jason, Vampires, Werewolves, etc. Many people in society watch these horror movies, and movie goers assume that directors based the movies on serial killers, who become glorified for the crimes committed and made into huge stars that we love. In the film Halloween, a little boy name Michael Myers kills his sister at the age of six. Twenty years later, Michael return 's to his home town Haddonfield, Illinois to kill a group of teenagers that appear around his deceased sister age. Halloween identifies as one of those gruesome films that you question, because he was a six year old when he first killed. To society Michael exemplifies monster qualities because at that age, how can someone so young stab his sister or anyone to death. Michael Myers poses as a Monster in America, he demonstrates traits of the devil in him and express his hate by killing his family, by existing in a dysfunctional family.

Fear is an element used by authors, screenwriters, playwrights, and artists for many centuries, but it is also something that has eluded explanation. It has long been known that fear affects the brain, and creators use this to make their works memorable, like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Fearful situations are sought after because people like the way their brain reacts.

In human nature there exists a morbid desire to explore the darker realms of life. As sensitive beings we make every effort to deny our curiosity in the things that frighten us, and will calmly reassure our children that there aren't any creatures under their beds each night, but deep down we secretly thrive on that cool rush of fear. Despite our efforts to maintain a balance of respectable emotions, we are a society of people who slow down to look at traffic accidents and find excitement in the macabre. We turn off the lights when watching scary movies, and when it's time to go to bed, we secretly make sure the closet doors are shut. Fear keeps our hearts pumping and endorphins rushing, for it is an emotion that reminds us of our

Have you ever wondered why you enjoy being scared? In Allegra Ringo’s interview, “Why do some brains enjoy fear?”, with Dr. Kerr, a scare specialist, he states that many enjoy being scared because the brain triggers “a flood” of adrenaline, dopamine, and endorphins. To enjoy the feeling of being terrified, our brains have to process that we are in a safe space. Scary movies, stories, roller coasters, and haunted houses all create a breathtaking response to fear. These experiences we have with fear are said to create self-confidence, relieve stress, and even bring us together. Americans spend over 7.5 billion dollars on Halloween activities and costumes. Dr. Kerr states in the interview, that people love Halloween so much because it constructs a strong emotional response and build stronger memories. Dr. Kerr also says that when we are happy, or afraid we release hormones that help those moments “stick” in our brain. We all love a good scare! “The Raven”, by Edgar Allen Poe, and “Beware: do not read this poem”, by Ishmael Reed both analyze the allure of fear through symbolism and descriptive imagery, which is a part of gothic literature. Both Poe and Reed signifies their themes differently but both themes allude to the fascination of fear.

One way authors plant fear in your brain is by transforming something we already know and love into something frightening. One example of this is in the short story “Windigo” by Louise Erdrich. Over the course of the story, the windigo takes an innocent little kid and turns them into a monster. The author introduces an inculpable child, even calling them “little one”. She then takes the kid and transforms them into a monster, a windigo. Following that, she even goes so far as to bring the child home. Home. As a monster. To haunt her own village. It says, “...I carried you home,” and that is when the fear she planted at the beginning really starts to take root. This transformation is a great illustration of an author transforming something you know and love, in

him or her involved in the film - how often have you been watching a

People nowadays love being scared in any way, shape or form. Wether it would be ranged from going to an amusement park to a haunted house. In the article King states, “When we pay our four or five bucks and seat ourselves at tenth-row center in a theater showing a horror movie, we are daring the nightmare. To show that we can, that we are not afraid, that we can ride this roller coaster”. In the article King compares horror films to roller coasters, to show that they are similar. They both have their element of surprise, you never know what is coming till it happens. Everyone loves the adrenaline rush they get when they get scared. It leaves them wanting more of what they are getting. Today the most popular type of films are horror, there is always that hype over the new horror film that will be coming out. No matter what the circumstances are, these things are done to

King argues the genre has an important role because while watching a horror movie people show their true emotions. King uses the words “daring the nightmare” to explain the experiences people put themselves through when they pay to be frightened (King 1). The truth is most of them go to see the most brutal way’s producers can come up with to harm someone. As the king of horror himself puts it, “It urges us to put away our more civilized and adult penchant for analysis and to become children again… We are told we may allow our emotions a free rein… or no rein at all” (King 2). It’s fun to let loose and feel crazy sometimes, feel no one is watching. Still, people are watching, so what keeps them from putting everyone into an asylum?

Children have many fears which should be acknowledged by adults. Fears are often the underlying cause of aggressive behavior, withdrawn behavior, and physical symptoms. Oaklander reads a book about fear to children then encourages them to tell a story about fear. Picture cards and drawing fears with lines, shapes, symbols, or colors also help children share their fears. Just like adults, children have stressful situations and traumatic experiences.

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Michael Fanselow, a behavioral neuroscientist at UCLA, says that horror movies, despite being unrealistic, teach us to have proper responses to actual threats, especially when we’re young. "The brain changes physically when we learn, and young adulthood is when the parts of our brain that provoke and control our fears need experiences in order to learn and come into balance," Fanselow says.

What is fear? Fear is the instinct used to survive dangerous events. Mankind adopted three sources of fear: sources of poison, germs and diseases and physical threats. The amygdala is a gland in the brain that detects the human fear response. When the amygdala senses danger, it sends a signal to the brain which makes a person more alert and on edge.This helps prepare one to protect themselves from their surroundings. This is what scientists refer to as the “Fight or Flight” mechanism, which means either fight or run away. This is what was used as a survival strategy for early mankind. In gothic novels there are elements that are used to scare readers and turn on our fear response. In Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, there are many Gothic

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 good thing about films is that we not only have the opportunity to choose from a wide selection of different genres, but also compare them and understand their purpose in the world. The Horror genre has used the basic principles throughout time, and as a result, films of this type have not proven to be as timeless as another genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy. At first, these two genres might at times seem similar as they have at several occasions been blended together, but their basic, common theme serves different meanings about humans. I shall compare and contrast these two genres and focus on both classic films and modern films. From the Horror genre perspective I shall discuss Psycho (1960) and The Mist (2007), while in the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre I will examine 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), and Serenity (2005). Although the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre and the Horror Genre share some similarities, the differences lie in their focus on human progress.