Hungry for Horror: Based on the Works of Stephen King What aspect of horror makes it such a popular genre of story and film? Are the large viewing crowds attracted to mysterious plots or maybe the bloody special effects? Or is there an ultimately deeper reason for the intrigue? In Stephen King’s article, “Why We Crave Horror Movies” he accurately asserts that it is the fear-facing elements, the establishment of normality or safety, and the peculiarly evil sense of satisfaction that is derived from horror that humans crave.…
The human desire for horror helps us face our fears. Throughout life we all have fears and at one point must face them to gain victory over the fears. For instance, by proceeding to watch a horror film, or reading horror, or even just standing in front…
In “Why we crave horror movies”, Stephen King gives several points on why it is people like watching horror movies. In the first part of the essay he says, “I think that we all are mentally ill; those of us outside of the asylums only hide it better – and maybe not all that much better after all.” (378) In this statement, King is simply explaining that in everyone there is a little crazy. Some of us can maintain a clearer head then others. When people go and pay money to see horror movies, it gives them a thrill or an adrenaline rush.…
The theme of haunting is commonly associated with Gothic literature, which originated in the mid-eighteenth century and spanned most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Horace Walpole’s ‘The Castle of Otranto’ encompasses both romanticism and haunting themes. Edmund Burke suggests that pleasure is gained from being exposed to the Sublime. When fear is close enough to sense, but still removed from reality the emotion derived from this pain releases pleasure. Morrison incorporates a much more complex take on the haunting as her novel conveys a deeper message to the audience.…
I believe that people crave horror in order to find an easy way to get rid of things that we've been told that aren't actually real. For example, in “Why We Crave Horror” Stephen King states that we crave horror “to show that we can; that we are not afraid, that we can ride this roller coaster”(King “Why We Crave” 2). This example goes into detail that roller coasters could be more scary than the fear that you're carrying with you everyday.…
For this assignment, we read and discussed four different stories including Stephen King’s, Why We Crave Horror Movies; Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan’s, Why Vampires Never Die; Jorge Luis Borges’, The Origins of Half-Human, Half-Animal Creatures; and Frank Miller’s, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. While reviewing these stories it was apparent that there could be connections made between Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and the other three stories we read previously. It appears that Batman’s two personalities can possibly relate to a few key points in the other stories such as the horror aspect of the Batman comic, the rebirth of the Batman Legend, and many other connections. It was interesting to see how horror movies, vampires, and creatures…
Horror is quite the popular genre. But why? Stephen King answers this question in his essay, “Why we Crave Horror.” He claims that we go to show that we aren't afraid, to re-establish normality, and to have fun. He argues that it acts as a catharsis for anticivilization emotions that are still present in the human condition.…
Friedrich Murnau's “Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens“, translated into English as “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror” is one of the most important films in not only the horror genre itself, but cinematic history in its entirety. The film follows the story of a young married man, Thomas Hutter, and his journey to meet a client by the name of Count Orlok who may be interested in purchasing real-estate in his city. Upon arriving at his decrepit castle high in the Carpathian Mountains he becomes aware that Count Orlok may be a far more sinister character than he was lead to believe. He sleeps during the day, looms ominously about, and seems to have a strange obsession with a portrait of his wife; particularly her neck. An incident where Hutter cuts his thumb on a bread knife for example causes Orlok to grab his thumb in thirst, which leaves Hutter reeling in horror and he starts to question whether Nosferatu is indeed a member of the undead who feeds off the blood of the living.…
“By studying culture as something created and lived through objects, we can better understand both social structures and larger systemic dimensions such as human action, emotion and meaning,” (Woodward, 4). The truth of the American horror film. To better understand western culture and the connection between the object and the human. This connection is linked between western ideologies. These films draw on western cultures deepest fears and vulnerabilities.…
To conclude, King revives the idea that people watch horror movies to dare the nightmare, to show we are not afraid. He also believes that all people go to watch horror movies for fun but that may not be the case. Many people watch to relieve stress and other…
Greg Ruth wrote an essay about how horror is beneficial for kids, appropriately named “Why Horror is Good for You (and Even Better for Your Kids)”. He explains how horror for kids has slowly been diminishing at the children’s expense. He argues that kids today are sheltered and not introduced to horror the way that they used to be. In this process, kids have not been taught to enjoy being scared.…
Are We All Insane? “Why We Crave Horror Movies” is an essay by Stephen King that was in Playboy magazine in 1981. King is trying to convince the audience that everyone is insane to a degree. King’s ethos in horror makes the subject of “Why We Crave Horror Movies” the perfect argument for him to write about.…
Have you ever been faced with a danger so fierce that your mind became clouded with fear? What are some thoughts you may have if you were in a situation like this? Imagine being trapped in a place with no visible way out, succumbed to intimidating surroundings. In Bram Stoker’s, Dracula, the central idea is fear. Bram Stoker demonstrates this idea by using the literary devices of conflict and point of view.…
Halloween Horror It was a dark, windy evening with a full moon on Lincoln Street. Many peoples ' houses were terrified. They decorate their house with orange pumpkins, dark skeleton, fake dead bodies and blood on the stairs, legs that was cut, and many creepy witches. The house very fabulous.…
Senior classes were given the assignment to write a horror story and allowed no restriction. As soon as I heard of this assignment I thought, “Yes! Finally my chance to show people how gory and gruesome of things I can imagine!” I told my youth minister of this assignment and the next thing he said was, “That sounds ungodly”. I started thinking and realized how ungodly it really was.…