Horror in Films - Compare and Contrast Essay
Horror in Films
Alfred Hitchcock once said, “The only way to get rid of my fears is to make films about them” (Alfred Hitchcock Quotes). I do not make horror films, but I do watch them. Similar to Hitchcock, they help me face my fears. Do you associate horror films with your fears? My biggest fears are demonophobia, which is the fear of evil spirits, and taphephobia, which is the fear of being buried alive (Phobia Lists). These phobias most certainly helped in my decision to compare and contrast the horror movies The Exorcist and The Ring, in my opinion, the two scariest movies of all time. The Exorcist and The Ring share a similarity; they both have an evil spirit working to create terror; however, they used completely different mediums to make contact with our world: a human body and technology – a television.
First, let us take a look at what I see as the number one similarity between The Exorcist and The Ring. Both films have evil entities that used their powers to create horror and death. In The Exorcist, the demon, who claims to be Satan, has possessed a young girl (Regan McNeil) and is slowly killing her by causing great fear and anguish in Regan’s soul (The Exorcist). In The Ring, the spirit of a young girl (Samara Morgan) is using her power, derived from a great lust for revenge, to scare and eventually take the life of a young journalist (Rachel Keller) who was assigned to investigate some unexplained deaths that seem to occur one week after the victim views a mysterious videotape (The Ring). Both evil beings wish to show the power they have over their victims.
Furthermore, The Exorcist and The Ring share a similar ending. In both films, the evil spirits, having been thwarted in their goals to destroy their victims, survive to fight another day. In The Exorcist, the demon enters the body of the priest who saved Regan through the exorcism he performed. He tried to commit suicide by throwing himself out of a second story window in an
Alfred Hitchcock once said, “The only way to get rid of my fears is to make films about them” (Alfred Hitchcock Quotes). I do not make horror films, but I do watch them. Similar to Hitchcock, they help me face my fears. Do you associate horror films with your fears? My biggest fears are demonophobia, which is the fear of evil spirits, and taphephobia, which is the fear of being buried alive (Phobia Lists). These phobias most certainly helped in my decision to compare and contrast the horror movies The Exorcist and The Ring, in my opinion, the two scariest movies of all time. The Exorcist and The Ring share a similarity; they both have an evil spirit working to create terror; however, they used completely different mediums to make contact with our world: a human body and technology – a television.
First, let us take a look at what I see as the number one similarity between The Exorcist and The Ring. Both films have evil entities that used their powers to create horror and death. In The Exorcist, the demon, who claims to be Satan, has possessed a young girl (Regan McNeil) and is slowly killing her by causing great fear and anguish in Regan’s soul (The Exorcist). In The Ring, the spirit of a young girl (Samara Morgan) is using her power, derived from a great lust for revenge, to scare and eventually take the life of a young journalist (Rachel Keller) who was assigned to investigate some unexplained deaths that seem to occur one week after the victim views a mysterious videotape (The Ring). Both evil beings wish to show the power they have over their victims.
Furthermore, The Exorcist and The Ring share a similar ending. In both films, the evil spirits, having been thwarted in their goals to destroy their victims, survive to fight another day. In The Exorcist, the demon enters the body of the priest who saved Regan through the exorcism he performed. He tried to commit suicide by throwing himself out of a second story window in an
Cited: “Alfred Hitchcock Quotes.” Brainy Quotes. (n.d.). http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/ quotes/a/alfredhitc158333.html “Phobia List.” Fear into Freedom. (n.d.). http://www.fearintofreedom.com/phobialist “The Exorcist.” The Internet Movie Database. (1973). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070047 “The Ring.” The Internet Movie Database. (2002). http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298130 “Bronze head of Pazuzu.” The British Museum. (1992). http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/ highlights/highlight_objects/me/b/bronze_head_of_pazuzu.aspx