why do we crave

In this essay, Stephen King discusses his views on why people crave horror movies. He starts by examining the basic reasons, and then moves on to analyze the deeper, harder to see reasons as to why horror movies are so captivating. King first explores the obvious reasons: "to show that we can, that we are not afraid, and that we can ride this roller coaster". King talks about how horror movies are like roller coasters, in that they keep us guessing and can make us scream at various parts of the ride. He says that on the surface level, we watch horror movies for that level of fun. He suggests that we go for the dare of it, to see how far it can push us, and that is what makes the experience so fun. King then delves into the less obvious reasons. He argues that horror movies like to take away the "shades of grey" in life, and invites the view to revert back to a childish mindset, when the world is seen in black and white. He argues that this invitation provides psychological relief for the viewer—that it allows us to revert to a mindset of "simplicity, irrationality, and even outright madness". This is not the only psychological relief that horror movies allow us, however. King makes a point that even as children, we are showered with praise for expressing "good" emotions, and punished for expressing the "bad" emotions. Although this leads to more politically "correct" behavior, it also only temporally holds the "bad" emotions back. Watching horror movies allows us to expressing those bad emotions in a safe, fun way. King concludes his essay by stating that horror movies appeal to the worst in us, and that is why we feel the need to watch them. King suggests that by watching horror movies, we help ourselves to keep our bad emotions and instincts at bay, and allows the good emotions to continue to remain on the surface. It allows us, as humans, to remain sane and happy. In conclusion, while there are basic and obvious reasons for wanting to