Fascination with Horror Movies
Movies: Why the fascination?
Why are we as a society so fascinated with horror? There is evidence found throughout the history of every culture around the world depicting evil and terror in various forms. Chilling stories of ghosts, demons, and the waking dead have been retold around campfires. There have been numerous tales of strange creatures, shape shifters, and various monsters that have been passed down from generation to generation. It seems to be an insatiable urge that is shared by all human beings, as if it is part of our nature. So what is it about delving into the dark side that has caused centuries of human beings to continually harrow up the soul? In search of answers, I sought the insight of the multiple bestselling author and “master of horror” himself, Stephen King, with his article entitled “Why we crave horror movies”, and the article “Dead man still walking”, written by graduate student and zombie researcher Kyle Bishop. According to King’s theory, people are born with a psychological balance of what we are taught as “good” and “bad” behavior. He writes that “The potential lyncher is in almost all of us… and every now and then, he has to be let loose to scream and roll around in the grass” (p. 262). This article illustrates how people are rewarded for good behavior, which all0ws our light side to be unrestrained and free, while it is the dark side that is continually suppressed and neglected. Therefore, it becomes a necessity to have an outlet for our misbehavior be allowed to roam unleashed as well. King goes on to say that, “anti-civilization emotions don’t go away and they demand periodic exercise” (p. 262). His theory explains that it is fundamental to feed our dark side in order to maintain a psychological balance. His idea is based on the
premise that if we allow the “dark” side to let loose and have free rein from time to time, the urge to act it out will be quenched. King quoted, “It was McCartney and Lennon who said
Why are we as a society so fascinated with horror? There is evidence found throughout the history of every culture around the world depicting evil and terror in various forms. Chilling stories of ghosts, demons, and the waking dead have been retold around campfires. There have been numerous tales of strange creatures, shape shifters, and various monsters that have been passed down from generation to generation. It seems to be an insatiable urge that is shared by all human beings, as if it is part of our nature. So what is it about delving into the dark side that has caused centuries of human beings to continually harrow up the soul? In search of answers, I sought the insight of the multiple bestselling author and “master of horror” himself, Stephen King, with his article entitled “Why we crave horror movies”, and the article “Dead man still walking”, written by graduate student and zombie researcher Kyle Bishop. According to King’s theory, people are born with a psychological balance of what we are taught as “good” and “bad” behavior. He writes that “The potential lyncher is in almost all of us… and every now and then, he has to be let loose to scream and roll around in the grass” (p. 262). This article illustrates how people are rewarded for good behavior, which all0ws our light side to be unrestrained and free, while it is the dark side that is continually suppressed and neglected. Therefore, it becomes a necessity to have an outlet for our misbehavior be allowed to roam unleashed as well. King goes on to say that, “anti-civilization emotions don’t go away and they demand periodic exercise” (p. 262). His theory explains that it is fundamental to feed our dark side in order to maintain a psychological balance. His idea is based on the
premise that if we allow the “dark” side to let loose and have free rein from time to time, the urge to act it out will be quenched. King quoted, “It was McCartney and Lennon who said
References: Bishop, K. (2011). Dead Man Still Walking. In M. Petracca, & M. Sorapure, Reading Pop Culture (pp. 264-279). Boston, MA: Prentice Hall. King, S. (2011). Why We Crave Horror Movies. In M. Petracca, & M. Sorapure, Reading Popular Culture (pp. 260 - 264). Boston, MA: Prentice Hall.