Argumentative Essay
"Why We Crave Horror Movies"
By Stephen King
I really enjoyed reading the article "Why We Crave Horror Movies" that Stephen King wrote regarding the reasons he feels people view horror movies. Mr. King has several ideas on why we love our horror. This essay will provide my reasoning on the ever popular horror flicks popularity with the viewer. Horror movies are an escape from reality, a pure adrenaline rush, and a dose of mental health all in one.
Horror movies have been around forever and they are a terrific escape from reality. People have been watching horror flicks for decades and I feel they will be around for all of time. "It urges us to put away our more civilized and adult penchant for analysis and to become children again, seeing things in black and white." ( King, 32-34) Watching a horror movie can be simply exhilarating, sitting on the couch with a pillow in front of your face just waiting for the ax to drop, at that moment you forget about the daily hum-drum, the worries of the day and you are swept off into horror fantasy land.
While you are in fantasy land, your heart is pumping and you are plotting what you would do if you were being chased down, in some brilliant way you think you can defeat this monster "to show that we are not afraid, we can ride out this roller coaster." (King, 11-12). We seem to want to be scared, we prefer to watch in the dark, the creepier the better! It's the thrill of the rush that keeps horror movie enthusiasts going back for more blood and gore. In some strange way it makes the viewer feel good, in a emotionally charged twisted way.
When all is said and done and the show is over we don't realize it but our brain has just received a dose of mental health. "It may be that horror movies provide psychic relief because one can lapse into simplicity, irrationality and even outright madness." (King 34-37). A sane person watching a horror movie would know that this is just fictional, deviant behavior, being carried out on a screen. The viewer does not have thoughts to kill, however this makes you question, what if? Our emotions go from high to low while watching and our brain is releasing endorphins, they make us feel good and enhances our mood .This feeling is like a drug, we want more.
In conclusion, who doesn't want an escape from reality with an adrenaline rush, it could do wonders for your mental health while making you feel good and forgetting about the daily chores of life. The crave will never go away, we will continue to seek the thrill of the rush of horror movies!
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