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SQ4R Assessment for Why We Crave Horror Movies, Written by Stephen King
Step 1: Survey
Title:
From the essay’s title, I infer that Stephen King wrote it in 1982 and is about horror films and possibly about dread (357). “Why We Crave Horror Movies” is an article by Stephen King (King 357). King’s title intrigues the reader to continue reading, as the author is famously associated with horror (357). By offering insight into a question, the title evokes thoughts and prime memories of horror movies from the past in the reader even before the essay begins.
The Length and Set-Up:
Including the preface, the essay is four pages long and divided
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You may be less motivated to do such things when you are 60 (King 357).
• Freda Jackson’s performance as the hideous melting lady in Die, Monster, Die! shows that we still have a long way to go before we are completely ugly, even though Robert Redford and Diana Ross have a long way to go before they are hideous (King 357).
• One reviewer said watching horror movies is like going to a public hanging in the 21st century compared to watching professional football (King 357).
• The famous “fairy tale” horror movie tries to be as honest as possible for its target audience (King 357–358).
• Scary movies likely help with this because we rarely permit ourselves to be simple, irrational, or baffling (King 358).
• We can act more like children again, like seeing things in black and white instead of the shades of grey we have learned to appreciate as adults (King 358).
• We should let ourselves show all our feelings or work hard to keep them in check (King 358).
• Even though we are all insane, our levels of insanity will be very different (King
In the introduction to Kendall Phillips’ book, “Projected Fears,” he discusses “horror films that made such an impression on American culture that they became instantly recognizable and, indeed, redefined the notion of what a horror film is.” (Phillips 3). This list of movies includes many favorites, such as Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Scream. Phillips later states his thesis, “...my argument in this book is that these [movies] are the most ‘successful’ and ‘influential’ in American history and that their level of success and influence can be correlated to broader cultural anxieties into which they somehow tapped” (Phillips 3).
The American obsession with spectatorship is a phenomenon created by the inaccessibility of timely and relevant knowledge. This oddly leads to an increase in the demand and likeability of terror. In her piece “Great to Watch”, Maggie Nelson explores the origins of this fascination with horror and gives an
The main point of the article “Why We Crave Horror Movies” by Stephen King, is that many people enjoy reading and watching horror stories for many different reasons. One main reason King gives is that people just want to overcome their fears, show that they are brave. Others go just to have fun. But not the happy, playful type of fun rather fun that is dark,full of death and suspense.
Recently, I’ve finished reading a horror novel by Stephen King which he published in 1981 and won the British Fantasy Award in the next year. ’ Cujo’ is the first ever Stephen Kings novel that I’ve read and I have to say I enjoyed reading it despite my early negative feeling about this work. As you already know, I will use the example from ‘’Cujo’’ to explain the concept of externality, ad to be more precise, this essay will be about negative externality. When I was deciding what film or novel to use as a source of externality for this essay I had many ideas but none of them were perfect. My aim was to find a story with an externality in it’s heart
The distinguishing of the progressive horror wave from other horror movies (which can be seen as the alternativeness) is completed by the actions of their creators and the innovation they bring to the time’s cinematography (which makes them autonomous) and by the themes represented in a innovative way (making them authentic). Wood succinctly describes it by comparing it in opposition to a Hollywood horror movie by words such as low budget, unpolished, non-bourgeois exploitation, bad family, traditional values negated, and, what is the most important, parent figures destroy
Psycho, Dracula, The Birds, Jaws. The pulling back of a shower curtain, the glint of a knife, the unknown monster lurking in the dark. Since the first horror film, created in 1896, directors have been able to pinpoint exactly what it is that causes our hearts to race. Horror is one of the most popular movie genres because, somehow, directors have found a way to create content that induces an emotion as equally addictive as it is repelling: fear. However, fear is an emotion that goes far beyond the goosebumps and quickened heartbeat experienced briefly in a darkened movie theater.
By examining the horror genre through the lens of obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, audiences will see how exactly
The purpose of art is to evoke emotion, although that emotion may disgust or dismay, and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 film Vertigo is no exception. While many critics adore it, naming it one of their top movies of all time, many audience members may leave feeling uncomfortable or even angry at some of the characters’ actions. From the obsessive, borderline stalker to the man who goes to great lengths to trick an old friend and murder his wife, this is not a feel-good movie. But the aspects of this film that tend to give audience such a negative emotional response are exactly what cause critics to praise it. The film turns the table on the audience, showing them how disturbing it is for someone to watch someone else while the audience does just that,
Humans are unique creations, each one behaves differently. Humans have the propensity to act inhumanely. "Why We Crave Horror Movies," by Stephen King explores the psychology of the human psyche and tries to explain why people are drawn to the horror subgenre. King begins to connect himself to the reader to establish a relationship of understanding the appeal of horror films. Beyond that, he uses emotional appeals as he utilizes bold, questionable statements to engross the reader.
However, film critic, Robin Wood, argues that ‘since Psycho, the Hollywood cinema has implicitly recognised horror as both American and familial’ he then goes on to connect this with Psycho by claiming that it is an “innovative and influential film because it supposedly presents its horror not as the produce of forces outside American society, bit a product of the patriarchal family which is the fundamental institution of American society” he goes on to discuss how our civilisation either represses or oppresses (Skal, 1994). Woods claim then suggests that in Psycho, it is the repressions and tensions within the normal American family which produces the monster, not some alien force which was seen and suggested throughout the 1950 horror films. At the beginning of the 60’s, feminisation was regarded as castration not humanization. In “Psycho” (1960) it is claimed that the film presents conservative “moral lessons about gender roles of that the strong male is healthy and normal and the sensitive male is a disturbed figure who suffers from gener confusion” (Skal, 1994). In this section of this chapter I will look closely at how “Psycho” (1960) has layers of non-hetro-conforming and gender-non conforming themes through the use of Norman Bates whose gender identitiy is portrayed as being somewhere between male and female
In the articles of “Why Do We Crave Horror Movies” by Stephen King and “My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead by Chuck Klosterman, both author argues have similar ideas to why the human being crave horror movies because of the emotions we get from them. In the articles of “Why Do We Crave Horror Movies” by King and “My Zombie, Myself: Why Modern Life Feels Rather Undead by Klosterman, both argue that horror in life is in need to bring the sense of humanity. Both King and Klosterman agree that horror is there to test people’s fear and their emotions.
There are multiple people who are intrigue and love horror movies without knowing the reason. In Stephan Kings essay, “Why We Crave Horror Movies” he does his best to find an answer to the question “why do people crave horror movies?” Throughout his essay he came up with certain key points to answer the question. At the beginning of his essay, he makes a bold statement that “we are all mentally ill.” He motions that people just watch horror movies to portray their fearlessness while suppressing their true emotions.
Since, in the old days women did little to wiggle out of their bonds as a skilled, overly masculine “creepy” guy barreled down on them. Yet, by the late 1970s to the beginning of the 20th century with the rise of feminism, these female characters are now standing up and fighting back against their aggressive attacker. Representing, not only to audience members but as “to the question of whether all of this sexualized terror, maiming, killing and possessing of young women,” in horror films is exploitative anymore (Younger)? Because truth be told, it’s not. Rather, I feel that horror flicks should not have a gender bias and instead should play on what our expectations of these characters are and what they will do within the story.
Stephen King was a big inspiration for all horror writers. He wrote many books that got many rewards. He had a very hard and interesting life. His father left when he was two and never came back home. His dad was a writer none of his stories were published though stephen found a few rejections slips.
The longer King continues to write, the more authors we will have and the more movies and TV shows will be produced. Stephen King has inspired people to created new TV shows and movies that relate to King’s horror stories: After all, without King, we wouldn’t have modern works like Stranger Things, whose adolescent ensemble directly channels the Loser’s Club, King’s ensemble of geeky preteen friends from It. Without The Shining, and Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece film adaptation, “Here’s Johnny!” would be a dead talk show catchphrase and parodies like the Simpsons’ annual Treehouse of Horror would be bereft of much of their material