The first article I found was by Stephen King. Stephen talks about how horror movies bring out the kid in us. He says that we are "daring the nightmare." We all want to prove that we are brave enough to sit through a horror film. Whether we jump or not, he describes it as a roller coaster ride. He describes the twists and turns that horror movies present for everyone. In the article King also says, "And we go to have fun." He then moves on to say that this is the part that makes things complicated, because obviously part of the fun is lies in seeing people harmed or "menaced" as he put it. He says that maybe horror movies provide us with a sense of "psychic relief" because it's almost like giving ourselves a free rein. King then goes on to talk about how we all have the potential to be a little insane, and those emotions require curtain exercises to maintain structure. He says that horror movies are like sick jokes, they bring out the worst in all of us, but it also feeds our cravings in the mean time.
I completely agree with this article. Obviously it's written by a man who knows a lot about horror movies, and his audience for that matter. Comparing the horror experience to a roller coaster ride is just brilliant. It explains it so well with such ease. I believe we do like to challenge ourselves and see how long we can last without closing our eyes or screaming in terror. For some reason people just can't get enough of it, almost like a game. Just like Gaut said, "people seem to enjoy negative emotions." I think that King had a good point when he said that it's almost like your feeding your craving. You get some what of a fix from the excitement that you experience when watching a horror movie. I think King was right when he said that we're all ill, but we find ways to justify the things we do.
Stephen King, Why we Crave Horror Movies, originally published in 1981 in Playboy Magazine, I found it on, http://iws.ccccd.edu/jdoleh/English%201301/Why%20We%20Crave%20Horror%20Movies.pdf
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I thought your choice of choosing an article from Steven King was interesting because I always thought he was a bit twisted, because of all the crazy/scary movies he's created. I think to a degree that what he's saying is correct, especially how scary movies are like roller coasters, because you just never quite know when you'll be scared (unless the movie is so cheesy and predictable). But really I think Steven King is a bit more twisted than the rest of us :)
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