Crave Horror Movies, the Author

¶ … Crave Horror Movies," the author presents his take on why a vast movie-going public likes entertainment which is intended to terrify and which many people find offensive. He uses a cause-effect style to discussion the phenomenon. His argument is that we go to horror movies because we want to show that we can conquer our fears, we want to reaffirm the normality of everyday life, and we want to get a thrill out of celebrating an innate, human insanity. In essence he is arguing that these movies are visceral entertainment, not unlike a genre at the opposite end of the movie spectrum, romantic comedies.

We go to romantic comedies because we like to laugh at the foibles of others (making our own pale in comparison), to experience the thrill of love vicariously, and to experience the entire life cycle of a relationship without enduring our own heartbreak in the process. Watching actors onscreen make mistakes that we have all made is a relief. It lets us know that we have participated in a universal human experience and laughter follows that catharsis.

Romantic comedies set the heart pounding in the same way that horror movies do. They take you on a ride, where conflict looms at one moment and tranquility sets in the next. Where horror movies promise safety as their respite, romantic comedies offer moments where the leads find themselves compatible or share physical affection.