This paper is a rhetorical analysis of Stephen King's article, "Why We Crave Horror Movies." King is one of the most successful American writers of horror stories, and many of his books have been made into blockbuster movies. In this article, he contends that horror fiction meets an important and essential human need, that of venting the dark impulses and socially unacceptable desires that are present in everyone.
King argues, "If we share a brotherhood of man, then we also share an insanity of man" (3). He suggests that bad behavior, dark thoughts, and evil impulses are universal and that one reason that horror film are so popular is that they reassure audiences that "anticivilization emotions" (2) are common.
King also contends that horror films show the audience that, however dark their own impulses may get, "we are still light-years from true ugliness" (2). Norman Bates and Freddie Kruger will always be much more evil and much more reviled by civilized society than the moviegoer watching them over a tub of popcorn. As King says, "If we are all insane, then sanity becomes a matter of degree" (2).
King presents his arguments in a breezy, chatty style, making some of his points by exaggerating his comments; for instance, he describes "the civilized forebrain" as having a trap door filled with "hungry alligators swimming around in that subterranean river beneath" (3). His style paints colorful pictures that include sweeping generalizations which are not always completely true. He observes that horror movies more often appeal to the young and the politically conservative, yet, if his overall argument is sound, people of all ages and all political bents should need the release they bring. Age and politics should be irrelevant if nearly every human subconscious includes ravenous alligators.
King also makes use of parenthetical asides designed to be funny, sarcastic throwaways. Commenting on the insanity of Jack th...