''Why We Crave Horror Movies'' by Stephen King Essay

''Why We Crave Horror Movies'' by Stephen King - Essay Example However, the guidelines of social morality and socially acceptable behavior, perpetually prevent us from unleashing these urges. Thus, we constantly strive to find, alternative and somewhat more acceptable ways of venting out our feelings of hostility and aggression; and in this quest of ours, we are magnetically drawn towards horror movies. Our Id -and the primitive lust for violence cherished by it - as the Freudians would remark, is able to achieve instant gratification through viewing the harrowing scenes depicted on the screen. Thus, it can be asserted that our craving for horror movies is in a way, a manifestation of the: anger, frustration and aggression that we experience in relation to the society around us. The following discussion will suffice to substantiate this point. It is a commonly observed fact that there is a disparity between our public and private selves. This dichotomy leads to a monstrously twofold existence. Our public self is governed by inhibitions whereas o ur private self constantly yearns to sever itself from the restraints of the more socially poised self. As opposed to the seemingly placid public self, the private self craves for anarchy and social rebellion. It is note-worthy that within each of us resides a spy or an imposter- forever struggling to remain hidden from the outside world. While viewing a grotesque scene or a horror movie, this imposter overshadows the much civil public self and assumes a dominant role.