Perspectives

This part of the study guide will help you expand your perspective on Stephen King’s essay “Why We Crave Horror Movies” by looking at various theories on why people enjoy horror movie…

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Thematic perspective

There are many theories and studies on the subject discussed by Stephen King in his essay. For example, Dr. Jeffrey Goldstein, a professor of social psychology at the University of Utrecht, believes people choose horror films as a means of entertainment because they like experiencing the tension produced by these films. At the same time, people can control their …

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Textual perspective

When you look at “Why We Crave Horror Movies”, you could also consider comparing it to other texts by Stephen King. He wrote a large number of short stories, novels, and essays, most of which come under the horror genre.

“Suffer the Little Children” is a short story written by King in 1972. In the story, a school teacher becomes convinced that the children in her class are being possessed by devils or monsters. Eventually, she ends up shooting 13 of her students before she is stopped and put into…