Rhetorical Analysis of Stephen King's 'Why We Crave Horror Movies'

In the essay, Why We Crave Horror Movies, Stephen King proposed the idea that we are all “mentally ill.” Most people would disagree with this idea, but to a certain extent, I agree. Due to our demand to engage in scary, gory, creepy horror movies, they satisfy us in the sense that we are watching something that a “normal” person wouldn’t do. King uses many different rhetorical devices to prove this point, which I believe had a lot of effectiveness since it makes you begin to wonder why we love horror movies so much.

King begins his essay with an ethological approach, as he claims that not a single human is completely sane. He uses this approach to make the mind wander into thought about the things we do in our own corners of our lives. The approach has an appeal because he talks about the stuff we do when we think no one is watching, such as “talking to ourselves, facial expressions, and finally our deepest fears.” He also suggests that we go see horror movies just to prove to the world, or ourselves, that we can and that we’re not scared. He uses an ethological approach here too, which almost proves to us that it is true, we go see horror movies because afterwards we can say that we did it, no matter how scared or creeped out we actually are.

Analogies are a big factor throughout this essay. King uses analogies to explain his ideas on why we have an attraction to horror movies. For example, he compares that riding roller coasters to watching horror movies ultimately gives us the same experience. Why does this make sense? Adrenaline. Through the use of this analogy, Kings objective is to show us that we Horror movies make us test our braveness and allows us to experience fear in a safe and comfortable environment, in comparison to rollercoasters allowing us to test our limits and our courageous selves in not so comforting environments.

King also uses a ton of pathos throughout this article. Almost everything he says creates an emotional appeal to the audience. He talks about how horror movies evoke certain parts of us that we wouldn’t necessarily have on a day to day basis such as finding satisfaction in watching people get their head chopped off. This pulls emotions out of us because when we watch horror movies, we no longer see the world in a black and white sense.. King suggests that “Horror movies may provide psychic relief,” which I actually agree with. If you think about it, horror movies let us tap into our “inner child,” and find enjoyment amongst all the insanity that we are watching.

Overall, this essay was a trip to read. It allowed me to almost fully understand why I enjoy horror movies so much. On the psychological side of things, it almost scares me. King uses a ton of rhetorical devices throughout this article to explain why we are so attracted to horror movies. This essay was rhetorically effective because King’s diction was sarcastic but serious. His tone of voice came off as anxious and humorous about the facts of mental illnesses that reside within us and people finding enjoyment in being scared. The ideas that King used throughout this were effectively described in a way that the audience was able to relate to.