Evans 1

Sasha Evans
English 1102/ K. Redding
Composition 1
9 June 2016
The Fear Within Us All
Andrew J. Hoffman wrote the book Monsters to make students and instructors question
their knowledge of monsters. Throughout the book, we are asked many questions that challenge
our brains. We are constantly being tested with questions such as why do we create monsters?
The essays in this book allow us to gain a deeper knowledge of how monsters came about and
how they relate to human culture. Stephen Kings essay Why We Crave Horror Movies and
Stephen T. Asmas Monsters and the Moral Imagination help answer some of the questions we
have formed throughout reading this book. In their essays, both authors are arguing for a similar
purpose. They are both suggesting that we use monsters and horror as a way to express our
emotion of fear.
Stephen King is a very popular writer when it comes to horror. He has written many
horror stories, many of which have been made into movies. His essay, Why We Crave Horror
Movies is featured in this book. King makes many good arguments as to why we enjoy horror
films. He believes that horror films are a way to release the ease off of our inner monster that we
are hiding away. These films have a purpose; to make us express our evil emotions. King starts
off the essay arguing that we are mentally ill (16). He is suggesting that people who enjoy
horror films are just messed up in the head (16). People that fear something will still go and see a
horror film based around that thing they are afraid of. We are putting ourselves in the position to

Evans 2
be scared. When we walk into that theatre, we are prepared to be frightened. Why do we pay
money to go home terrified of something hiding under our bed? Or someone hiding in our
closet? Its part of daring the nightmare (King 16). According to King, some reasons are
simple and obvious (16). Its like showing your strength. By watching a horror film, you are
proving that you can handle it. Even if you are completely terrified, you still challenged yourself
to see if you could sit and watch the whole thing. King compares horror films to riding a roller
coaster. We ride rollercoasters for fun even if they are terrifying. Some people get the same
enjoyment from scaring themselves while watching a horror movie. King argues that we go and
see scary movies to feel more normal (16). Seeing a repulsive monster feed on human flesh is
definitely not normal. Yes, scary; but not normal. King states, No matter how far we may be
removed from the beauty of a Robert Redford or a Diana Ross, we are still light years away from
true ugliness (16). Horror films bring out our young, dark side. We all have a twisted side, If
we are all insane, then sanity becomes a matter of degree (King 17). People enjoy watching evil
things happen in movies, but if anyone was to attempt to do the same in real life, its a different
story. These films appeal to the worst part of us, which is why we are compelled to watch them.
King believes that if we get all of these bad emotions out through watching horror films, we can
remain sane.
Stephen T. Asma, a professor of philosophy at Columbia College Chicago, wrote the
essay Monsters and the Moral Imagination. As well as King, he is arguing that these monsters
serve a purpose. These monsters are testing us. They are testing our level of morality. Some bad
people out there do not have morals, making them do monstrous things. The things we see in our
horror films scare us. Most of which are not possible, but some have actually occurred. Thats

Evans 3
when it gets frightening. Most of the monsters in our minds are not even real. We create these
images of monsters in our heads. They play with our imagination and emotions, Monsters can
stand as symbols of human vulnerability and crisis, and as such they play imaginative foils for
thinking about our own responses to menace (Asma 62). Then again, we have real monsters in
todays society. For example, serial-killers are out there. Asma argues that part of our fascination
with serial-killer monsters is that we are vulnerable to sadistic violence (62). As humans, no one
ever enjoys feeling vulnerable. You may not face up against a zombie, but that does not mean
you will never encounter some type of monster in your lifetime. Asma points out that people may
cross paths with rapists, robbers, and even assaulters (63). Those kinds of monsters are
unpredictable. We still like to be prepared for an encounter. People face monsters like this every
single day, yet some say that monsters are becoming a thing of the past. Asma disagrees, Its a
permanent player in the moral imagination because human vulnerability is permanent (63). We
will never forget about imaginary and/or real monsters and the effect they have on our emotions.
These two essays help us to understand why monsters are so important. They explain the
emotion of fear. They scare us into being prepared for the worst. We have to let fear pour out of
us at some point, whether we are watching a horror film or preparing for the zombie apocalypse.
This entire book is all about discovering where monsters came from, what they are, why we are
attracted to them, and why we all have our own inner monster. These two essays help explain
why monsters appeal to us and where they come from within us. They are valuable to our
knowledge because we have a better understanding of why we fear what we are afraid of.
Monsters have been around for quite some time and they arent going anywhere.

Evans 4
Works Cited
King, Stephen. Why We Crave Horror Movies. Monsters. Bedford/St. Martins.
Asma, Stephen T. Monsters and the Moral Imagination. Monsters. Bedford/St. Martinss.