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Personal Beliefs: King’s Take on Childhood Horrors in Film
Childhood Imagination vs. Adult Skepticism: King’s Exploration of Horror Films Through Innocent Eyes
In the article “My Creature from the Black Lagoon” by Stephen King, King compares and contrasts the reactions between adults and children with horror films. He begins the article by telling a very detailed childhood story and uses the expression of strong adjectives that paint a picture in the reader’s head. King argues that as children, we have a broader imagination that works perfectly with horror films, unlike adults, who sometimes do not have the strength to believe the story, almost ruining the point of the horror genre. He uses his emotions and memory to strengthen his thesis and to really pull the audience in using a personal experience. King does an excellent job of providing detailed storytelling and personal experience in his research and providing a clear message to the audience that supports his entire subject, resulting in a great article.
The purpose of this article was to inform and entertain his readers on the differences between a child’s imagination and that of an adult when it comes to horror films. He does this by using word painting at the introduction of the article. The use of word painting made it possible to put the reader right beside him that day he experienced watching the film “Creature from the Black Lagoon,” “By the time the Creature made his appearance, my brother had slithered down onto the floor of the back and had fallen asleep.” (King, 102).
King later starts to compare and contrast typical horror movies to children’s Disney movies, revealing that they both actually have a lot in common. This does a really great job of persuading the reader to agree with what King is saying by taking something so innocent as a Disney movie, analyzing the story, and comparing it to something horrific that would scare even an adult. His point is very evident when he is talking about the Disney story of Hansel and Gretel, “it progresses to kidnapping (the witch in the candy house), enslavement, illegal detention, and finally justifiable homicide and cremation.” (King, 106), all subjects that can be easily turned into a rated R horror film.
Personal Beliefs and the Power of Childhood Conviction: King’s Insight into the Adult vs. Child Imagination in Horror
After reading the first few pages, it is clear why King wrote this article that it is easier for a child to believe the unbelievable compared to that of an adult. He makes the message very clear throughout the article by providing examples and using compare and contrast. At one point, he steers away from the horror genre and backs his belief by using examples of make-believe figures that children believe in, “Children deftly manipulate the logistics of Santa Claus’s entry on Christmas Eve (he can get down small chimneys by making himself small, and if there’s no chimney there’s a letter slot, and if there’s no letter slot there’s always the crack under the door)..” (King, 103). As adults, we know Santa Clause is not real, but to a child, if Santa Clause is real and able to magically squeeze through cracks, then anything can be possible, even the creature from the black lagoon.
Being considered the “king” of horrors, King is very biased on the subject he is discussing. From the beginning, he makes his opinion very clear to the audience and does not provide any scientific evidence or other quotes to support his thesis. Instead, he relies solely on his beliefs and life experiences. This makes it very evident that he is biased in this article, but he effectively compares and contrasts his ideas to persuade the audience that he is correct.
Even though King does not use any research to support his thesis, he attempts to connect to his readers by using his own personal experience and beliefs. He relies on the reader to have similar experiences as him as a child and even as an adult to make his message clear. “There are adults today who, when questioned, will tell you that the most frightening thing they saw at the movies as children was Bambi’s father shot by the hunter or Bambi and his mother running before the forest fire.” (King, 103-104).
With compare and contrast, he explains the differences between a child’s imagination and believing a film compared to that of an adult. As King wrote, “In this sense, kids are the perfect audience for horror. The paradox is this: children, who are physically quite weak, lift the weight of unbelief with ease.” (King, 103). With some adults, he says, “The muscles of the imagination have grown too weak.” (King, 103). For someone who is familiar with King’s work, this approach could work, but he could have used more quotes and evidence from other articles and authors to strengthen his thesis.
Personal Voice and Final Reflections: Stephen King’s Authentic Appeal and Conclusive Thoughts on Horror’s Allure for the Young
King’s tone throughout the article stayed consistent; he was very passionate about the subject and made it clear this was a personal belief that he wanted to be heard. He wrote the article using an informal writing style in order to use certain words that enable the reader to feel what he is feeling, almost as if he is talking directly to you, “Guys like me who wear glasses have a hell of a time with 3-D, you know; ask anyone who wears specs how they like those nifty little cardboard glasses they give you when you walk in the door.” (King, 106). This was a great method to use in order to really connect to the audience.
In conclusion, King did a great job of making the message clear to the audience about his opinion that it is easier for children to believe a horror film than adults. Nothing should be changed or added because he was still able to support his thesis by convincing the audience through personal experiences and his overall opinion. Even though he did not use any other form of research, he was still able to effectively prove that his thesis was correct.
References
- Bettelheim, B. (1976). The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales.
- Carroll, N. (1990). The Philosophy of Horror: Or, Paradoxes of the Heart. Routledge.
- Tudor, A. (1989). Monsters and Mad Scientists: A Cultural History of the Horror Movie. Wiley-Blackwell.
- Piaget, J. (1962). Play, Dreams and Imitation in Childhood. W. W. Norton & Company.
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