Vincent Price Explains Why We Love Horror

I just got finished watching Madhouse, a slasher movie from the '70s starring Vincent Price. Price plays an old horror actor who becomes surrounded by murders he's not sure if he's committing. I've already reviewed it on my other blog, so I'll stop there so I don't end up reviewing it again. Anyways, there's a part in the movie toward the end, when Price's character gives an interview on a television talk show. The interviewer asked him why people enjoyed his movies so much, and his answer was absolutely incredible. I know I've always said that I don't care what makes me love horror, but I can't deny that I've at least been a little curious. I just didn't care enough to really do any research to find out. But now I know. Mr. Price has made everything crystal clear to me, so that now, when people ask me why I love horror movies, I can give them a real answer other than "because they're fucking awesome, that's why!"

I'm going to paraphrase here, because there's no way I can remember that entire speech. But it was something along the lines of this. Everyone has hidden desires and impulses, some quite terrible -- murder, violence, bloodlust, and other things. They're there, in the backs of our minds, but we don't let them out. We keep them caged inside. But sometimes they whisper to us, they beg to be let out of their cages, and we still don't let them out. The reason that we love horror movies is because they do let them out.

So, there you have it. It's the simplest answer I've ever heard, but it's the one that makes the most sense to me. Horror is how we see our darkest desires come to life, and let's face it, we all have them. We all have those moments at a restaurant, store, or at work where someone pisses us off and we feel like strangling them or stabbing them with a fork. Instead of doing that, though, we come home and watch horror movies. At least, that's what I do. So people may think we're weird because of our passion for blood and guts, but they should really be thankful. This is the way we get our jollies; this is the way we let off steam. Some radical thinkers believe that horror movies make people crazy; that if you watch too many, you'll go out and shoot a bunch of people or go on a killing spree. But in reality, horror movies keep us from poking a fork into the eyes of those idiots at work, or those people in Wal-Mart who like to stand in the middle of the fucking aisle and never move. So for all those naysayers out there, and those believers in horror creating monsters...You should be thanking Vincent, Boris, Bela and the like. Horror movies keep us sane.