Introduction
In 2018, Marvel Comics released a movie titled “Venom” that shows the power of dual life forms in horror films. Modern movies often show many life forms, for instance, aliens, cyborgs, monsters, and clones, that do not conform to the ordinary experiences of everyday life. Although the cultural and psychological reasons for watching horror movies are complex, “Venom” shows that many people are interested in exploring the boundary between reality and the supernatural. “Venom” is a fictional character who is a Symbiote in liquid form that survives by bonding with a human. By watching the movie, audiences experience and explore the narrow boundary between reality and the supernatural. This discussion argues that “Venom” is a perfect mix of a monster and human-like qualities, which excites the audience who wish to explore the duality within all humans.
Why People Crave Horror Films
Horror movies are an outlet that allows people to experience their base instincts and hidden fantasies without necessarily breaking the law or acting out aggressively. Stephen King argues, “Horror films deliberately appeal to all that is worst in us. It is morbidity unchained, our most base instincts let free, our nastiest fantasies realized” (King 3). This argument shows that “Venom” enables the audience to explore the narrow boundary between “good versus evil.” Horror films are captivating because they allow people to face their fears in a controlled and fictional setting without real-world consequences. Yücel argues that “Venom is a villain and “the new Marvel universe” looks like a place of villains” (15). The film creates a fictional world without the standard rules that bind society; therefore, the villain has super strength, speed, and regenerative healing abilities that appeal to the audience. Although Venom destroys property and fights different enemies, he is not bound by real-world consequences. Therefore, horror films allow audiences to experience their deepest and darkest fantasies without breaking the law or acting aggressively.
“Venom” and the Duality of Humans
Horror movies symbolize power that allows humans to extend their imagination beyond the real world. In a YouTube video, Guillermo del Toro, a highly decorated filmmaker and director, argues that monsters symbolize great power. He argues that humans created the imagery of angels and demons or gods and monsters to help make sense of the world (Big Think). The director assigns specific functions to “good and bad” film characters. Sometimes, a reasonable person in the movies can also be brutal or a parasite, while the evil person is portrayed as sympathetic or a victim. Therefore, the human imagination can explore and extend the notion of “good and bad” to make an exciting movie. This argument helps show that not everything is black and white, and sometimes grey areas exist where “good” intersects with the “bad.” The director acknowledges the duality of humans, where night and day, light and dark, or good and evil are separate entities. However, films allow humans to mix the good and the bad and overcome this bridge of duality.
Conclusion
Although people crave horror movies for different reasons, this argument reveals that both good and evil can coexist. Venom is a Symbiote possessing both human-like qualities and monstrosities. Horror movies act as a bridge that connects the duality of humans and shows the grey areas that are not specifically black or white. When watching “Venom” in a movie theater, the audience can put themselves in the monster’s skin without necessarily wreaking havoc, breaking the law, or causing destruction. People feel the adrenaline rush from horror movies that charge their base instincts and hidden fantasies without real-world repercussions. “Venom” is a perfect mix of a monster and human-like qualities, which excites the audience who wish to explore the duality within all humans.
Works Cited
Big Think. “Guillermo del Toro: “Monsters Are Living, Breathing Metaphors.” YouTube. 2011. Accessed January 18, 2024 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXBU0X_LuQI
King, Stephen. “Why we crave horror movies.” Short Essays for Composition 524. 1981. Accessed January 18, 2024, from https://faculty.uml.edu/bmarshall/Lowell/whywecravehorrormovies.pdf
Yücel, Volkan. “Venom: a desiring machine.” CINEJ Cinema Journal 8.1. 2020. 14-29. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339855840_Venom_A_Desiring_Machine
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