“We make up horrors to help us cope with the real ones.”
Stephen King
Why this quote resonates
We love how this quote explains why people enjoy scary stories and films. It gives a kind and clever answer to the question of why we like being frightened. We chose it for Halloween because spooky fun can also help us feel stronger about real life.
Meaning of the quote
This line comes from Danse Macabre, a 1981 book by Stephen King about horror. King is saying that we invent monsters so that real worries feel easier to face. A made up fear is safe, because we can close the book or switch off the film. The nuance is that horror can work like practice for real life.
When people share this quote
We think this is great for anyone who is asked why they love scary films. It works well in conversations about horror, in blog posts and in a journal when worries feel big. Readers of our Fear, Wisdom and Mental Health collections may find it comforting.
Image Quotes
