Month: October 2018

Critical Divide: Why Fans and Critics are Split on Venom

Why Critics and Audiences are Split on Venom 2

The 4 Biggest Reasons Why Audiences and Critics are Divided on the Film

With Venom now officially in theaters everywhere, the critical consensus is in and it wasn’t kind to the razor-toothed alien, as the film scored a paltry 31% on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 35 from Metacritic. Despite many critics lamenting the poor screenplay and confused tone, this doesn’t seem to be halting the film’s path to financial success, as Venom has secured the highest opening of any film released during the month of October with an astonishing $80 million gross. Although box office returns, especially those from the first week, aren’t always indicative of favorable reception, the B+ CinemaScore from general audiences indicates that most moviegoers are pleased with the quality of the antihero origin story. This begs the question, “Why is there such a discrepancy regarding the film’s reception?”

Here are the 4 biggest reasons why general audiences had an overall positive attitude towards Venom:

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Can Horror Movies Cure Anxiety?

Are Horror Movies the Cure for Anxiety

Studies indicate that despite seeming counterintuitive, the act of being frightened from horror stories can lead to a decrease in feelings of stress.

With horror tales Hereditary and The Nun recently soaring at the box office, it’s clear that moviegoers continue to be drawn to the depraved. The question continually arises, why are we curious about witnessing horrific events befalling typically innocent and likeable individuals? Horror expert Stephen King suggests that we as a society use horror movies as a way of satisfying our unconsciously insane fantasies to balance us and maintain our mental health overall. While that is a provocative claim, in my experience there is more to the answer.

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