--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think of horror films as art, as films…" description: "\"I think of horror films as art, as films of confrontation.\" — David Cronenberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f24/david-cronenberg-8285_art_i-think-of-horror-films-as-art-as-films_806209.jpg" --- # I think of horror films as art, as films of confrontation. ![“I think of horror films as art, as films of confrontation.” quote by David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f24/david-cronenberg-8285_art_i-think-of-horror-films-as-art-as-films_806209.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f24/david-cronenberg-8285_art_i-think-of-horror-films-as-art-as-films_806209.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f24/david-cronenberg-8285_art_i-think-of-horror-films-as-art-as-films_806209.jpg) > “I think of horror films as art, as films of confrontation.” [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Horror movies are artistic confrontations that challenge viewers, making them a form of art. **In simple terms:** Horror as confronting art. Key Takeaway Engage with challenging art. Themes art confrontation horror Mood provocative thoughtful Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - cinema - visual arts - cultural critique - therapy Key Concepts aesthetic theory psychology of fear Questions to Reflect On - Why do we seek scary experiences? - What does horror reveal about society? A Different Perspective Some may find horror repulsive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art films](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-films/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Confrontation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confrontation/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Horror film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror-film/) [Horror films](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror-films/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I think of horror films as art, as films of confrontation. Films that make you confront aspects of your own life that are difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/i-think-of-horror-films-as-art-as-films-of-confrontation-films-that/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [Horror films are art, it's all make believe. It's great if a filmmaker can try to push boundaries and see how much an audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-six/horror-films-are-art-it-s-all-make-believe-it-s-great-if-a-filmmaker/) [Tom Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-six/) > [I think that horror films have a very direct relationship to the time in which they're made. The films that really strike a film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-think-that-horror-films-have-a-very-direct-relationship-to-the-time/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [I think horror films always have to be as simple as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-mazzara/i-think-horror-films-always-have-to-be-as-simple-as-possible/) [Glen Mazzara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-mazzara/) > [If 'formulaic' is somebody who is unlikely to succeed starting down a process and succeeding - then isn't that what most films are about?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/if-formulaic-is-somebody-who-is-unlikely-to-succeed-starting-down-a/) [Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/) > [Tokyo is wonderful for distribution of international films, a lot of Iranian films, Taiwanese films. But most of the art films are from Europe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hirokazu-kore-eda/tokyo-is-wonderful-for-distribution-of-international-films-a-lot-of/) [Hirokazu Kore-eda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hirokazu-kore-eda/) > [Some people think that horror films are some sort of second class filmmaking, and the only way to bypass that thinking is being proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/some-people-think-that-horror-films-are-some-sort-of-second-class/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [I think horror films in the past maybe touched on social themes having to do with whatever era in which they were made, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-nevin/i-think-horror-films-in-the-past-maybe-touched-on-social-themes/) [Brooke Nevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-nevin/) > [I think so much of the horror film is about our primal instincts, and our primal instincts are not just towards violence. It's also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-goddard/i-think-so-much-of-the-horror-film-is-about-our-primal-instincts-and/) [Drew Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-goddard/) > [I wouldn't be a part of anything that had acts of violence toward children. I don't think I would do a horror film, either.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-winslet/i-wouldn-t-be-a-part-of-anything-that-had-acts-of-violence-toward/) [Kate Winslet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-winslet/) > [I think there's been a gigantic shift in the way we talk to each other, and the way that we communicate with each other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-swanberg/i-think-there-s-been-a-gigantic-shift-in-the-way-we-talk-to-each/) [Joe Swanberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-swanberg/) > [Audiences are very sophisticated and they know the nuts and bolts of the genre - certainly with horror more than others I think. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reece-shearsmith/audiences-are-very-sophisticated-and-they-know-the-nuts-and-bolts-of/) [Reece Shearsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-shearsmith/) > [I've always loved... actually I didn't always love horror films. I started out and I only liked comedies and dramas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-raimi/i-ve-always-loved-actually-i-didn-t-always-love-horror-films-i/) [Sam Raimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-raimi/) > [Some of my fondest and most impressionable movie memories are from those early sci-fi and horror films. I've always been a Dracula/vampire aficionado, being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-wise/some-of-my-fondest-and-most-impressionable-movie-memories-are-from/) [Ray Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-wise/) > [What I love about watching classic horror films is that they take you on a ride and they obviously make you scared because you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-holmes/what-i-love-about-watching-classic-horror-films-is-that-they-take-you/) [Katie Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-holmes/) ## More by David Cronenberg > [When I am creating art, I have absolutely no social responsibility. It's like dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/when-i-am-creating-art-i-have-absolutely-no-social-responsibility-it/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [I don't mind writing so I didn't find that difficult, it's just a question of finding the time to do it. I kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/i-don-t-mind-writing-so-i-didn-t-find-that-difficult-it-s-just-a/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [It's impossible to make a movie out of 'Naked Lunch.' A literal translation just wouldn't work. It would cost $400 million to make and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/it-s-impossible-to-make-a-movie-out-of-naked-lunch-a-literal/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [I'm not very well organized unless I'm plugged into a structure like the opera or a movie. When I'm doing that, I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/i-m-not-very-well-organized-unless-i-m-plugged-into-a-structure-like/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [We are at a major epoch in human history, which is that we don't need sex to recreate the race. You can have babies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/we-are-at-a-major-epoch-in-human-history-which-is-that-we-don-t-need/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [“As a citizen, of course. As a parent, of course. But as an artist, that's where the paradox is - your responsibility is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/as-a-citizen-of-course-as-a-parent-of-course-but-as-an-artist-that-s/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [Well I don't think sex and violence have ever stopped a movie from being mainstream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/well-i-don-t-think-sex-and-violence-have-ever-stopped-a-movie-from/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [Even Hitchcock liked to think of himself as a puppeteer who was manipulating the strings of his audience and making them jump. He liked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/even-hitchcock-liked-to-think-of-himself-as-a-puppeteer-who-was/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [“Well, yes,when you no longer have any desire, you are dead. Even desire for a product, a consumer item, is better than no desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/well-yes-when-you-no-longer-have-any-desire-you-are-dead-even-desire/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [You're seeing me develop, not only as a filmmaker if you've seen my earlier films, but you're seeing me kind of learn how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/you-re-seeing-me-develop-not-only-as-a-filmmaker-if-you-ve-seen-my/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [I work with my dreams or nightmares.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/i-work-with-my-dreams-or-nightmares/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [I never thought I was doing the same thing as directors like John Carpenter, George Romero, and sometimes even Hitchcock, even though I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/i-never-thought-i-was-doing-the-same-thing-as-directors-like-john/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [“As an artist you look into yourself to understand the human potential to be all kinds of things that are not necessarily pleasant but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/as-an-artist-you-look-into-yourself-to-understand-the-human-potential/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [Let's put it this way, when I was casting, I cast Viggo first and then found someone who could play his wife, rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/let-s-put-it-this-way-when-i-was-casting-i-cast-viggo-first-and-then/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) > [The desire to be loved is really death when it comes to art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/the-desire-to-be-loved-is-really-death-when-it-comes-to-art/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) [Explore all 82 David Cronenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. 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