--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem with movies and books is they…" description: "\"The problem with movies and books is they make evil look glamorous, exciting, when it's no such thing. It's boring and it's depressing and it's stupid...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/dean-koontz-118_book_the-problem-with-movies-and-books-is-the_104817.jpg" --- # The problem with movies and books is they make evil look… ![“The problem with movies and books is they make evil look glamorous, exciting, when it's no such thing. It's boring and it's depressing and it's stupid. Criminals are all after cheap thrills and easy money, and when they get them, all they want is more of the same, over and over. They're shallow…” quote by Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/dean-koontz-118_book_the-problem-with-movies-and-books-is-the_104817.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/dean-koontz-118_book_the-problem-with-movies-and-books-is-the_104817.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c99/dean-koontz-118_book_the-problem-with-movies-and-books-is-the_104817.jpg) > “The problem with movies and books is they make evil look glamorous, exciting, when it's no such thing. It's boring and it's depressing and it's stupid. Criminals are all after cheap thrills and easy money, and when they get them, all they want is more of the same, over and over. They're shallow, empty, boring people who couldn't give you five minutes of interesting conversation if you had the piss-poor luck to be at a party full of them. Maybe some can be monkey-clever, some of the time, but they aren't hardly ever smart.” [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Media often glamorizes wrongdoing, making it appear appealing, which can desensitize audiences and reduce critical engagement with moral complexity. **In simple terms:** Glorified evil is shallow and boring. Key Takeaway Superficial portrayals of villainy lack depth. Themes media criticism morality culture Mood cynical critical Type cultural critique observational When to use this quote - film reviews - book clubs - media literacy classes Key Concepts ethical storytelling psychology of attraction Practical Applications - encourage nuanced characters - highlight consequences of wrongdoing Questions to Reflect On - Why do people gravitate toward sensationalized villains? - What responsibilities do creators have in depicting evil? A Different Perspective Some audiences enjoy escapism; not all depictions aim to moralize. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Boring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boring/) [Boring people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boring-people/) [Clever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clever/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals/) [Criminals Cheap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criminals-cheap-1261778/) [Depressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressing/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Easy money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy-money/) [Empty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Evil look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil-look/) [Exciting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exciting/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Five minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five-minutes/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Glamorous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glamorous/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Interesting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting/) [Interesting conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting-conversation/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Luck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luck/) [Make Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-evil-1261777/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Monkeys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monkeys/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Shallow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shallow/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid/) [Stupid Criminals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid-criminals-1261776/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [The primitive in each of us climbs closer to the surface during the night, for the moon sings to it, and the cold void…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-primitive-in-each-of-us-climbs-closer-to-the-surface-during-the/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [Lies and victimhood make evil possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/lies-and-victimhood-make-evil-possible/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Temptation gains power by persistent solicitations that beget thoughts that make evil less serious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-owen/temptation-gains-power-by-persistent-solicitations-that-beget/) [John Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-owen/) > [I tiger can smile A snake will say it loves you Lies make us evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/i-tiger-can-smile-a-snake-will-say-it-loves-you-lies-make-us-evil/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Perhaps only that revenge is ultimately unsatisfying," Snow said. 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"To make suffering endurable To make evil intelligible To make justice desirable and . . . to make love possible”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rosenblatt/why-do-we-write-to-make-suffering-endurable-to-make-evil-intelligible/) [Roger Rosenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rosenblatt/) > [Evil by its very nature opposes the purposes of God, but God, in his sovereignty, can make even this evil serve his purposes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-f-wells/evil-by-its-very-nature-opposes-the-purposes-of-god-but-god-in-his/) [David F. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-f-wells/) > [Vanity, in a fairy tale, will make you evil. Vanity in the real world will drive you nuts. Vanity makes you say things like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-siken/vanity-in-a-fairy-tale-will-make-you-evil-vanity-in-the-real-world/) [Richard Siken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-siken/) > [Do not look for evil. Look for the goodness of God all around you. As you look for signs of His Presence, many more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-cooke/do-not-look-for-evil-look-for-the-goodness-of-god-all-around-you-as/) [Graham Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-cooke/) > [Somebody told a lie one day. They couched it in language. They made everything Black ugly and evil. Look in your dictionaries and see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/somebody-told-a-lie-one-day-they-couched-it-in-language-they-made/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“It is a great evil to look upon mankind with too clear vision. You seem to be living among wild beasts, and you become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-beckford/it-is-a-great-evil-to-look-upon-mankind-with-too-clear-vision-you/) [William Beckford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-beckford/) > [If we don't have a clear sense of our identity and purpose, we are much more vulnerable to Lucifer. He of course knows this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheri-l-dew/if-we-don-t-have-a-clear-sense-of-our-identity-and-purpose-we-are/) [Sheri L. Dew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheri-l-dew/) > [“world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/world-is-a-dangerous-place-not-because-of-those-who-do-evil-but/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“Beauty's only skin deep. Everybody has ugly days. We're all made of the same stuff underneath. Acting right is better than looking right. Realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-delany/beauty-s-only-skin-deep-everybody-has-ugly-days-we-re-all-made-of-the/) [Shannon Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-delany/) ## More by Dean Koontz > [“This kind of derangement is emblematic of humankind. Grave faults are said to be only eccentricities, and imperfections are routinely celebrated as mere differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-kind-of-derangement-is-emblematic-of-humankind-grave-faults-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [What really holds their marriage together are mutual respect of an awesome depth, a shared sense of humor, faith that they were brought together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/what-really-holds-their-marriage-together-are-mutual-respect-of-an/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Her mother said that three great powers kept the universe going. The first and the strongest was God. Each of the two additional powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/her-mother-said-that-three-great-powers-kept-the-universe-going-the/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“I stopped keeping an eye out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve because, when I was five, my mother told me that Santa was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-stopped-keeping-an-eye-out-for-santa-claus-on-christmas-eve-because/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“To one degree or another, I have been happy most of my life, in part because the world has infinite charms if you wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/to-one-degree-or-another-i-have-been-happy-most-of-my-life-in-part/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“This life is just a bootcamp, to test and toughen us, to prepare us for the next life of service in some great adventure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-life-is-just-a-bootcamp-to-test-and-toughen-us-to-prepare-us-for/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“A madman should have a madman’s laugh, not the warm chuckle of a favorite uncle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/a-madman-should-have-a-madman-s-laugh-not-the-warm-chuckle-of-a/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Nothing is predetermined for us, and yet all our possible choices are threads in the vast weave of things, so that we have free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/nothing-is-predetermined-for-us-and-yet-all-our-possible-choices-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“In fact, time teaches us that the musical score of life oscillates between that of Psycho and that of The Sound of Music, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/in-fact-time-teaches-us-that-the-musical-score-of-life-oscillates/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Some will accuse me of being judgmental. Thank you. And proud of it. You wreck a kid's life, I have no pity for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/some-will-accuse-me-of-being-judgmental-thank-you-and-proud-of-it-you/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Waiting is one of the things that humans beings cannot do well, though it is one of the essential things we must do successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/waiting-is-one-of-the-things-that-humans-beings-cannot-do-well-though/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Dogs know we need to give affection as much as they need to receive it. They were the first therapists; they've been in practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/dogs-know-we-need-to-give-affection-as-much-as-they-need-to-receive/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) [Explore all 1,233 Dean Koontz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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It's boring and it's depressing and it's stupid. Criminals are all after cheap thrills and easy money, and when they get them, all they want is more of the same, over and over. They're shallow, empty, boring people who couldn't give you five minutes of interesting conversation if you had the piss-poor luck to be at a party full of them. 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