J-Horror

Japanese horror is very different from the horror that we are familiar with. The stories in Kwaidan are like parable rather than "ghost stories". They seen to teach a lesson of sorts and are not always sad endings. Unlike western ghosts, the Japanese ghost can be tangible and is able to touch people. They are also not always out for revenge but they are hungry for life again. In the movie The Audition, the young woman is psycho killer. This seems to be a main theme in J horror which isnt too surprising considering that women of that culture have lived very suppressed lives. Women are meant to be subdued and obedient and so they are easy targets to make into killers. Japan is also known its horror that coincides when new technology comes out. Like monsters born from radioactivity or ghosts that haunt and communicate through phone, computers and tv. So the next obvious question is where will horror go to next? Maybe it will go back to demons or deal with population issues and viruses, whatever the case, I am sure that the classic horror tales and creatures will adapt with the times.

Salem's Lot

Stephen King is a wonderful writer and i enjoy reading many of his books. Though Salem's Lot was a bit long to read in the span of a week. His books like Salem's Lot are they kind that you have to dedicate yourself to. Which is not hard to do since it is a book that holds on doesn't let go. It takes a while to get to any sort of vampire, the majority of the book is all about the town and the people in it. There are people in the city which you almost don't care if they are killed or not. As a reader you see the underbelly of this small town and how people can be monsters just as easily as a vampire can. King's vampires range from this sophisticated personality to a newly awakened dead that acts more animalistic than human. Both versions are equally as creepy to me and I think it is because the way he writes. This book makes you feel like you know this town and could have lived in it. When the characters heart's are racing from fear, yours races as well.

Monster Island

This week's reading and movie were nice complements to each other. Both dealt with the same type of monster (zombies) yet both presented them in very different ways. The book had a contemporary post-apocalyptic setting with a twist. Instead of focusing on America, which a lot of people tend to do, the writer put in people from different countries and back grounds. These different people have to band together to stay a live but differences such as language it is hard for them to get along. The major twist in this novel is that the reader is given the point of view of one of the more intelligent zombies. This plays on our morals because this zombie can talk and think for himself so does that mean hes still human? The movie has the generic zombies but the main protagonist is black ( uncommon in that time). In zombie movies today we always seem to want a hero who escapes and does not die but, as the movie and novel show us the final ending when it comes to zombies can only be one thing. Their total annihilation of the human race.

Frankenstein

Frankenstein is one of my favorite stories of all time. I read the book years and years ago, I remember the main story line and plot points and what happens but I had forgotten the feelings it evoked in me. So I decided to read it again and to pay close attention to how I react to it. I am a firm believer that the less you see of the monster or villain the more terrifying they become. The human imagination is a wonderful and amazing thing and when reading or watching horror where the monster is very rarely seen we tend to let out imagination run and put the things we fear most into story. Shelley did a wonderful job in taking the idea of a monster that every child fears and twisting the story so the reader relates to the "monster". In the end it makes me question 'what is a monster?', 'what makes a monster?'. The "protagonist" at the beginning is turned into a sort of monster figure himself and the childhood fear of the grotesque monster is replaced for that of a more modern idea of what a monster it. The movie for this week has a similar premise. The vampire is seen as the monster through most of the movie but she has this childlike quality that makes it hard to brand her a monster. She is easily to relate to and when she helps the boy she is shown in the light of a hero. As a side note, this version is sooooo much better than the American one.

Conventions of Horror

Usually happens at night, most of the movie is at night or in the dark; Storms show up at some point in the movie; There is always a character who is or seems slightly insane/manic; Death is involved, most of the time it is murder; In movies , there is usually chilling or suspenseful music that occurs when the villain is shown; The main character does not always die but they do go through a horrifying and life changing experience, most of the time people close to them die; Horror movies and books have elements taken from real life people and/or experiences put into them, such as the villain being based off of some type of serial killer; Physical appearance of the villain is usually grotesque; Animals react to the villain or some sort of creepy figure