Asian Horror

Traditional Asian Horror Aspects:

Modern times have changed the traditional Asian horror story. It seems that the ideals of good and evil being black and white and, the standard Gothic heroine have slipped into much of today's Asian film. 

If you have seen an Asian horror film recently where an individual sets out alone to stop a monster that is incredibly violent, meets someone along the way that they have gratuitous sex with, discovers all the hidden facts about the monster, and ultimately vanquishes said monster by breaking some kind of rule that was set in place before they got there, then you have seen an "Asian" horror movie with a distinctly Western ideology.

Asian horror had its start in ghost stories inundated with Asian culture. 

Some aspects of Asian horror that are not often seen in today's market are the importance of rules to society, the belief that the community is stronger than the individual, there is not always a hero, often more questions are raised than answered, there is no gratuitous sexual suggestions, the monsters are hungry for something, that something not usually being human flesh, and the supernatural is not always completely divided from the physical. 

In traditional Asian ghost stories there are often a set of rules that must be followed and if they are broken the character meets a terrible fate. It does not matter how small the infringement on the rule is. This stems from the culture of honor that prevails through most Asian culture. The following of a set of specific rules will lead to not only a happy life, but a "correct" life that prospers those around you. Community is extremely important. The individual striking out on their own can be dangerous to everyone else and is discouraged. This is entirely unlike the Western tales of daring heroes striking out alone to pay the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect the rest of the forlorn folks hiding at home.

Following this line of thinking, there is not always a hero. In Western ghost stories, as well as other literature, there is usually a hero that is good and a bad guy that is bad, there is very little to no "grey" area. In Asian ghost stories, however, the "grey" just keeps coming, to the point that it is hard to settle with either the ghost, who often has been wronged in some way, or the human, who doesn't understand. Along with the "grey" comes many questions, "Where did the spirit come from?" "What do they want?" "Why did they spare this person?"  Even questions like, "Why can the ghost have children with a human and does that mean she isn't really a ghost?" are rarely answered. But, Asian horror often leaves many blanks for the reader to peruse over.

In conclusion, traditional Asian horror is more concerned with psychology, whether it is of the ghost, the human, or the reader. It follows strict rules impressed upon it by the culture it came from and leaves a lasting impression of "Creepy". 

The book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things 
by: Lafcadio Hearn, is a good place to start in beginning to understand traditional Asian ghost stories. The book is mostly translated from old Japanese texts.

 
 


Required Book:
Haruki Murakami's A Wild Sheep Chase
 

In discussing Murakami's A Wild Sheep Chase I believe I will have to list some of the first things I noticed about the book as I read. 

The main character is overtly passive and doesn't change much by the end, he is also disillusioned with life and the modern world in general. The "suspension of disbelief" happens frequently for out-of-the-blue reasons. The consumption of food and cigarettes is a constant detail. There seems to be a master plan at work in which our passive main character has become entangled.

The book is a ghost story. It follows traditional Japanese ghost stories in that the ghost is in a physical form, not a spirit. This is probably why I read through half the book not realizing who the ghost really was. 

Another aspect of the Japanese ghost story used in the book would be the idea that the character is at odds with the modern world he's living in. This could be seen in how unhappy he is in his job and how he longs for the past and simpler times.

It seemed that the book explored the very frightening idea of having your life controlled by someone else without even knowing it. The main character was enraged at being used like a pawn in someone's game. However, this was the only part of the book that could be potentially frightening. This is because the ghost or the strange "Sheepman" that the main character meets are not frightening as much as they are foreboding of some greater force. In the case of this book that greater force was the mystical, powerhungry sheep itself.

While I read A Wild Sheep Chase the influence of western horror battled against my attempt to truly experiencing the book. I feel like I need to read the entire thing again from a different perspective. 

In Western horror there is emphasis on building a belief in the spirit or monster. The focus is often centered around the main character trying to survive the threat. In Japanese horror the belief is already there. People believed the sheep existed taking over control of special humans, the "sheeped", to obtain its' desires. They accepted that the girlfriend with magical ears and the secretary had the sixth sense straight off. The focus seems to be more about the slow build of information and eeriness until the terrifying conclusion. Also, in A Wild Sheep Chase the main character is being blackmailed, but other than that his life is not in danger because of a monster breathing down his neck.

In Gothic literature the character is thrown into a dark and sinister unfamiliar world. In Japanese horror it could take place in someone's backyard. The difference here obviously is that it isn't realistic for the reader to find themselves in a dark castle infested with vampires, but they could certainly be walking home from the theater when a deranged person decides to attack. In some ways this makes Japanese horror more terrifying, because home may no longer be safe. 

These differences are linked to culture. In Japanese ghost stories the ghosts were often ancestors or some other person once alive, now dead and hungry for vengeance. The reason for their monstrosity is not always physical, but psychological. 

A great example of Japanese horror and how it differs from the majority of Western horror can be found in the movie A Tale of Two Sisters...  

Required Movie:
(2003) director Kim Ji-woon's A Tale of Two Sisters







A Tale of Two Sisters builds up its' suspense all the way through to the big reveal of the family's dark secret, takes place in the home of the main character, and does not involve spirits, but instead centers on the terrifying twists the human mind can take.

The movie was very good in keeping its secrets. I figured out that there had to be some kind of split personality theme going on, but was not entirely sure who was truly disturbed until close to the reveal. The suspense and drama built up to highly crazed events, until it was obvious reality had slipped and that one of the two character's was causing it.

I personally thought the ending, after the big reveal of the mentally unstable character, was far more disturbing than the rest of the movie, because it was a flashback...

The movie spends most of its time building thrills centered around the crazy events happening in the here and now. This is similar to Western Horror, in that the young girl is trying desperately to protect herself and her sister from her crazy stepmother. 

The ending describes why the insanity began. The reason is a human evil more powerful than anything depicted at the movie's start. 

This is made all the more frightening due to the fact that all humans have these unsavory emotions inside them. Maybe not to the extent that the character in the movie does, but they are there. This means the fictional scenario could potentially happen on a very real level in your own home.


Required Movie 2: 

(1999) director Takashi Miike's Audition  


Director Miike's movie, Audition, is another "right in your own backyard" thriller. Any "perfect" woman out there could be another Asami waiting to trap you when you don't meet her impossible expectation of "Promise to only love me." It is like the Venus fly trap scenario, not all pretty flowers offer sweet nectar inside.

The movie suggests that the most innocent appearance can be deadly. This is a different idea from most Western horror films as well, since the monster is usually not in plain view or looks hideous. I say "usually" because there are a handful of beautiful, deadly vampires or beautiful, deadly aliens out there.

It seemed to me that the gore level was gratuitous. The torture scene was extremely affective with the idea of the needles and Asami's gleeful face. The piano cord sliding around Aoyama's ankle was an effective visual alone. I'm pretty sure anyone would have been able to tell what was coming next and would have been fine with a little less detail, but this is just an opinion...

Also, Aoyama's dream sequence where he seemed to pass out from pain and have a flashback was very confusing to me. Information he did not know beforehand was inserted into his hallucinations, like the man in the bag, and words were added to previous conversations. I suppose it could have been his imagination constructing the rest of the story...still, it didn't make sense. It was helpful to finally get some background on Asami, but it felt like it should have been revealed in a different manner. 

In conclusion, in A Tale of Two Sisters and Audition the eventuality of a similar scenario happening in real life is mighty slim. Interestingly, A Wild Sheep Chase does not follow the "close to home" scenario, it actually throws the character out into a cold barren landscape similar to Gothic literature such as, Mary Shelley's Frankenstien. But, it should be noted that in all three examples the characters do not feel comfortable in their surroundings. They try to fix their undesirable situations and in most cases their attempt causes more conflict. Also, their dire conditions resulted out of very close relationships either held with family, friends, or significant others, while more often than not the Western villain is a stranger.


 

Vampires

Required Book:

 

Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire seems to hold true to what vampires were meant to be from the beginning of their creation. Monsters. This is why I found it so interesting that Louis, the newly "born" vampire tried to maintain "human" morals for as long as he could. This means he drank the blood of animals, like rats, as opposed to murdering humans. 

Lestat, Louie's creator, gave a sharp contrast in that he seemed to revel in his monstrous ability. He saw himself as superior to humans in every way and therefore had no problem killing them or playing with his food. A striking example of this being his hunting style, which often used seduction. Lestat never does come to an understanding of why Louie thinks it is immoral to kill, because as far as he is concerned it is in their nature and therefore "correct".  

It would be remiss not to mention Claudia. Claudia is a five year old girl who Louie, after starving himself to avoid killing, cannot resist to drink from. Lestat is excited that Louie drank from her, because he thinks it is Louie becoming true to his nature and he changes Claudia into a vampire. So, now there is a chilling, eternal child that develops the mind of a woman but is trapped in a five year old body. Vampires are already abominations, but Claudia is a special issue, because she conflicts with the idea of childhood being an innocent state of being. This is largely because she takes to killing quite easily, often using her childlike appeal to lure her prey to death. Lestat is quite pleased with this outcome.

The idea of something being in your nature directly conflicts with learned morality in this book. For example, at first Claudia kills because she is hungry and as a child her immediate needs are most important, but later, under Lestat's influence, her killing becomes more of an entertainment. Likewise, Louie never fully comes to terms with his vampire state though he does come to understand that he must drink blood or die and he would much rather not die. 

It seems that Anne Rice prefers the idea that while free to like or dislike your true nature one can not avoid it. The vampire seems to represent this as they must again and again return to drinking blood and unavoidably killing some kind of life form to do it.

Are some things in human nature? Yes. It is in human nature to entertain, to problem solve, to eat, etc. Does that mean that it is unavoidable to at some point in life entertain yourself and solve problems. Pretty much, yes. Luckily for us the average person does not have to kill to survive and encounter the moral decisions that Louie does.

Another definition for vampire: "a person who preys ruthlessly upon others; extortionist" 
 
Hopefully, humanity will never get to the point where a vampire state of being is necessary for survival. As of right now, it definitely exists today in regard to the above definition. 

On another note entirely, Anne Rice's vampires are still different from the original version. When vampires first started to haunt human imagination they were reanimated corpses, sometimes "alive" through a demon, and always evil. They had no inner turmoil or desire outside of their drive to kill. Rice's vampires are distinctly human in that they have a great desire to belong to a group, make connections, develop, change, tell their story, wage war with their inner emotions, and feel human passions. This is what really makes them different and appealing.

Louie and Lestat are forever entwined, because, as Lestat says, he is the "creator" of Louie. Louie loves Claudia as a daughter, because she reminds him of what he has lost in becoming a vampire. Their love and hatred is in some cases as immortal as their undead bodies.

Required Movie: 

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013) dir. Jim Jarmusch


A realistic look at what vampires could be like in the modern world, this movie used color, sound, and imagery beautifully to describe ancient beings that time does not affect. 

The color used around Eve was often a bright yellow ochre. This brought to mind an antique sepia appropriate for her immense age and the lightness of her personality. She is immortal and tries to love every minute of life she is given, even having a positive outlook on skunks. This also probably has some influence on why she lives in Tangier, a place to tantalize the senses. 

Adam's music, antique collection of instruments, choice of deserted living area, and dark atmosphere speak of all he's seen and in his opinion endured. His surroundings compliment his negative mindset and are immediately lightened by Eve's presence. 

Outside of color, the music, and long, slow moving shots allude to the ages these two beings have lived. It is as if the director Jarmusch is asking his audience to forget their busy lives and allow themselves to be sucked into a luxurious world where time does not matter.

The most interesting or new aspect of the movie to me was the mention of the need to stay away from "infected" blood. The idea that future may hold undesirable consequences, even for immortal creatures was quite thought provoking. Not only do you have to drink blood to survive, but doing what comes naturally to you as a vampire could potentially result in an abrupt end to your borrowed life. Their next lowly humane meal could be the death of them.

The strong love between Eve and Adam, the way they choose to see immortality as a gift that must be cherished (mostly Eve's viewpoint), and their attempt to not drink directly from humans are all elements that seduce the viewer into forgetting what exactly they are. 
 It isn't until the very end of the movie, when the characters realize they will die if they do not drink blood that the viewer is reminded of the "nature" of vampires. They drink the blood of a couple and say they will change them into vampires, so that it is more romantic or humane. 

The movie effectively represented vampires as intelligent, elegant, and loving beings, while at the same time reminding the viewer that it was a sugar coating for the price of their immortality, an immortality that they were now going to force on an unsuspecting couple, according to the last few seconds of the movie. 

 Required Movie 2:

Let the Right One In (2008) 

 

A look at two disturbed children, only one of them is a vampire. 

Oscar is a boy constantly bullied and in desperate need of human connection. He finds this connection in Eli, a vampire in the body of an adolescent. 

There is much going on in the movie outside of the character's relationship, but I am deciding to focus on relationship as it is the movie's backbone. 

What separates this movie from Anne Rice's book and from Only Lover's Left Behind is it's focus on relationship development. 

In Interview With a Vampire, Louie's relationships are pretty much only concerning vampires except for the interviewer and his human victims. With this being said his negative opinion of Lestat is set early on. In Only Lover's Left Behind the only true relationships are between vampires as well and are set before the movie even starts.

 

Let the Right One In is interesting, because it watches the development of a relationship between Oscar and Eli. Eli encourages Oscar to stand up for himself against the bullies and shows an interest in Oscar when no one else does, not even his parents. Oscar gives Eli the benefit of his calm acceptance of all things strange. For example, Oscar only says "Oh" in regard to Eli saying, "Yes" to the question, "Are you a vampire?" There is no revulsion or fear from Oscar, because he already trusts Eli. 

Obviously Eli is still dangerous. This can be seen in the scene where Oscar tries to do a blood pact with Eli, before it is revealed that Eli is a vampire. In order to avoid attacking Oscar, whose hand is dripping with blood, Eli laps up the blood that has spilled on the floor and tells Oscar to run.

The scene in which their relationship is  sealed occurs when Oscar refuses to invite Eli into his house. It seemed Oscar did this out of doubt and the idea of a "dare" not spite. Eli steps inside and begins to bleed all over as if about to fall apart. Oscar quickly invite's Eli inside clearly terrified of the idea of loosing his one friend. After this Oscar accepts the reality of Eli being a vampire as a whole, even the fact that murder is required.

After Eli saves Oscar's life from the sadistic bullies, they run away together.The lighting of this scene is warm and inviting unlike the rest of the movie.

Let the Right One In's icy setting complemented the character's loneliness and isolation~ Oscar because of his home and social situation, and Eli because being a vampire obviously makes it hard to have a normal life. The closeup, over the shoulder, and very wide shots are dominantly used in the film in a very dramatic way. 

Unlike in Interview With a Vampire, where Louie decides he can only be an immortal vampire alone, Oscar and Eli are determined to stay together. The viewer is inclined to be happy for them, but I also felt sad since it appears Oscar will inevitably become a willing provider for Eli's hunger. He may even stoop to the act of murder eventually.

 

Gothic Literature

 plan for Gothic architecture


Gothic Literature: What is it?

Combines fiction, horror, and Romanticism. It entertains with horror. The setting is often gloomy, grotesque, and mysterious. Violent events and an atmosphere of decay can be expected. The themes of the supernatural, high emotions, inner turmoil, isolation, and Sublime nature are also a part of Gothic literature. The term Gothic refers to the architecture of the medieval buildings, which were often backdrops for the stories.

Classic Example: 

Marry Shelley's,  Frankenstein


Response: 


Before reading Marry Shelley's Frankenstein the only version of the story I had been exposed to was "Young Frankenstein". The hilarious movie, directed in 1974 by Mel Brookes, is a parody of the original story that shows history repeating itself when Frankenstein's grandson begins to follow in his grandfather's footsteps. The movie keeps to the Gothic atmosphere, but completely changes the story for comedy's sake.

In the parody Frankenstein is curious and passionate. In the book he is arrogant, selfish, and irresponsible for his actions. Even when he finally does try to take responsibility it is too late, because his inaction ultimately caused the death of his loved ones. Marry Shelley's Doctor Frankenstein wants to be God, but can't face his creation. He is socially and emotionally isolated, as well as literally isolated when he goes to the icy North alone in search of his creation and revenge. His obsession for revenge, to wipe away his mistake that cost him everything, ends in his own demise.

Marry Shelley's novel was a very interesting read. The fact that the book itself is a confession of past wrongs given to a stranger, Walton, gave me the impression that Frankenstein was telling his story to me personally. This was quite entertaining and it made the book a page turner.

The most interesting aspect of reading Frankenstein for me was how I perceived the main characters, Victor and his monster. I felt compassion for the monster and not for Victor Frankenstein. This surprised me, because everything I have encountered about "the monster" before reading the actual book illustrates him as the bad-guy, except for the parody. I found a great disliking for Victor, because he essentially created a living being and then left it all alone in the world without any kind of education or morals. This I found to be really repulsive, because the death of innocent people could have been avoided if the monster had been "raised", which is supported by the fact that he taught himself how to speak and read eloquently on his own. Victor's abandonment of the monster forced the monster into isolation and a downward spiral of lamentation of his own "birth", which surfaces in revenge against Victor, his creator. The monster even calls itself an abortion. It's hard not to feel some compassion for it after that. Victor seems to be the picture of carelessness in human nature; maybe some knowledge is better left alone.

On the other hand, the monster obviously, at some point, knows the difference between right and wrong. This means all of the murders he committed had to be made with a choice to do wrong even though he claims to be gentle and misunderstood. 

Frankenstein is Gothic in nature. Much of It's story takes place either in a desolate landscape or an icy wasteland. It explores suspense in the threat of the monster's actions. The supernatural idea of animating dead flesh becomes a possibility. Victor suffers inner turmoil over the result of his guilt at his arrogant ambition to hold the power of life like God. The strong emotions of loneliness, despair, guilt, and vengeance are dominate. Victor and his monster are both trapped by the affect they have on each other.
 

Richard Rothwell's "Portrait of Marry Shelley" 1840
 
The monster enraged by reading Frankenstein's papers and learning how Frankenstein came to create him.


Contemporary Example:

Reading Marry Shelley's Frankenstein made me think of a movie that is contemporary Gothic.

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005)



Response:  

This movie encompasses all of what it means for a media to be considered a part of the Gothic genre. (However, it's drama is lightened with a bit of humor, therefore its' also a bit of a parody commenting on the melodrama of classic Gothic Literature)

Centering around a man that is accidentally swept into literally marrying a "corpse" bride, the movie builds on the mystery behind the bride's death and the sinister motives of the characters surrounding the main character, who is just trying to find love. Destiny is a theme in the movie as well. The young man, Victor, is destined to marry a girl named Victoria through an arranged marriage. However, by the end of the movie it also appears he is destined to bring about justice for the murder of Emily, the corpse bride. As Victor gets to know Emily he encounters inner turmoil. He wants to get back to his living, breathing true love, Victoria, but doesn't know how to without betraying his corpse bride. Victor has to face his fear of the corpse bride to achieve an understanding with her, so that they can come to a conclusion where everyone wins and the corpse bride finds peace.

The story is purely fictional as it focuses on the supernatural dealings of the underworld. It combines the horror of the corpse bride with the romanticized ideal of high emotion as a source of aesthetic experience. The setting is largely the realm of the dead or an equally gloomy Victorian town. Many of the characters seen as antagonists are pictured as grotesque, in the form of the main character's parents and mysterious in the form of evil Lord Barkis. The violent events of the corpse bride's murder, the attempted murder of Victoria and the accidental death of Lord Barkis fuel the atmosphere of decay and suspense. The high emotions and inner turmoil experienced by the characters throughout the movie make the Gothic atmosphere complete.  

Interestingly, the characters find happiness and the evil of the past, in the form of Lord Barkis, is destroyed, unlike in Frankenstein, where the price for past mistakes is death.

Required Movie:

Ken Russell's Gothic (1986)


The movie Gothic is based on the factual event of 18 year old Mary Godwin, the author of Frankenstein, visiting Lord Byron in Villa Diodati by Lake Geneva along with her half sister, Jane, her soon to be husband, Percy Shelley, and the physician John Polidari. During this visit a challenge was set to write a horror story. This challenge led to Mary Godwin penning Frankenstein and John Polidori writing The Vampyre. Also influential to Mary writing Frankenstein was a nightmare she had during the same visit, which involved a mad scientist believing he could be God and giving life to a monster.

Ken Russel's Gothic only follows the facts briefly during the beginning of the movie, which then proceeds to turn literally into a nightmare come to life. His version on the events or reasons leading up to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein struck me as bizarre and shocking more than they are frightening. This is due to the horrors illustrated being extremely specific to the characters. For example, Percy Shelley is terrified of a vision he has had of a woman possessing eyeballs where her nipples should be. This imagery does not cause me to be afraid. Likewise, much of the imagery was, designed to be gross. The plate full of leeches for example is nasty, but not scream worthy.

In regard to the film Gothic actually being Gothic, yes it was, very much so.

The film is set in a secluded castle, during a storm with no way out. The characters begin to play with the idea of creation and have a seance of sorts where they call up their deepest fears and unknowingly unleash a monster of their own imagination into the world. Lord Byron is the man which many monsters were based off of, one of which being a vampyre. He is controlling, imposing, selfish, and dangerous, as well as the reason why things went downhill so fast. The questions, Should we create? and What do we do now that we have? are repeatedly talked about. Questions about free love, religion and science call to mind the Age of Enlightenment or the Age of Reason, out of which much of "Gothic" was born. The monster is never really seen or fully understood, but Mary Shelley crushes the skull out of which it supposedly came, fulfilling the idea that the Gothic damsel must face her fear in the end. The viewer is left with Mary Shelley saying that the monster is not really dead and will haunt them for the rest of their lives "to the grave". (Perhaps Ken Russel's nod to Frankenstein, since Doctor Frankenstein's monster does indeed chase him to the grave)

Henry Fuseli "The Nightmare" 1781     (Look Familiar?)

Why?

Literature of Horror, Fantasy & Sci-Fi

Course Blog for a class I am taking right now