Week Three: Asian Horror:Vengeful Spirits

    J-Horror would have to be my favorite type of horror movie, for as long as I can remember. It seems to be that the "evil" in J-Horror movies is not so "evil" but almost cursed to be evil by something that happened to them in there life. Which brings up the question of who is the true villain in these movies? It kinda brings up the hole idea that humans are the real evil in the world rather than "the devil" or something that "just is".
    You sympathies with the spirit (or what not) in J-horror. Because of this nature of there stories there tends to be a much more rich background story (from what I have seen anyhow) or at lest there's more to there story than "it's just evil because it is". Which I think most people enjoy more its more relatable to a real lives. We can make the connection to how such things "could" be real, and that i think is much more creepy.

(The Ring (2002 film) by, Gore Verbinski.)
    Even though this movie was a remake and has been americanized it still has good core elements to J-horror. The little girl herself was not evil at first, she was just a baby. A baby that was subjugated to abuse by her insane mother (if I remember correctly). In turn her spirit was cursed so to speak. Hungry, constantly looking for a new mother a "good" mother. You end up feeling sorry for the girl and then wounder, "wait who here really is the evil doer?" That's something I just love it's more of a psychological mystery a moral story of ones soul or something deep like that haha.

 (Kwaidan)
      I really enjoyed these story's as well. They seemed vary easy to read to me or comprehend. Some of them ended vary abruptly but I really like that, made you wounder "..whit..what just happened?" Some of the stories also had a comedic affect to them which was great. Like the story with the guy who got his ears ripped off by the ghost, it was just super funny how that all played out in the end. How some of the other characters didn't think much of it.
      On another note about j-horror books/graphic novel, there creatures are really unique to the j-horror seen. For example I believe in Kwaidan one of the first stories talked about crabs with human faces on there backs. I've never seen/heard of any type creatures other than in j-horror, they seem to be vary creative about that.

Week Four: The New Weird

   

      This movie was not what I expected it to be at all. At first just by the name and the cover of the movie I thought It was for sure just going to be like ever teen horror movie. It indeed up being really funny (to me) and kinda played off on the cliche themes of a "teen horror" movie and all horror movies. I did get bored at times and I have to say there wasn't much of a real plot to the movie it was all just really silly to me. I didn't really start getting interested in the movie till the end, when all of the monsters were let loos to reek havoc! And lets just take a moment to talk about that unicorn, hands down my favorite part of the whole movie. That teen seconds of an evil unicorn made the movie for me.
   
      I did enjoy the ending of the movie as well it wasn't a "happy" ending. The hole plot of the movie however was a little stale for me, and the hole movie seemed like a rushed mishmash. As if the creators HAD to fit every little cliche of ever horror movie ever made into one movie weather it made sense or not. Over all the movie was alright, but I just cant get over that unicorn everyone should watch it just for that unicorn.

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King Rat

Yet again another great novel, I love how your not really sure about what exactly the characters really are. There seems to be no true set of rules that any of the characters traits seem to follow, it keeps you on your toes that's for sure. Because of this lack of traditional guidelines with in the shaping of the characters I never got bored of reading. The story line however seemed to stay on a more traditional guideline of are "hero" not wanting to accept there true calling, king of the rats! These two points together almost made the novel easier to read and understand. It helped as well to make the weird nature of the characters to not seem so weird? Great read!

Week Two: Vampire: Love and Pain

         A vary good read, the book is so much better than the movie. In the movie they cutout so many key components. Also some of the characters roles and relationships where completely changed. I'm not sure why they felt the need to do this in the movie. But the book is vary good, like all of Anne Rice's work. If i had to pick I think Anne Rice's interpretation on the classic vampire is my favorite. I love how rich the characters are and there relationships. In all her books there vary deep and well thought out. Her story's are almost more of strange love story's between many characters even if there not romantically involved, as well as vary theatrical. It's a shame that all the movies based off her books are so butchered (my opinion). 

       This post has kind of turned into a post more about her vampire books as a whole, so to get back on track. The characters in interview with a vampire are all great and iconic type characters. The idea of interviewing a "monster" or "vampire" is also a great one. getting to hear the story of there life, who wouldn't want to know/hear about that. I also enjoyed how descriptive she was with things in the story like Lestat dancing with the corpse of Claudia's mother. This story is much like Frankenstein, its more about the struggle of being a "monster," the struggle to want to be normal, in a world where everyone strives to be different.

Week One: Beginning with Frankenstein

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        I really enjoyed this book, it's not so much about a "monster" as it is about a "tortured soul,"

So to speak. The hole feeling threw out the book is vary macabre and really depressing haha. The book is beautifully written, but can be hard to read at times, especially with the overly long depressing sequences.

         

    I actually liked the movie more than the book, which could probably be contributed to seeing the movie first. It was a lot less slow pace for me, which i liked in this case. I do like the idea of this weird undead love story, and I can imagine in its time was a vary new idea, plus Frankenstein's bride is one of my favorite monsters to this date ;) All in all a must read for every fan of the genre!

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