Week Three: J-Horror

I think the important thing to note about J-horror is how Japanese culture affects the storytelling. The basis for many of these supernatural horror stories from Japan come from years of island tradition. Japan history has always been very fascinating to me. It’s very different from Western culture, and I like to appreciate the history of an island across the sea.

Traditional Japanese mythology and lore is filled with many reflections on nature and the forces that drive it. Unlike western story’s themes of man vs man plot, traditional Japanese stories have a more man vs nature. They enemies and Yokai (demons) are not meant to be defeated, but survived. The antagonists are sometimes never explained or understood and this is accepted because sometimes nature cannot be explained. This is reflected in many J-horror stories.

Looking at one the movies from class, Pulse (Kairo), this unexplained enemy is also never really explained. They appear to be cyber ghosts, but the movie contradicts itself in other ways. The ending still baffles me a little. It really makes me question what do the black human stains mean? Did the main character disappear into sludge as well? Or was he the clearly aged man captaining the boat? But the fact that the movie never bothers to tell you if definitive of it’s heritage.

Another interesting J-horror is the famous The Ring. The Ring has been quoted many times to be the best Japanese horror film ever created, and personally I enjoyed it very much. It has many ties to traditional Japanese folklore, such as the idea that water stands for death. Traditionally, women’s hair is only worn down in death, which makes the hairy figure of Sadako even more frightening. The idea of a ghost woman in white is also a famous figure in Japanese mythology, a yūrei.  Sadako has become a sort of pop icon to the Japanese and the film has had great success. With over seven sequel/prequels, The Ring is the staple of the J-horror genre and is known to most people in the East and West.