Tag

The Grudge

/

No Sleep Til Tokyo: American Reboots of J-Horror Classics… and their sequels

Back again this month with more j-horror films to trigger latent fears of technology: video cassette tapes, cell phones, cameras, the internet... nothing is sacred. Nothing is safe. Sure, we're accustomed to haunted houses -- that's old hat -- but a possessed eyeball?! Okay, okay... so maybe not so much a possessed eyeball, but at least an organ that let's you see into the spirit world. One of the most fun conventions of j-horror is that it often uses everyday objects and turns them into vessels for terror. The films in this list, excepting Godzilla, all cater[...]

/

What is J Horror?

July is J Horror Month! If you're anything like me, you're wondering what the heck J horror even is. Before we get into the whole fun of this particular brand of horror, how about a definition and a couple of examples to sink your teeth on? Wikipedia Definition: Japanese horror is Japanese horror fiction in popular culture, noted for its unique thematic and conventional treatment of the horror genre in light of western treatments. Clear as mud? I thought so. J horror has been around since the 1940-50s. The first movies were stories that incorportated Japa[...]

/

The Vengeful Spirits of Japan

We horror writers are made of sturdier stock than most, right? We can handle a good scare without much psychological scarring. I think? Maybe? This is the lie I usually tell myself as I pop in another horror movie: "I can handle it." Telling myself that "I could handle it," I sat down for the first time to watch a series of Japanese horror films that basically destroyed my sleeping patterns for a the few following months. I bought a nightlight. I developed a habit of dashing from the bathroom, which is three feet away from my bedroom, once I'd shut off the ligh[...]