"Akata Witch" Assignment

Akata Witch tells the story that involves several different witch type characters with their own powers and personality.

 In Akata, the main character, Sunny, who is from a Nigerian family. When she goes back to Nigeria is when her powers start to become apparent and start to manifest within her. She is also described as being albino, which gives her a distinct appearance amongst the rest of the characters. The witches aren’t really described by using usual stereotypes of green skin tone and warts., Instead, by describing her as a different kind of witch.  For example, the author describes Sunny being from Nigeria, as well as being an alibino, and being good a soccer. The story doesn’t really describe her as a usual witch, but as this person who has witch abilities. This is used for the other characters in the story. This, to me, feels like the author is placing in homages to what a witch would usually look like, with their green skin. I may be exaggerating here, but, to me, it feels like a bit of an homage. Characters in the story are Orlu, Chichi, Sasha, as well as the scholars and the antagonists. Each character has their own personality that they resemble. Whether it be the authority figure, a friendly protagonist, or the an antagonist, the story helps in making a story that suits the usual story of witches and witchcraft.

I feel that they aren’t exactly archetypes of what witches are, but rather as individuals with certain abilities. This plays more like a coming of age tale than being solely about a witch. It has more of a feeling of someone wandering how to come to terms with one self, especially when one has special, latent abilities. This is also being sought out as another version of Harry Potter. Having both of them be about people with special abilities, attending a place that will help them in figuring out more about their abilities. 

When it comes to looking at how they show positive, and powerful female characters, they pretty much help the story itself. For example, Sunny and Orlu are two characters who interact ad help each other out.

I feel that having multiple different female characters with their different aspects, whether it be where they are from or their physical appearances that differ from each other can help reach different audiences and personality. This also helps in making the story refreshing and translatable to audiences.

For Sunny, it’s her sun related abilities that helps her be this ray of positivity to those who read. Also, her albino, related to her disappearing abilities shows that even if someone is this positive person, they can still have moments of negativity, as long as it doesn’t overpower their positivity. That is an incredible power that can help a story reach the right kind of audience. In this case, it can be female readers who look at the characters and see something special in it. 

"Suspiria" (1977)

Directed by Dario Argento, 1977’s Suspiria centers around a young woman who attends a ballet school in Germany. She is soon involved in a murder mystery of students at the school, that is then thought to be work of witches and witchcraft. What is interesting about the witch aspects in the film is that it isn’t mentioned, or thought of, until the third act. Other films that center around that aspect is usually a huge aspect of the story, sometimes used earlier in the story. Here. It’s used more of an afterthought that isn’t put into the character’s minds until close to the end after all of the murders happen.

Argento creates this visually interesting story with a slab of unconventionalism. Everything from the setting, which is the ballet school, to the staff there, which is the ballet teacher, the director creates this weird and cold setting that enhances the mood of the film. The later revelation that witchcraft could be a factor in the happenings in the story. The which craft isn’t exactly the usual type that most people would think of, but it’s more of a spiritual aspect where you aren’t sure if it’s actually happening. All of this helps solidify the weirdness that Argento’s Suspiria creates in his film of witches and ballet slippers. 

"Borne" Writing Assignment

In Borne, the story contains several instances and aspects that would be deemed “wired”. Everything from the characters, such as Mord, who is a giant flying bear, to Borne, a metaphorically personified character, the story goes out of it’s way of being able to plunge the reader, full force, into the atmosphere of the story. In my opinion, the word, “weird”, especially when telling a story, can be used in different ways, from it’s approach to its excecution. Mainly, I see it as being able to make people believe in the story they are experiencing. Whether it be the characters, or the setting, a “weird” story can help in the believability of the story being told.

In the story, the city is threatened by this apocalyptic event that has left the are in ruins and in constant, looming danger for its citizens.  It has been shown that abandoned stores located in the ruined city. Characters, Wick and Rachel, live along cliffs, because of how badly the city had become after the disaster. This still go about their lives like nothing had happened. This goes with the weirdness that the story expresses. The fact they they would continue to live in their homes that are so close to danger helps in the unusual found in the story.  Another example would be how characters are exaggerated metaphors. Instead of all characters being actual, physical individuals, some are can be seen as nonexistent to everyone. or For example, the character of Mord, the flying bear is used a symbol for the unpredictability of the current state of the world in the story. This is a perfect example of how unexpected and different this story can be.

The down side of a "wired" story like this can be that the viewer/reader may get plunged too hard into the story that the viewer gets confused and starts to feel disoriented by it. Because of all of the things being thrown into it, the viewer doesn’t get enough time to take in all of the atmosphere and other aspects being showcased. You have to correctly establish this world from the outside before plunging the weird depths underneath.

I may be exaggerating here, but it can feel a bit disorienting to someone who is experiencing this weird, wide world for the first time and may not get used to it immediately.

Overall, Borne is a story that knows what it is; an apocalyptic story filled with multiple, unusual characters in an unusual setting. What is cool about the story is seeing how much “weirdness” that the author places in here. It shows what certain content can be written and placed into a story that makes sense, all for the type of story being told.

"Sinister" (2012)

Directed by Scott Derrickson, Sinister is a 2012 horror film that revolves around a crime writer who finds these mysterious film tapes that show disturbing murders that date back decades ago.

The weirdness and unusualness come from the tapes themselves, which were found in a box in an empty attic. He wonders why the content in the tapes are all related. 

Each tape show a different family being executed in various ways, from hanging, to being lit on fire in a car in their garage. Each tape has one thing in common, the mysterious creature known as the Baghuul. The Baghuul is depicted as this sharply dressed, mouthless spirit that haunts and hypnotizes children into committing horrendous acts of cruelty. He doesn’t say anything, and is treated as this unsettling entity that is the driving force for the murders shown in the tapes. This is another aspect to the story that gives it it’s weirdness and and unknowingness. Who is he? Why is he recruiting children to commit horrid acts? What is his end goal? This is ultimately unresolved, which adds even more vagueness and mystery to the Baghuul.

When it comes to horror, I believe that what is unexpected can be just as scary, sometimes even more. The unknown can be so curious to us, and can be so unnerving. In most horror films, wither it be a supernatural horror, a murder mystery, or a generic slasher film, not knowing anything about the killer and not knowing the reasoning and motives can cause the story to be unnerving to the viewer. That, I feel can cause a successful, intended reaction that makes the story that more intriguing.

"Kwaidan" Reading Assignment

For this week's reading assignment, I chose to write about Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things.

There, I was able to examine different supernatural stories involving several different individuals, some from legend, and some not. This was very much more of an anthology based story them a straight horror story. This gives the book these different approaches to horror storytelling in an interesting manner. What I liked most about these stories was where it goes from showcasing stories of legend, tortoise of themes tat we are familiar, from sacrifice, to broken promises, such as in Yuki-Onna.

I found them all different and each of them had a certain quality that made them stand out, whether it’s Hoichi, which was about a man who gets involved with a spirit, to O-Tei, a story about about resurrection and promising to a loved one, to Jikininki, about human flesh and a priest who used to be a creature. Each story had their own kind of supernatural storytelling. 

I can see this being different from western horror and gothic storytelling. This is mainly due because of the place where it originates, which is Japan in the book. Horror can have so many different meanings, depending on the origin. Western gothic, and horror is mainly from grotesque, dread, and and darkly moody atmosphere and characters. In a Japanese based horror, it placed more to the culture, since culture is incredible important to Japanese. This gives horror tone of new perspectives, and can help the genre of storytelling evolve.

The book also shows assumptions of what good and evil is, and how it is presented. It can even reflect here on cultural  orientation. In Kwaidan, some stories depict different myths and legend, such as a samurai and heaven, and shows how it with relates to the culture, religious backgrounds, and/ or philosophy. This, again is very different from many western horror stories, whether it's in literature form on on the big screen. We always associate western horror and gothic with atmosphere, where in Japan, it's more in civilizations, and showcases several figures of legends and myths. These assumptions and aspects in the stories may not be exactly like many other gothic stories that we know, but they both have these unsettling stories with realist undertones. May not be as scary, but the tragic aspect in the stories, such as the spirits in the O-Tei story, have at least some similarities to gothic fiction storytelling. 

Overall, Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things tells several different anthology supernatural stories that all aligns with culture, which is different from how we are camera with horror and gothic literature and storytelling. they both have the effectiveness of delivery griping narrative that deal with the supernatural and horror, but in two different methods, whole both being successful at what they aim to do.

"Audition" (1999)

“Audition” is a Japanese horror film by director, Takahi Miike. It's one of the films I chose to watch from the list of suggested films of the blogspot.

The film is about a man, who had recently lost his wife and is influenced, by his son, to seek out a new wife by holding auditions for a new wife, under the guise of it being a for a film.

The film explores mainly the subject of objectification, most towards women that go through the titular audition, as well as the consequences. This a very controversial subject matter, especially with current events happening. The main character, Shigeharu Aoyama, doesn’t actually show signs of knowing that he is objectifying these women through the auditions, as he mainly sees this as being able to get a new wife.

The film has two ways of being viewed: The first part being that the first half of the film can be seen as a man wanting to find wife again after the loss of his first, and the later half being a torture based horror film. 

The torture and horror part for the film comes from one of the women who goes through the audition process, gets accepted, and then finds out the reason for the audition. She then paralyzes him, and then subjects him to physical abuse and harm for what he had done. This is an incredibly gruesome story, yet interesting, from a storytelling process. The subject of objectification is turned upside down when she touchers him for objectifying all the women in the audition, as punishment for not only Aoyama, but also objectification that is happening in today’s sex and body obsessed culture

Overall, “Audition” is a gruesome, and psychological thriller about the horrors and consequences of objectification. This creates a story that can be seen as a dark reminder of the dangers of treating individuals as anything but. 

"Interview with the Vampire Writing Assignment"

One of the first relationships shown in Interview with the Vampire is set up early. It begins with Louis (the interviewer) and Lestat de Lioncourt, the vampire to whom Louis is interviewing. The story sets up both how they interact with one another throughout the interview, but also how Vampires are portrayed in the story, such as not being harmed by light. 

Lestat is the one who “creates” Louis, turning him into a vampire (and later, Claudia). He acts more than thinking, since he is a vampire, choosing to bite first before everything else. It later talks about Lestat’s insecurities, and how he uses his powers to keep Louis close to him, resulting in Lestat coming off as this character who knows he’s flawed and will do whatever it takes for that insecurities to not show externally. This an extent of the gothic nature of a story like this. The gothic elements of vampire and the dreary sense towards oneself. It’s the darkness of vampires combined with the reality of one’s persona and how one feels about him or herself. 

Another relationship, which is the most complicated, involves Claudia. Because Claudia was “made” by both Lestat and Louis, after being bitten, this becomes a bit complicated and creates some tension. She has forgotten her human self, and leaves this trail of self loathing and sadness since she feels she won’t have this fulfilling life as a vampire. I feel that this not only creates this interesting look at how a vampire based relationship would be, but also enhances its Gothic undertones and mood. She hastes what she has become from the last 70 years, and can’t do anything about it. Even though she has this relationship with Louis, she feels this hatred and love for him for turning her into a vampire.

Another character that gets involved in the relations is Armand, the oldest of the vampires and leader of the coven of vampires. He sees Louis as this way of helping him connect to the times, especially the 19th century, since he’s been around for so long, and a bit out of touch. It’s his affinity for Louis and his natural evil that causes Armand to kill Claudia. It’s his natural evil combined with his love for another that creates this unnatural, and often unnerving, relationship, which creates an interesting situation. This is what the story is ultimately about; these unsettling relationships between horrific individuals, choosing between their natural urges and living a new life, while trying to come to terms with their new found affinities.

Overall, the relationships shown in Interview with a Vampire can be viewed as ones that embodied love and self doubt, where some characters love one another, yet have trouble coming to terms with themselves. This also goes great with the gothic themes around other gothic readings, such as Frankenstein, and the dark, and gloomy atmosphere, and placing in these realistic and resonating times that most readers would find relatable.

"Frankenstein Writing Assignment"

For this assignment, I decided to talk about a small aspect in the story that I believe shows an aspect of gothic literature, which is dark and gloomy, mixed with with a relatable topic. I am writing about how Victor is disgusted after he sees his creature, and how his image doesn’t reflect his personality. One of the most important aspects to Gothic literature is the gloomy and decaying atmosphere that the author portrayed.

In Frankenstein, this is most often shown where Victor first creates his monster and, after looking at his new creation for the first time, he sees nothing but horror and disgust. I feel that this is a prominent example that Shelly creates and exaggerates, but also feels like it’s resonating. Shelly also implies this irony into the story, since the the monster feels like this sweet and tender being with an horrific and nightmare inducing exterior. Victor finishes his creation and it’s visage creates this horrific image that haunts its creator. This a great part of the gothic horror, and the a kind of story. Not only is this dark, but can also be a dark reflection of how image is everything to people and how if our image is not impressive to others, we might think we are less than desirable.The monster’s growing alertness to his surroundings and growing knowledge of people’s emotions, and empathy towards himself. Even the people in the village that the monster visits see him as the opposite of his creator, as this peaceful being with a grotesque appearence, This is a reflection on how the monster’s solitude, which is contrasted with the monster’s knowledge and surprising eloquence. The monster’s serration of the others relates to his social problems. The monster’s growing intelligence reflects the sad, and darkness he has been through.

Overall, this is very effective in showing what gothic literature can do; presenting these stories of horrific creatures and layer them with these themes and ideals that feel more realistic to the reader. This, in a way, makes this even more frightening because of how real it can be viewed as today. 

"The Lost Boys"

Directed by Joel Schumacher, The Lost Boys is a unique horror film from the 1980's about vampires. The film is about two brothers who encounter a band of bikers after they move to Santa Carla in California. There, they find out that the bikers they met are actually vampires and are gathering teens into their cult and turning them into vampires. The film is about the brothers trying to kill them, and destroy the head vampire.

In the film, Vampires are portrayed as these cult leaders who are taking innocent children and teens to be part of their cult. The fact that the head vampire must be destroyed in order to destroy every other vampire chances the cult aspect that Schumacher creates. As opposed to the usual portrayal of vampires like Nosferatu, and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, these vampires are seen as being able to pass for teenagers. They go out at night to stalk and gain new members to turn into vampires. They wore these punk rocker, almost gothic clothing, to differentiate themselves from other people there. Like bats, the film also shows these vampires sleeping by being hung upside-down from the ceiling. They also cannot go into the sunlight. The film shows the usual aspects of vampires that we are familiar with, but modernizes them in way that seems natural an different, especially for creating a new kind of vampire of a new generation. The film embraces the stereotypes and aspects that Vampires and Dracula are known for, and establishes it’s own rules.

Overall, the film creates an intriguing story about modern vampires and creates it’s own spin on the classic interpretation of vampires a new audience.