Horror and Sci Fi Musings

I’ve always appreciated asian horror more than western horror, at least when it came to films. Asian horror is significantly subtler and attacks an individuals comfort and personal space instead of relying on jump scares and gross-out gore. In general, asian horror strikes me as a more psychological in it’s approach, which is something western media could learn from. I both read some of Battle Royale and watched the film. I absolutely love it. The premise is really inventive and still resonates today. In fact, there are two games that came out in the past year that are completely based around the premise of the Battle Royale, even using the namesake. There are several other inspirations that made their way to the big screen, Hunger Games being the most popular example. The horror aspect of Battle Royale is something anyone can understand; if you’re a kid, then it’s about your peers being slaughtered in a massive “game”…but if you’re an adult or parent, it’s about children being ...

Witches to me have always seemed like a creature spawned from the negative perspective of women-empowerment, or at least a dramatic caricature of the worst kinds of women. They can be anything from what men fear to what women fear to become. One of the most classic witches is the Wicked Witch of  the West from The Wizard of Oz. The Witch is grotesque, selfish, controlling, and dangerous. She antagonizes Dorothy and is the epitome of everything Dorothy despises. I read the Redlands comic and found it to be pretty interesting, though rushed. The three witches are the primary focus of the story and they want power. They take over Redlands with force, killing all of the men in charge. The witches are not portrayed as pure evil though. They have a plan in mind and target Redlands because it’s a corrupt and failing town. Instead of leaving it to burn or becoming dictators, they simply work the jobs of the people they killed. These witches fit a morally gray area. They’re undeniably ki...

I feel dirty after reading Bloodchild. Like I need a cold shower. I was almost relieved when they started explaining the meaning for the giant bug people and their fondness for plump humans, even if the truth was disturbing. The fact that the strange scenario wasn’t addressed until a few pages in is probably the most unsettling thing about this story. There’s something inherently creepy about a giant bug lady essentially molesting young children with her many legs, grabbing them and hugging them like pets whilst feeding them drugged eggs.   So what I gather from the story is this: Humans or “Terrans” now live on an alien world inhabited by strange centipede monsters. These centipedes allow humans to live with them, but the price is that humans become vessels for centipede eggs. On top of that, humans are treated like lesser beings. Not like slaves, but very similar to symbiotic pets. The centipede we encounter in the story is “kind” all things considered, but if they are like...

Vampires have always had an air of sexuality to them. Whether it’s the fair, powerful, and rich man or the seductive and enchanting woman, vampires are hardly androgynous.  In interview with a Vampire, sex is arguably the main theme. Louis describes becoming a vampire at the hands of Lestat as pleasurable as opposed to frightening. What happens soon after is significantly less pleasurable, with Louis’ human fluids forcing their way out of his body, but it was pleasant at first. Tranforming into a vampire seems to be compared to sex, or at least sexualized, which makes the transformation of Claudia at the hands of Lestat all the more creepy.  Lestat goes from an interesting villain to Frieza from Dragon Ball Z. He just will not stay dead. I believe he returns from death at least three times, making his return less and less impactful every time. His return after Louis and Armand flee to New Orleans was hilarious at this point.   I also found it funny how everyone...

The Hero's Journey The Hero's Journey is a tried and true method of storytelling, specifically used for myths and legends, or stories trying to emulate a similar effect. The Hero’s Journey is not a necessary trope for telling a fantasy tale but it is definitely the most popular. The Dark Crystal is prime example of the Hero’s Journey. The main character starts his quest due to his old master telling him to fulfill a destiny and he travels to hell and back, fulfilling that destiny. Though a very fun movie to watch, the Hero’s Journey trope makes it much to easy to compare what should be unrelated tales. Something I noticed while watching the Dark Crystal is how many comparisons you could make to Star Wars, for example. Completely different story. Comparing a Fantasy to a Sci-Fi Fi epic. But it’s possible and quite easy thanks to the Hero’s Journey trope used in both films. Both start with the hero taking on a higher destiny after meeting their old master (dead or not) and end...

Frankenstein by Mary Shelly Mary Shelly is responsible for creating one of the most recognizable horror stories of all time and for that, I highly respect her as an author. However, I'm not the biggest fan of her original writing of Frankenstein.  My opinions on Frankenstein are completely the result of me growing up in a time where this story has been re-told and parodied countless times. I enjoy the tale of Frankenstein in its extremes; whether incredibly dark or a lighthearted parody, doesn’t matter. Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, though the original tale, simply felt boring to me. I read it before in high school and hardly remembered a thing about it. I figured I would have come around since then but nothing’s changed. I just thought it was rather boring, plain and simple. There were two moments in particular in the writing that frustrated me. The first was a potential plot hole; when Frankenstein’s Monster is giving exposition to Frankenstein he describes his life t...