Asian horror usually uses special effects such as masks, prosthetics and mechanized monsters in their films and for the most part use cinematic techniques such as jumps and cuts in order to get their desired scary affect. The main messages of the films usually have to deal with personal issues or social themes crossed with supernatural horror ( or they try to evoke more human emotion).
Asian horror also typically has a lot of ambiguity throughout the film and Hail Horrors, Hail says that Asian horror usually goes in one of two directions.
- Typical ghost/monster horror story with a large amount of symbolism
- or disjointed theme/plot that is hard to follow and leaves a lot of room for viewers own interpretation
They also found that in Asian horror the monster or the source of the horror is never really there to terrorize but to convey a deeper message to its viewers. It allows the audience to jump to their own conclusions about the film that were not intended by the filmmaker in the first place. A great example of this would be the movie Dark Water (2005).
Ultimately, Asian horror will tell a story that lets the audience make connections and tie it to a deeper lesson and they still think of horror itself as a great cinematic tool for success. I completely agree with our friends over at Hail Horror, Hail, and anyone familiar with Asian horror should agree that they are cinematic gods when it comes to creating a horror film that will have your mind spinning and you at the edge of your seat. However, does the evidence I've cited prove conclusively that Asian horror film are better than Western horror films?
What do you guys think about Asian Horror? Did this open your eyes to how different horror films from around the world can be?
Personally, I love Asian Horror movies. They're so fun to watch, and My favorite ones are Machine Girl and Tokyo Gore Police. Those were awesome to watch because of the amount of special effects to create it. Western Horror films aren't that exciting because you get bored when they try to put in a plot line, and you're thinking of the next move easily. Asian horrors are very unexpected.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article it was so much easier for me to distinguish between Asian and Western horror. I know more Western horror so maybe that's why it was so easy for me to see the difference in them. After taking a deeper look into Asian horror I found that I really enjoy sleuthing for my own interpretations throughout the movie. As opposed to being just shocked with direct gore or horror.
DeleteI, too, love Asian horror films--especially The Eye and The Grudge. I like them particularly because they do not subscribe to the Western notion that the good guys win in the end, nor do they "protect" main characters from harm. Anyone can die at anytime, so the suspense is much higher.
ReplyDeleteI also found that The Eye and The Grudge were my first favorite Asian horror films. They really had me scared when I was a kid and now it all makes sense why. They were made to evoke emotion from its viewers. I couldn't agree with you more that there is an immense amount of suspense in Asian horror films as opposed to western. They always have my mind turning.
DeleteI've only seen one, The Suicide Club, and it was scary as hell! They went to an extreme edge in a topic that is more taboo in America: suicide. I was definitely on the edge in this film and I want to check more of them out.
ReplyDeleteActually, I think I may have started watching that on Netflix and had to change it because that subject was just so prominent in that movie. It may not be the same one but it made it even worse that it was teens and young adults.
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