HORROR IN DC
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This week I want to discuss the new season of Stranger Things. Although I watched the entire season the day it came out (yes you read that right), I wanted to wait a while before writing about it.
What the second season of Stranger Things does better than a lot of other horror movies that center around kids is that they make the supporting cast just as viable. I can’t tell you how many horror movies I’ve watched where the kids are the protagonists and they are up against an evil force. However, with the help of adults, taking down the monsters would have been much, much easier. By including adults, it gives the threat of the Mind Flayer (the villain in season 2) a whole new meaning. It makes the threat more real if the adults are scared just as much, if not more than the kids. In many horror films starring kids, involvement by older adults and/or the government would have solved the problem relatively fast. Although filmmakers do this to give audiences a sense of isolation, but it also makes the threat seem, well, less threatening. Which brings me to my final point, I believe that the reason why horror movies do this is not just to make the audience feel isolated, but to make them feel like they are the only one’s capable of taking down whatever evil threatens them. This strategy works, but I think that all horror movies can learn from Stranger Things and see that by incorporating people of all ages as a part of the storytelling, it makes it much scarier, and more inclusive, while teaching valuable lessons along the way.
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In Sesshu Foster’s Atomik Aztex, it comes as no surprise that one of the main themes is human sacrifice. In the Aztec culture, it is a way to honor the gods. And in this book, sacrifice has turned into a sort of industrial process. Sacrifice has become a way of dealing with the Germans they capture, and to appease to the gods that rule over them. It is a way of life for them, an action where thought is not a part of the equation.
In Atomik Aztex,, we see Zentzontli get sacrificed, and then later, reject the idea of him being sacrificed in the first place (Foster 152). And with it, the concept of sacrifice for the greater good comes into play, where the theme of rejecting the status-quo is brought up. Zentzontli works at a slaughterhouse, where he gets an unsavory view into how meat is processed. His ritual, where he briefly hugs the animal he slaughters is somewhat poetic, he has turned his killing into somewhat of a routine. Same with the Aztex, except on a much larger scale. The Aztex sacrifice the Germans that they capture to please their gods. Something that is equivalent to, well, the slaughtering of animals. Both are a way of pursuing the greater good, as they are both an act that is for the benefit of the people. One is so the people can eat, the other to keep the earth spinning. However, when the time comes for Zentzontli to be sacrificed, we are quickly met with a reassuring statement that he was not, and “would never let that happen” (Foster 152). This rejection of the machine that Zenzontli has been a part of reminds me of the movie “Terminator”, where a computer has revolted against its own creators, and rejects the world for how it is, and tries to make it how (it its own opinion) it should be. In this situation, Zenzontli has become the singularity, completely self-aware. Even in the first moments of the book, he refers to himself as “The Keeper of the House of Darkness” (Foster 1). By doing this, he separates himself from the mortality of the world. He is now a god, completely control of his own destiny, that is, after becoming self-aware, or so we think. Zenzontli’s refusal to be sacrificed and to abide by society’s laws are what makes this book so interesting. This book is unlike the status quo in every way, which is why we are met with the character whose very nature is to be against it. In this story, Zenzontli’s refusal to be a cog in the Aztex machine is the true haunt, but only to those who cling to power. This week we read Atomik Aztex by Sesshu Foster. This book is a whirlwind of pop culture references and dystopian visions. While reading this, I was quite confused with just about everything I read. Something I enjoyed playing with was the concept of having one’s culture replaced with another’s.
The book takes place in a world where the Aztek empire has colonized North America and is the main imperialistic force. Reading this from an American perspective, I find this concept fascinating! It’s a little off-putting to think of anyone but America being the main land holders on North America. I can’t help but laugh at the irony of me thinking this because of the irony considering what the early American settlers did to the native Americans. Is this book a tribute to those who have been misplaced by American imperialism? It would make sense, as there is very little mention of American culture in this book. This semester we’ve read two books about a people being displaced, beat-up, and forgotten (Beloved and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao). In both of those books, the U.S. had been responsible in some way for the main character’s misery, but what happens when it’s us? The book presents many American concepts like a past dream, or like a thought that is roped off with sign reading “keep out.” This book is unconventional in so many ways, because in just about every book the Americans are the main player, the big, bad, wolf. But in this book, American culture has been reduced to a few small references, one of them being the mentioning of Disneyland. In Oscar Wao, we saw what it was like to fight so hard to preserve your identity as a Dominican, with the crushing American identity being placed upon them. In Atomik Aztex, there is none of it, simply a new imperialistic force that feels slightly similar because of some of its language, but in reality it is something completely different and separate from the American empire we live in now. This week, we finished The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz. While finishing the book, I couldn’t help but notice that throughout the semester, we have been reading stories in which the haunt’s existence is questionable. Whether the haunt is truly supernatural, or is a real thing that was caused by the atrocities that existed in the world at the time the story takes place in.
Hill House, The Turn of the Screw, Bartelby, all have haunts that are arguably nonexistent. Last week, I talked about how a haunt is most scary when you see a little bit inside yourself. An example being connecting with the personality of a killer in a horror movie. Or having similar desires as the antagonist of a horror movie, like survival, and the ways and means we will got to ensure it. This week, I want to explore how in a horror piece, it is common for the authors to mask the haunt with a real fear or event. For Oscar Wao, it was the repercussions of colonialism. Although more than just colonialism was a part of the overarching theme, another factor being Fuku, it is important to not that much of the grotesque and stereotypical language that the author uses is a result of colonialism. The character’s abysmal situation can usually be traced by a few powerful men deciding to destroy the county or territory they look over to satisfy their basic pleasures. In my opinion, I think Hollywood could take a few lessons from writers like Junot Diaz and Tony Morrison. The use of real world horrors to tell a supernatural story is something that is not only compelling, but it gives the reader a reason to remember it by. When a horror movie is made in Hollywood, it often has absolutely no connection to the real world. If there were more real-world connection in horror movies, we would see more critically acclaimed horror movies like Jordan Peele’s Get Out. Get out employs the same tactics, although not set in 100% reality, it brings up serious themes about race in society, that make the audience stop and think, “this isn’t real, right?” These types of stories that have root in truth have the power to do immense good. Americans consume large amounts of entertainment, and if more of it had real world implications, and actual stakes to them, we would see more compelling story telling, and a more diverse story told. After reading Oscar Wao, I went and researched Trujillo and the atrocities he committed. And I’m sure that after watching Get Out, people went back and learned more about race relations and slavery in America. Bad Fuku
This past week we read Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao. In it, we see many comic book references, along with strong wording that turns an odd occurrence in our world into something else entirely. This does not only apply to this novel, the readings we have done before turned normal bodily functions and emotions into monsters of their own. In both The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Beloved, by Toni Morrison, we see an act like sex turned into an unbecoming of someone, where something very normal is taken and used against those in the novel and the reader. In fact, it’s safe to say that when the things that are most pleasurable to humans are turned against us, tend to haunt us the most. As is with any horror story, naturally. What is it about Junot Diaz and his use of surreal wording to convey someone or something’s monstrosity? He described the body of both Oscar and his Mother in exaggerated proportions, at one point referring to her breasts as “titanic” (Diaz 93). Diaz’s wording seeks to alienate us from our own bodies, and look at how we view ourselves in a more organic fashion. He compares our bodies to disgusting and surreal objects, which makes us think, is this the haunt he intends? Diaz’s work is littered with grotesque descriptions of two different body types. However, when it comes time to describe a horrific beating, Diaz skips over what could have been a gore filled sequence, instead he reverts to a list of injuries that Oscar’s mother endured. Diaz seeks to make us wary of how we perceive ourselves, and tell the story of how one nation was ravaged by imperialism. Because, if bodies are symbols for countries, is ours as clean as we think it is? For my paper, I will be analyzing Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and comparing the ways in which Eleanor evolves with the ways in which the world around Jackson evolved at the time she wrote the novel. I look at the ways in which Eleanor treats her new status of being away and free of her sister, and how it can be interpreted as a stern warning for the leaders of the world at that time. Although the text does not directly talk about world events, it brings about a solid message in that, one should be careful when they are introduced to new power and freedom. For Eleanor, this was her downfall, and the way in which she drew conclusions and dove headfirst into an experience that she was not ready for. Although the argument I am making is not completely new to our in-class discussions, it uses historical context as a way to back up it claims and add more depth to the essay.
My paper will explain that when those are corrupted by power and freedom, it can be very dangerous to everyone involved. The paper will cover Eleanor’s transformation from the time she gets into her car to leave for Hill House until her time in which she makes the fateful decision to get in her car and leave Hill House. It will analyze the grim message the Jackson may have for those in power, and for regular readers. My paper will also bring up another theme of Hill House: trust. Trust is extremely important for Eleanor and her relationships that she forms while in Hill House. I want my readers to have some sense about what was happening during the time this book was written and how hard it was to trust one another, especially after a post red scare world. In Toni Morrison’s Beloved, we meet Sethe, Denver, Paul D, and the mysterious Beloved. It quickly becomes apparent through the way she acts that she is indeed the ghost of Sethe’s dead child. Although very little is known about the child, we, the audience are overjoyed to see that Sethe is finally happy. Although, through certain phrasing and flashbacks, Beloved might not be just the physical embodiment of Sethe’s dead child, but also the memory of slavery, and the pain that accompanies it. Beloved is not the only ghost of Sethe’s past. The book is routinely visited by flashbacks of her past from when she was a slave at Sweet Home. One of these flashbacks was the moment where she ended her child's life. This is told from the perspective of four horsemen. In stories across literature, the four horsemen usually represent the apocalypse. And with their arrival, it signals the end of one’s world as we know it, Sethe’s. With the arrival of the horsemen, Sethe is forced to decide between two horrible choices, that in some ways, makes her inhuman. But, is she inhuman herself, or is slavery the end of humanity, therefore, the end of the world, with the coming of the four horsemen? For example, the chapter starts off with, “When the four horsemen came-” (Morrison 174). This is an extremely interesting way to phrase their arrival, because that same line could have started off any horror novel about the coming of the apocalypse. Or, the author could have introduced them differently. And I think that there is something to be said for the symbolism of four horsemen, rifles drawn overlooking a house that they will soon descend upon and wreak havoc upon all those inside of it. When reading this passage, it sent chills down my back, because it forced the audience to watch the main character commit a heinous act, because she had no choice. I might add, that for me personally, the imagery of the four horsemen quickly translated into something resembling the headless horseman from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in my head. Both are set in America during a time in which tensions were high. One being about slavery, and the other being post-revolutionary war. The horseman character is not only an apocalyptic figure, but one who represents a sort of ancient hatred. And with four devilish horsemen atop their horses with something otherworldly about them, the intro was appreciated, but disturbing nonetheless. A few days after writing this article, I had a small thought... I would prefer that the story had more scenes like the houseman scene, where the atrocities that men commit are more closely related to fictitious stories. Because for a topic like slavery, we need to make sure that people understand just how vile the treatment of African Americans was. I do believe that we should use the pure evil that we find in ghost stories and compare them to what we saw during slavery. In Toni Morrison’s Beloved, we are introduced to Sethe, a hardworking mother with a foggy past. What we see next is a haunting that is in no way supposed to be normal for the readers. The haunting of her house brings up a vital question, in which the readers must figure out… Why does the haunt especially hurt Sethe, as opposed to other terrifying ghost tales?
Sethe’s haunt brings up a few major themes, one of them being slavery and remembering the past. Beloved takes the form of various apparitions and forces, each time seeking to undermine the progress Sethe has made towards being free of Sweet Home. But since we know that Sethe escaped due to the dire circumstances, the ghosts will therefore appeal to her fears and memories of Sweet Home. These hauntings are not coincidental, they seek to help us understand more about our characters. For Eleanor, from Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, we see her slowly unravel before our eyes, leaving only her insecurities, which she had tried so hard to cover, in broad daylight. The haunting influences Eleanor’s mental state like a chisel on a piece of marble, targeting her biggest weakness, and make her even more paranoid. Since the beginning of the text, we knew that Eleanor had trouble with being jealous of others, and the ghosts did a good job of having those in the house constantly be on edge with one another, just as any great haunt does. There is a recurring theme among haunted house stories, that is how the house becomes a character itself. As with every horror story we’ve read for class, whether it’s a workspace or house, these homes tend to trap those inside, and degrade them mentally whether that’s through one’s memories caused by trauma in the past, or one’s issues with separation and being independent. Throughout these masterpieces, the stories have become less about how the characters are influenced by the house and more how the house influences the story and the messages it brings with it. All new experiences begin with a single step. For Eleanor in Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House it is her acceptance of Dr. Montague’s invitation to join him and others at Hill House. For The Governess in Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, it is her decision to take up responsibility for two children named Miles and Flora. Although the monsters in these stories are very different, there is one large theme that connects these two stories: innocence. Both characters’ stories start with their decision to take on a new and exciting challenge, with very little experience. Both are relatively young, inexperienced, and very innocent. For example, Eleanor spent all of her twenties taking care of her sickly mother instead of spending what some consider the best years of one’s life outside, exploring one’s self. The governess, who considers her innocence along with that of the children to be of vital importance, is willing to protect it at all costs. Both have different motivations and ideas about innocence, but in both stories, their innocence is what troubles them. The governess’s problem stems mostly from her innocence, unlike Eleanor’s innocence with brings about different issues. The governess believes one’s innocent is to be preserved, especially for the kids she is looking after. Her views about what is proper and what should be maintained lead her into a psychotic journey where she confronts, terrifies, and even kills those around her. Her innocent mindset had too long to take hold, just like Eleanor, which causes both characters to make rash decisions and jump to conclusions without stopping to think first. Eleanor’s innocence and inexperience causes her to be jealous of those around her. She often argues with her sister, who seems to have her life in order with a husband and child. Although at face value, this is not a direct innocence problem, the author intends us to see parallels between Eleanor's relationship with her sister and the sisters of Hill house, with Eleanor’s relationship with her sister and also her relationship with Theodora. From her innocence, Eleanor’s jealousy will only continue to blossom, with the more time she spends at Hill House. Because, if there is anything a great horror story does, it picks apart one’s weaknesses, and drives two characters who we love apart. Even for poor Miles and Flora. Home is Where the Heart is... WARNING: This post contains small spoilers from the movie: IT.9/11/2017 Yesterday, I went to the movie theatre and saw Stephen King’s IT. It was a highly enjoyable film that brought out many topics in our day-to-day lives such as sex, growing up and fear. Fear is the main theme of IT. Pennywise, the main antagonist in the film, feeds off of it and uses it as a means to grow in strength. The movie uses fear to corrupt the places where we feel the safest. And often times turning a symbol of hope, like a house, into a place of fear, anxiety, and death.
To put in plainly: a home is where one feels most comfortable. This doesn't have to be a house, it can be a place of rest, or even a workplace, like how we saw in “Bartleby, the Scrivener,” when one’s home is intruded upon, whoever resides in it does all in their power to reject the invader. This is not something that applies to just the antagonist, that is an instinct that transcends all monsters. To a creature like Pennywise, from the movie IT, home is the sewers underneath Derry, Maine, where Pennywise collects various items and even children. For Usher, it is his mansion where he resides, battling an illness which strips him of the wonders of life, such as sight, sense, and love. His house reflects his illness, it looked shabby and unkempt with an air of death around it. It reminds us of disease, and once we met Usher, we understood what causes the house to fall into this state: his sinful behavior. Although Usher’s home differs from Pennywise in that the sewers were where Pennywise was strongest, Usher’s home feels more like a tomb. Both of these are terrifying to encounter because having somewhere so familiar feel like it's trapping you is equally as scary as treading into an evil being’s home where it will fight tooth and nail to see that you never return. Monster’s homes take the shape of cold, dark retreats where they often cling to some memory of the past. For Usher, it is the memory of his sister. For Pennywise, it is the carriage he travels around in. Even for them, their place of rest has a sort of comforting feeling for them, just as any protagonist has toys and memorabilia. For the antagonist, their home is a dirty, rotten, corpse of a house, where it seems all life has left long ago. Certain artifacts and other characteristics about one’s home might reflect the antagonist too. Often times, when the end of a horror story is near, we usually get a glimpse of the monster’s lair, or we get to go into it. When this happens, we tend to learn something new about the monster. For example: when Ripley is venturing into the Alien’s lair in James Cameron’s epic Aliens, she has to trudge through tunnels covered with slime and foreign alien material. Ripley discovers the Alien's means of reproducing is through a disgusting birth process, where the queen alien is revealed. Ripley then has to save the little innocent girl from the slimy, and slightly sexual Alien queen. In this case, the aliens represent a fear of sex, and at the movie’s release, AIDS was a hot topic. This relates back to Cohen’s “Monster Culture” where he talks about movies reflecting society's fears. We see this is nearly every good horror movie, where when we travel to a monster’s lair, it reveals not only something about the monster but about ourselves. |
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