Lafcadio Hearn's Kwaidan

Kwaidan was a fascinating book to me because I have not read any Japanese horror before. I really enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the Asian setting, the strange and sometimes absurd characters that were presented, and being introduced to a variety of new Asian vocabulary.

In western horror or gothic literature and media, we expect gore, violence, monsters, and other nefarious actions or wicked individuals. In lots of horror and gothic stories, the evil in the story is based on religion and superstitions. Common occurrences are demonic possessions, crazy serial killers, or angry ghosts. Japanese horror is similar to western horror but different in one specific way: In Japanese horror, you still get the gore, the violence, and the monsters - but they are closely tied to the entire culture of the Japanese people. In most of all the stories in Kwaidan, the supernatural occurrences originate from some important story or tale ingrained in the Japanese society.

A great example of these cultural evils are the protagonists in “Rokuro-Kubi”. This story follows a former warrior turned to priesthood that stumbles upon a great evil in the woods. This evil is the Rokuro-Kubi – strange apparitions that leave their earthly bodies at night and float around the woods searching for human flesh. The premise of the story isn’t so unfamiliar to other stories I have read in western society. However, the apparitions are closely related to Japanese culture because the priest knew exactly what they were and how to dispose of them. Similarly, the council who almost sentenced the priest to death knew what evil the Rokuro-Kubi was once they examined the severed head attached to his clothing.

What I found intriguing was the absurdity of some of the character’s actions, like when the priest uprooted a small tree and started to attack floating heads with it or when he decided to continue his journey with the goblin’s head attached to his clothing. Absurdity is a trait that shows up numerous times in horror stories as the tales deviate farther and farther from logic or reality. When I read horror stories, I automatically expect some level of absurdity and Kwaidan did not disappoint.

“Mimi-Hashi-Hoichi” was another enjoyable story in Kwaidan that exemplified the connection between horror and Japanese culture.  Basically, a blind man named Hoichi is tricked into playing music on his biwa for creatures of the night. The creatures, called Heiké, are described as crabs with human faces who embody the spirits of the Heiké that died in the battle of Dan-no-ura. The entire story is rooted in Japanese culture as the manifestation of the Heiké crabs originated from the history behind a real Japanese clan. It is important to point out that its not uncommon for the evil entity to take advantage of the weakest members of society – hence why children and mentally handicapped people are such common targets of possession in western media. So it was of no surprise to me that Hoichi, the blind old man, is manipulated by the Heiké into playing these songs - yet another parallel between Japanese and western horror.

Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire

Claudia and Louis' relationship was by far one of the most complex aspects of Interview with a Vampire. The interactions between Claudia and Louis are highly disturbing and weirdly captivating at the same time. The relationship arouses a moral issue. You have the mind of woman trapped within the body of this eternally young five year old. This little woman is caught between two men who are incredibly older than her physically and mentally (at least for the beginning of her life). Putting the thought of Claudia's physical appearance aside, Claudia and Louis' relationship is beautiful and sensual. However, as soon as the reality of her physique is highlighted, as well as the father-daughter connection Louis feels for her, it is difficult not to feel conflicted over this incestuous relationship that also screams pedophilia.

Claudia is highly fetishized by Louis as the descriptions of her body, clothing, mannerisms, and movements are all incredibly detailed and described as if she is a pubescent woman. Louis speaks of her as a woman but treats her like a child and cares for her as a child, which is why he comes off so strongly as a pedophile. Claudia's frustration over her cursed form makes her a very sympathetic character. The woman inside her is very prominent in everything she does, but it is depressing to see her caught in such an infantile state for all eternity.

The fetishization of children is a recurring motif in this novel. Children seem to be such a strong temptation for the vampires, as if their thirst for the sweet blood of a human is increased tenfold by the sight of a helpless child. It must be the inherent innocence a child possesses, their purity and naivety to the world that draws the kiss of death from a vampire to them. Claudia's innocence is completely torn from her and manipulated by the vampires. The corruption of a being so pure ultimately brings destruction upon the predator. The most obvious example of this destruction is when Lestat perishes (albeit temporarily) to the feast on the boys drunk on absinthe.

What is sort of ironic about this scene is the fact that Claudia, a child as well, brought this destruction upon Lestat. So consumed by the hatred for being turned into a vampire by Lestat, and for her innocence and purity being corrupted, she deceives Lestat with the temptation of innocence.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

The major aspect of Shelley’s Frankenstein that surprised me was the eloquence and depth to the monster’s character. I was always familiar with the basis of the Frankenstein tale, but never did I expect the monster to speak so fluently and to be so humanized. It was very intriguing to see how Shelley developed the monster’s character and the dynamic between the monster and civilization around him caused me to develop a love-hate relationship for him.

            The monster is like an orphaned new-born adult, thrown into the cruel world of man and forced to try to assimilate with others around him. It is no surprise that every human the monster encounters reacts in fear and disgust upon looking at him because practically anyone in modern day would react the same. The blind old man that speaks to the monster says a lot about humanity. This instance is practically the only time the monster is not immediately judged and feared – simply because the man cannot see the monster’s appearance. To the old man, he is just like any other human. This scene emphasizes how society is prejudiced and tends to outcast anything that deviates from normality.

            It was honestly sad to read the monster’s story and see how every act of kindness and innocence was shot down without even a question asked. Nobody tried to talk to him or even give him a chance to speak. The monster was isolated from the very beginning, making him an easy character to sympathize with. People throughout history have been treated unfairly for their skin color, religion, sexuality, weight, disability, etc. I saw a lot of parallels with the issues real people face with the treatment of the monster. I was pretty mad at civilization for most of the novel, but no one made me as furious as Victor did.

            Victor is an incredibly selfish character who creates this grotesque creation and abandons it immediately. Although the monster kills everyone in Victor’s family, it is completely Victor’s fault for not taking responsibility at any point in the novel. Victor’s carelessness causes the monster to become very sinister and violent and I am convinced he could have avoided so much death and suffering if only he had kept his promise.

Horror Tropes

Common Tropes:
Jump scares
The person that always falls down when being chased
Moving into a new house = Always haunted
The creepy little girl in a white dress
If you have sex in a horror movie you die
Basements, cellars, and attics are always bad news