Thursday, February 27, 2014

Week 7: Real-Life Fantasy


When considering the trend of young adult novels featuring magical schools in which children attend to hone their skills as witches and wizards, I believe The Magicians is definitely a lot different than some of its predecessors. This is both a good and bad thing. It’s much more realistic as far as issues that the characters must deal with, leading to characters like Quentin Coldwater and who represent the teenage demographic who have disdain for their school, family and career choices. This tends to ground the reader in reality instead of weaving a story of wonder and excitement that we’re all used to from series like Harry Potter, and not everyone wants their fantasy to mirror real life in such a way that it prevents them from escaping from their own real life problems.

One of the main issues in The Magicians is Quentin Coldwater’s attitude towards everything that happens to him and how he treats people around him. He’s very anti-social and just doesn’t understand how to respond to others, which I think a lot of the target audience can relate with. Quentin wishes to be whisked away to a magical place like he’s always read about in books, but when he finally is accepted to Brakebills Academy, he seems as if he could care less about it. He’s not amazed or excited, it’s like he comes to accept it over time because magic is tedious to learn. I think it speaks to a lot of young readers because nearly everyone has imagined going somewhere or doing something great only to find out that it’s nothing like you expected. The book also addresses drinking, drug-use and relationships, which many young adult novels do not.


But like I said, this book is different both in bad and good ways. The way the book addresses these issues is important because reader may identify with Quentin or his friends. They may find comfort in knowing that Quentin has some of the same problems that they do. So although The Magicians is not your typical escapist fantasy novel, I believe that it brings up some important points about the child-like faith we put into reading these novels and how in Quentin's situation, the sudden discovery of fantasy does not make his life any easier.


Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Week 6: Fantasy Thoughts

Fantasy is one of my favorite genres, besides horror of course. I think it has something to do with the fact that vastness of fantasy is nearly infinite with an endless variety of settings, characters and stories, literally anything can happen. Also the diversity makes the worlds very inclusive, characters of all races and creeds can be represented though fantasy because there are simply no bounds to the imagination. There’s no doubt as fantasy becomes more popular that it could be the gateway to creating more diversity in in other media as well.

Another reason why I think fantasy has really taken off in pop culture is that great authors like J.R.R Tolkien’s books are being adapted to film, allowing wider audiences to experience what they have to offer. Tolkien was not only one of the most well known fantasy authors, but remains one of the most popular authors around the world. Taking best selling novels like his and adapting them into films has become a popular trend in the movie industry. I think this is great for the fantasy genre in particular because some of the source material can be difficult for general audiences to access, as reading a 600 page novel in a 3 book series just doesn’t fit into some people schedules or interests. As a fan of both Tolkien's books and their movie adaptations, I can see why the movies can be a better alternative for some people. When comparing The Hobbit’s book and movie versions, there are quite a few differences, such as the scene from the book where Bilbo and company meet Beorn that are long with unnecessary details that would not translate well into a movie. Also it’s very hard to create 14 different characters and have them very distinguishable from one another over a few hundred pages all while focusing on the progression of the story, so the visual aspects of the movie are successful in that sense.

People find a form of escapism through these characters that go on dangerous journeys all while meeting new friends and fighting against evil, but in reality it mimics the lives that we have. Although it may not seem like it, people have adventures every day. They move to new towns, meet new people and fall in love. Anybody has the capacity to be great, like many fantasy authors have expressed through their stories. Which is why I think Tolkien’s work is so popular, he shows that it doesn’t matter how strong, big or important you are, all that matters is having the will to do what you believe must be done.


Sunday, February 23, 2014

Week 5: Wicked Witches

The witch as we know it in horror is a very old concept that, like the vampire, has evolved to meet the interests and ideals of its target audience. Despite originating in ancient times, the witch has remained fresh and exciting in popular media.

When many think of witches they either picture green skinned, warty, broom-riding, cauldron stirring hags with black cats, pointy noses and equally pointy black hats or they picture groups of young English children waving wands and attending a school to learn magic. The witches in Aunt Maria however did not fit either of these categories. They don’t fit old stereotypes of witches in the technical sense but also don’t belong with modern interpretations, although they do share some similarities.

Most notably the women of Cranbury are not hideous, although they might be considered a little odd in appearance by some, the majority of the women being older with eccentric personalities. I think that one of their main similarities with modern witches is the control they have over the men of their town. In American Horror Story: Coven this is also shown. An entirely female main cast uses the men in the show for their own benefits and has a diverse cast that I think needs to be present in more media.

The women of Cranbury are strong and run this small town in England by controlling everything that happens. And although they don’t exactly fit the old stereotype of witches they are still held in the same light in some sense because of this. Women with power are always cast in a negative light while men in the same situations are praised and rewarded. I think that witches are a great analogy for assertive women in the workplace and in positions of power.  You have these women that stand up for themselves and put their foot down when they want something done, but they are shunned by society because they demand respect in the same way that their male counterparts do.


Witches are on the rise in popularity and have the ability to show diverse and powerful women, something that pop culture needs today. People are finally realizing the potential that women have to be commanding and powerful, so hopefully the witches are here to stay.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Week 4: All Kinds of Weird

I think out of all of the recent horror films, about 75% of my favorites could be considered part of the emerging “New Weird” genre. There have been so many great films that have broken the mold as far as typical horror goes and if this trend continues I believe that the horror genre itself could be renewed as a whole.

The New Weird is a broad category so it can span across the entire horror genre and include a variety of films. That variety is showcased well in Cabin in the Woods. I love that the film begins as a typical slasher horror but slowly you begin to notice that everything is not as it seems until suddenly the whole genre is flipped upside-down and there are so many exciting elements that leave you guessing till the end. Another good example is Insidious because it begins with a typical haunting/ ghost story but as the story progresses it explores the idea of “The Further”, an opposite astral plane in which those gifted with the ability can explore on their own accord, with great risk of attracting unwanted attention of malevolent spirits of course. These movies show that horror movies have great potential to switch things up by exploring new themes within familiar or established territory.

I think that something is considered “weird” when it starts challenging a set of stereotypes for specific themes and sub-genres of horror like Cabin in the Woods and Insidious did by incorporating elements like sci-fi and fantasy into them. They took something we’re familiar with and twisted it in a way that makes us think or makes us have to re-evaluate how we view a certain subject. After reading some of H.P Lovecraft’s works I believe that movies will begin start following the direction that Cabin in the Woods took and begin pulling inspiration from old horror themes such as Lovecraft’s old Gods or even older horror fiction.


Because in the end I think we like weird things because they tend to be like nothing we’ve ever seen before, things that we would’ve never thought to put in a book or on screen. No one wants to see the same story over and over again, so we need to expand our horizon and continue fill the horror genre with the "New Weird".

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Week 3: J-Horror

The existence of good and evil is a theme that is present in a lot of horror media, but it’s the way that Japanese writers and directors handle it differently from those in the US and Europe that make the theme very interesting and dynamic.

American horror has a long tradition of treating evil as a black and white issue. There is good and there is evil, good always having just reasons to defeat evil. But often in Japanese movies and novels, good and evil is treated much differently, which is one of my favorite aspects of J-Horror. I love the fact that there are grey areas concerning good and evil and that it makes you think about what really is considered evil in our society or culture.

A good example of this is the spirits in Kwaidan. These natural spirits do what is in their nature to do, whether its cause mischief for travelers or lure them into traps and consume them. They are a lot like animals in the respect that they follow their instincts that are not inherently good or evil. This is also present in modern media like the film Ju-on: The Grudge. Although the spirits that haunts the house might be considered evil because of their nature to kill people living in their home, it’s really the rage in which they died that has caused them to be bound to the house and seek revenge for their wrongful deaths.


I think the differences in cultures as a whole has led to J-horror becoming an interesting deviation of what we’ve come to know as horror.  I enjoy the idea of the cohabitation people and spirits because the supernatural becomes an almost mundane thing, allowing the narrative to be explored further where in American horror we’re so bewildered with the fact that spirits could possibly exist that it envelops the plot Also the stillness and atmosphere of J-Horror is often much more effective in setting a mood for something to scare you rather than our nature to fill silence with any kind of noise. 

Luckily more and more American and European films are being influenced by J-Horror causing them to adopt some of the popular themes present in their movies. It'll be interesting to see where this fusion of sub-genres takes horror in the future.