Spiritual Education

After re-watching lots of the Harry potter films and re-reading the first novel, the story has lots of motifs and good advice for young people. The love of the Harry Potter books kids have is awesome; most people my age were going to the midnight premiers of these books for they could be the first to read through the novel. Its no wonder these books did so well, because J.K. Rowling really marketed this story to the youth population.

Fantasy is something Harry Potter really did so successful; the books were made for each year Harry was at Hogwarts. So as this is going on we can fully connect with this character, because we are growing up with harry as he has to conquer more and more at Hogwarts. I think the biggest motif in all of the Harry Potter books is being able to understand friendship and you couldn’t complete anything without true friendship. No matter how strong someone is they can’t face four people weaker then them. Harry Potter has so many backups in all the fights he has that in the long run he really isn’t the hero his family and friend group is. I think off of that friends will have to make really hard decisions to protect one another.  Harry and Ron are always getting each other’s backs in this film and I think that’s something J.K Rowling was trying to preach throughout this serious. Even though someone who isn’t related to you can have your back harder than someone who is a sibling or parental figure.  The most obvious lesson she wanted to tell is being a good person will pay off. Harry and his friend group are constantly trying to do more for others and be considerate. I think growing up and reading these stories shaped the way I viewed good values and the benefits of being a good person. Harry Potter was not only a great story it also fit the needs of true fantasy and being able to relate to this beautiful world.

Mythic Fiction

I ended up reading Coraline by Neil Gaiman and was heavily surprised by the story. It was a more detailed version of the movie Coraline, which is based off his novel.  Before reading this novel I figured the story was going to have more to it, but was surprised how well the two match up. 

Coraline presents an awesome myth about a haunted house that basically holds children’s spirits.  There is a secret door in the living room that is covered up when Coraline and her family move in. Coraline soon finds out why the door is covered, she goes through the door and finds a parallel universe where things are completely better than the life she is living now. The first time she goes through the tunnel she meets her parents, but these parents have buttons for eyes and are considered her “other” parents. Coraline Is presented with lots of amazing things from these new parents and is very found of this new place. She finally feels accepted everyone is getting along, but her other mother says she can stay and not have to return to the other universe as long as she replaces her eyes with buttons. At this point Coraline is terrified she realized her connection with this place was all show and they wanted something more than what she is willing to give. Coraline is to far in at this point and she has to fight away to get back to her universe.

The myth of the story is really interesting, because I think most people can learn from the lesson that it is giving, but its heavily influenced for children. Most adults are content with what they have and aren’t tempted by such things. Laika studios probably picked this story up to animate, because the appeal it has to children. The story fits their spooky, quirky animation style and in my opinion it was translated really well. I saw this movie when I was in high school and was scared of the other universe Coraline visits.

Mumblegore and the new weird!

Mumblegore is what I focused on the most this week, and the development of the independent horror film. The film that got me interested in the independent scene was Human Centipede. This film was all about a Nazi doctor who takes random people and sows them together but mouth and anus. The whole movie is basically how much pain these people are in and the doctor getting off to the fact that he successfully created a creature that could function as one, well for at least a little bit. If there is one thing from this movement that is awesome is that the human imagination and the pure insanity of people that want to see these films, including me is being pushed to new limits.  Human Centipede was probably the most talked about movie when it came out, because of the pure insanity of it. It was so different than anything coming out at the time. Most of the films don’t have much to them other than how inexpensive they are, and it has basic video editing and a wild topic to make it interesting. I think the idea of something being really strange attracts me and I want to know what is going to happen.

Rubber is another film that is stands out to me; the movie is basically about a tire that murders people. I personally can’t even fathom this movie topic, it sounds so stupid, but I seem to keep watching these films. I think these films are very attractive, because you can seem them without and prior bias and just enjoy them. They aren’t serious and they are very playful and push boundaries that most films won’t touch. I think how far Human Centipede goes is what attracted me to watch it in the first place.

Horror seems to be in a weird spot all because of this independent movement that it is experiencing. I think horror will get back to its roots soon; gothic horror to me is the scariest part of horror history. It feels the realist and most believable which scares most people. The realism of a scene is super uncomfortable and something most people aren’t ok with. I know lots of people that will go to horror films, because they know they aren’t possible, but with this rise of virtual reality I think we will want to get back to realism. Nothing would be scarier than virtual reality in a gothic film, like Alien.

Gothic Horror

Gothic horror is by far my favorite type of horror; it’s in essence the beginning of horror. Where there’s nothing you can do to stop it, its dark, scary, and an unstoppable force. I ended up watching Alien this week and let me start by saying this, wow. I’ve watched Alien in the past and absolutely loved it, but this watch through I really wanted to pay attention to the small details of story telling. This story is so depressing; it was made just after the Vietnam War ended. The story has lots of parallels with how the war ended for us, which makes the story feel real and relatable. The xenomorph I feel is really relatable to the Vietnam War, were its something we are forced to reckon with and can’t run away from it. No matter how much we don’t want to deal with it or want to face it we must. Alien also was a really big fantasy movie at that time; Ridley Scott created this whole world that has been pushed to the limit (maybe even too far in my opinion, for example Alien 3).  Alien fits a lot of the understood requirements of a gothic film, such as a threating mystery that and a ancestral curse. Alien seems to have a type of curse to it and a definite mystery. The scientist who bring the alien on board are completely unaware of the ultimate danger they have brought to their people and basically are killing them. 

Edgar Allen Poe is another great example of Gothic horror. He really pushes the idea of an ancestral curse and definite mystery. A Tell Tale Heart is so scary, the way he describes the heart in the floor is so creepy. It’s all in his head, but he describes it like the heart is real and is slowly killing him. I think the way Poe puts us in his shoes and basically describes the insanity he is going through.  Poe wants us to feel the guilt and fear that he has and I think that he is very successful in making the reader feel this. Gothic Horror is exactly this and Poe is the king of true fear.

Witches

The witch stereotype has been something our culture has been manipulating and adapting since the begging of time. The stereotype we have with witches is really annoying. Its basically our society saying we are terrified of women, and the only way we can conquer them and be bigger than them is to basically put them down and make them feel worthless. Salem with trials is a huge example of this; women were slaughtered and tortured because they were feared. People would accuse them of bewitching them and torturing them with their witch powers. 

Most of the stereotypes witches have a lot to do with the witch being a force that’s not human. They wear black and have a deal with Satan to receive supernatural powers. Many witches are associated with Satan and the imagery that Satan is associated with, like the pentagram.

I ended up watching Kiki’s delivering service, which so happens to be one of my favorite Mayazaki films. I feel Mayazaki sees witches in a positive light, which is really different from most of the stereotypes witches have. Kiki is a sweet inexperienced witch who has to take her goals and travel and learn from others. She has a hard time adapting to the culture where she decides to choose. Most people don’t understand witches and don’t want one in their town, but Kiki doesn’t give up and is consistent on finding her calling. Kiki’s delivery service seems to break the stereotype that other movies and novels say about witches. I think the way she is integrated into society makes it feel very normal. Most towns understand the role of a witch and for the most part invites witches to join their town. Most witches are used to create potions and bring useful spells to help the town folk. Even though Kiki is appreciated by lots of people in the town, I still think there is a negative attitude by some people towards her, because she is a outsider and basically a unknown force to them.