See, your comment about the avergae, everyday Japanese being totally culturally superstitious like that is exactly what I mean. Ringu capitulated on their fears so perfectly, but it wasn't something that would have been so deeply terrifying for Americans because we don't a.) understand their culture or b.) approach horror like that, as a cultural entity
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one thing I've noticed is that Americans definitely have more of a thing about restless spirits who were never properly buried or whose graves have been disturbed.
Have you ever watched High Plains Drifter? Amazing movie, and it encapsulates this idea in a nutshell. I think the way they treat the entire movie- people's reactions to the Stranger as a familiar but alien figure, they types of vengence wreaked, the Bible quotation in the back of the church, is so frigging American. Watch it, if you haven't- even if you're not the type for Westerns, this is more a smart horror film than a Western.
Also, I understand why Japan would have cremains landfills given their space issue, but ew all the same. DD: And I love how the Japanese had to give, like, a billion reasons to justify revenge. It shows how much different they are than Americans.
the people who disturbed their graves*shudder* Have you ever watched Gravedancers? This is probably one of the most nonsensical movies about this idea, but it's incredibly fucking terrifying. SO.
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it's hard to pin down creepiness in America, because of all the blending of cultures and different regions.
Yeah, which is something I kind of echoed above, and I totally agree with. I suppose I was deriving the basis for this kind of stuff sometime after 1900, where there weren't such stark divides between separate parts of American culture?
But you're absolutely right with some of the older ghost and goblin stories, how they're all different according to region. And yeah, Northern NY ought to be pretty different from Florida- but I would like to know just how much. :D
Mostly the kinds of stories we have here are.... kind of weird- some of them don't even have solid stories. Just rumors- like the White Ghosts, where if one sees you, you should never try to outrun it, because it's always faster than you, and it's spit bruns like acid. Then there's the Schellgeist (thank you Germans ew
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Have you ever watched High Plains Drifter? Amazing movie, and it encapsulates this idea in a nutshell. I think the way they treat the entire movie- people's reactions to the Stranger as a familiar but alien figure, they types of vengence wreaked, the Bible quotation in the back of the church, is so frigging American. Watch it, if you haven't- even if you're not the type for Westerns, this is more a smart horror film than a Western.
Also, I understand why Japan would have cremains landfills given their space issue, but ew all the same. DD: And I love how the Japanese had to give, like, a billion reasons to justify revenge. It shows how much different they are than Americans.
the people who disturbed their graves*shudder* Have you ever watched Gravedancers? This is probably one of the most nonsensical movies about this idea, but it's incredibly fucking terrifying. SO. ( ... )
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Yeah, which is something I kind of echoed above, and I totally agree with. I suppose I was deriving the basis for this kind of stuff sometime after 1900, where there weren't such stark divides between separate parts of American culture?
But you're absolutely right with some of the older ghost and goblin stories, how they're all different according to region. And yeah, Northern NY ought to be pretty different from Florida- but I would like to know just how much. :D
Mostly the kinds of stories we have here are.... kind of weird- some of them don't even have solid stories. Just rumors- like the White Ghosts, where if one sees you, you should never try to outrun it, because it's always faster than you, and it's spit bruns like acid. Then there's the Schellgeist (thank you Germans ew ( ... )
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