Brief: A digital photomontage series that aims to explore the aesthetic of Japanese horror films. Created room settings using photography and Photoshop, compiling various images to match the same aesthetic as the Japanese horror films that were analyzed. Research creation made for a class project.
Haunted Hausu is a direct inspiration from the 1977 Japanese horror comedy, Hausu directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. The film is known for its unapologetic exaggerated visual effects, acting and other creative elements that made the film a surreal, psychedelic experience. For this film and aesthetic, I used images directly from the film such as the oversized lips, lamp, blue wallpaper of heads, cat on fishbowl, decapitated head and figure in the cracked mirror. I also included other images to create the psychedelic, surrealist style such as the colourful couch, the spiral vortex in the doorway, body parts, funky dresser and moonlight window. To portray the exaggerated acting in the film, I included myself in the collage with a shocked look. All these elements reflect how theatrical and exuberant Japanese horror films can be, where it pushes boundaries of creative making..
The Two Rings is an aesthetic comparison of the horror films: 1998 Ringu directed by Hideo Nakata (right) and the 2002 The Ring directed by Gore Verbinski (left). Both films were national hits using their own type of aesthetic and style, while more or less sharing the same story. For instance the cursed video tape, the use of phones when the spirit warns characters they have seven days to live and the significance of time counting down to the seventh day. As for the different ways of representing the evil spirit, the wall poster of Onryo(right side) is a reference to the Japanese folklore spirit who is typically a female ghost who seeks revenge due to negligence or abuse, similarly to the spirit in Ringu. I’ve also included the Japanese horror novel series written by Koji Suzuki, where the film adapted from. As for the American version, I included stacks of DVD’s to portray how The Ring triggered numerous Western remakes of Asian horror films. I also wanted to portray the style for instance the colour tone. In Ringu the colours were more natural as opposed to The Ring, where there was an overall green tint. There’s also a difference of portraying horror. In Ringu, horror is more suggestive and relies on atmosphere whereas in the American version, their horror is more direct and aggressive. This is shown through my facial expressions and poses.
Challenges: The biggest challenge with this research project is portraying a culture’s aesthetic while trying to remain respectful and not portray any type of stereotype or inaccuracy of representation.
Solution: To avoid this, I solely focused on the film’s aesthetic and style. A part of this is noting their history such as folklore if it was represented or used as a reference in one of the films. As well as portraying different creative elements. For instance use of colour, choice of images to use, portrayal of acting etc. Overall it’s to show appreciation for the film’s creative way of making horror.