...Screams and gasps can be heard throughout a mysterious Friday night. Crowds rush in to see late-night movies as a horror movie debuts during its opening weekend. The horror genre is an aspect of pop culture that always seems to be popping up, especially as the nights begin to chill and the leaves fade away. These aspects are so apparent in the media, with trailers for the upcoming scary movie always appearing on our televisions and everyone around the block adding a little bit of spooky to their décor, but are they really okay for younger children to be seeing? No. But what about the ever-changing group of teenagers? More mature then their youthful counterparts, but unable to handle as much as an adult, the adolescent rang can be quite confusing. However, it seems quite apparent that the horror genre is appropriate for teenagers because they grow up with rather morbid stories ringing through their ears, scary stories really play a big part in humans not turning into a bunch of airheads, and witnessing terrifying...
Words: 1062 - Pages: 5
...fairytale extension in modern life in which the two sisters were victims of the evil stepmother’s oppression. The first twist was then revealed when Su-mi was confronted with her sister’s death, leaving her to fight against the stepmother alone. However, the later confrontation of the real Eun-ji, led to the final twist that Su-mi was in fact fighting her own guilt which was projected on the figure of Eun-ji. 2) Although Ring and A Tale of Two Sisters are of a completely different storyline and background, they both share some similarities in their plot. Firstly, they are both adaptations of their local traditional folklore and thus allowing their local audience to easily relate to the horror. The slight difference is that Ring displayed a richer cultural relation as the director constantly made references to the Japan’s cultural past such as the eruption of volcano and the distraught of wartimes in the viral video. Secondly, in both films, females are portrayed as the strong and powerful figures yet also the source of the films’ horror. In Ring, Reiko was a strong divorced career woman who had to juggle between work and her role as a single parent to her son. She later then became the cause of the widespread of the curse on the viral video (unleashing Sadako,...
Words: 1456 - Pages: 6
...Screams and gasps are heard throughout a mysterious Friday night. Rushing in to view late-night movies, crowds witness as a horror movie constructs its debut during its opening weekend. As an aspect of pop culture that is always popping up, especially as the nights begin to chill and the leaves fade away, the horror genre is scary. With aspects that are so apparent in the media, with trailers for the upcoming scary movie always appearing on our televisions and anybody around the block adding a little bit of spooky to their décor, spine-chillingarticles surround us, but are they actually okay for younger children to be watching? No. But what about the ever-changing group of teenagers? Correspondingly, more mature than their youthful counterparts, but unable to handle as much as an adult, the adolescent rang can be quite confusing. However, it appears quite...
Words: 1093 - Pages: 5
...How has Jane Yolen made use of the features of a fairytale to explore the themes in Briar Rose? Jane Yolen’s novel Briar Rose (1992) combines enchanting fairy tale elements with realistic historical attributes to create an engaging representation of personal discovery/the horrors that defined the holocaust/OR answer Q. Yolen unfolds her narrative through multiple narrative layers and literary techniques to convey the central ideas of human determination and resilience, and the significance of memory to bring back to life an anonymous past. Through the themes and literary techniques that Yolen utilises, the parallels of Briar Rose to a fairy tale are developed into a family history. Human resilience and the ability to rise above suffering is a significant notion that Yolen powerfully acknowledges in Briar Rose, which also establishes a parallel to the common fairy tale element of good triumphing over evil. This is significantly brought forward through Josef’s vivid illustration of the ugly horrors of war he experienced as a partisan during World War II. Unlike Gemma’s fairy tale, Potocki’s eloquent story in the novel is sustained and uninterrupted, adding a sense of authenticity to his narration and providing a sense of realism to the disturbing and frightening experiences that he and Gemma had survived. It is an honest recollection that does not glorify – portraying the partisans as “survivors, not heroes”, and provides detailed descriptions revolving around the Nazi...
Words: 903 - Pages: 4
...How has Jane Yolen made use of the features of a fairytale to explore the themes in Briar Rose? Jane Yolen’s novel Briar Rose (1992) combines enchanting fairy tale elements with realistic historical attributes to create an engaging representation of personal discovery/the horrors that defined the holocaust/OR answer Q. Yolen unfolds her narrative through multiple narrative layers and literary techniques to convey the central ideas of human determination and resilience, and the significance of memory to bring back to life an anonymous past. Through the themes and literary techniques that Yolen utilises, the parallels of Briar Rose to a fairy tale are developed into a family history. Human resilience and the ability to rise above suffering is a significant notion that Yolen powerfully acknowledges in Briar Rose, which also establishes a parallel to the common fairy tale element of good triumphing over evil. This is significantly brought forward through Josef’s vivid illustration of the ugly horrors of war he experienced as a partisan during World War II. Unlike Gemma’s fairy tale, Potocki’s eloquent story in the novel is sustained and uninterrupted, adding a sense of authenticity to his narration and providing a sense of realism to the disturbing and frightening experiences that he and Gemma had survived. It is an honest recollection that does not glorify – portraying the partisans as “survivors, not heroes”, and provides detailed descriptions revolving around the Nazi...
Words: 903 - Pages: 4
...The fear of the unfamiliar and the fear of becoming obsolete are two ideas that may invoke true horror and terror. Within Ambrose Bierce’s short story “An Inhabitant of Carcosa,” both of these concepts come to life as the narrator perceives his newfound environment and tries to understand the situation he has found himself in. Through the use of the unfamiliar as well as a growing sense of unease and obsoleteness, Bierce leads the narrator, as well as his readers, through a story that invokes a dark sense of horror. When the narrator awakes in a desolate land, he quickly perceives that he recognizes nothing around him. This leads to the narrator to see everything around in him a darker way, for the unfamiliar landscape holds nothing of value or significance; instead, the narrator is a stranger in this world and so the things around him appear to be “mysterious,” “disquieting,” and even “malevolent” (Bierce 2). With this perception from the narrator, Bierce takes the readers on a path through the unfamiliar. The narrator, himself, knows nothing about his surroundings and this leads to uneasiness within the reader, as well. The entire story takes on a somber and foreign appeal. The true horror of “An Inhabitant of...
Words: 822 - Pages: 4
...Screams and gasps are heard throughout a mysterious Friday night. Crowds rush in to view late-night movies as a horror movie constructs its debut during its opening weekend. The horror genre is an aspect of pop culture that is always popping up, especially as the nights begin to chill and the leaves fade away. Moreover, these aspects are so apparent in the media, with trailers for the upcoming scary movie always appearing on our televisions and anybody around the block adding a little bit of spooky to their décor, but are they actually okay for younger children to be watching? No. But what about the ever-changing group of teenagers? Correspondingly, more mature then their youthful counterparts, but unable to handle as much as an adult, the...
Words: 1102 - Pages: 5
...assignments. This is deliberate, as they’ve given you practice at this type of argumentation. This special topic section of English Composition II has focused upon the horror genre as practiced by American writers. We’ve read and discussed several works from horror authors over the course of the nation’s history, and considered in-depth longer fiction from the 20th Century horror icon Shirley Jackson. We’ve also delved into popular culture, examining comic books and, time permitting, television shows and movies. For this essay, you’ll be asked to pick another horror story (see The Topic section for some ideas) to add to this course’s discussion. In the interest of time, I suggest a short story, but you could read a novel for this project as well. More specifically, your essay should do the following things: (1) Provide your readers unfamiliar with your chosen text some context about the work, including a brief summary of the story. Likely, this would occur in your first support paragraph after your introduction. (2) Review the story. This is your opportunity to argue whether or not the text makes for a “good read.” You may turn to the elements of fiction that we’ve worked on this semester as a way of detailing why you feel the way you do about the book. You might also turn to any reviews or analysis of the tale or its subgenre that you’ve uncovered in your research – and incorporate ideas from these into your own argument. This portion of your essay should be...
Words: 1648 - Pages: 7
...Fairly Real Tales Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth is about the power of fairy tales. As del Toro discusses, for Ofelia, fantasy compensates for the horrors of reality. Throughout the film, she struggles to reconcile her two worlds: the real and the imaginary. Furthermore, her imaginary world can be seen as one in which she has the agency that she is denied in the real world. Ultimately, Ofelia’s fairy tale world offers her insight into the real world and salvation from the horrors of the real world. In an interview, Ethan Alter asked Guillermo del Toro whether Ofelia’s fantasy world is real or all in her mind. He answered that it’s true: “There’s a very clear instance in the movie where there is no other explanation” (Ethan 14). He says that “in my mind, the movie tries to say that if you don’t know where to look, you won’t see these creatures. Like Vidal—he’s unable to see them” (Ethan 14). However, he does say that other viewers may see the film in different ways: “there are two kinds of audiences for this movie: one that will believe it’s real and the other that will think it’s imaginary. For me, the movie is like a Rorschach test. It defines you as a glass-half-empty or glass-half-full person. Which is fine, I like the idea of that being your choice” (Ethan 14). Del Toro’s comments prove that Pan’s Labyrinth attempts to show a world in which fairy tales offer insight into reality and a means of saving oneself from its daily...
Words: 265 - Pages: 2
...Edgar Allan Poe sets the eerie tone of his classic horror short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart," from the opening sentences. The narrator admits that he is mad immediately, although he tries to convince the reader that he is sane, establishing that the story will bring some sort of unnatural actions. Poe uses words such as "nervous," "dreadfully," "hell," and "mad"--in the first paragraph alone--to help set the mood of horror. Most of the story is set late at night and in darkness, symbols of both evil and death. By the third paragraph, the narrator establishes that he has already killed the old man, and Poe draws the reader in and proposes the unanswered questions about how the murder will happen and whether the killer will get away with it....
Words: 562 - Pages: 3
...two stories from the genre ‘19th’ century gothic horror? “The monkey’s paw” by W.W Jacobs and the “Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe are two short gothic horror stories written in the late ‘19th’ century. “The tell-tale heart” was written during the Victorian era and is based upon the conventions of the gothic horror. It’s a story about a servant who determined to get rid of an old man’s eye. “The monkeys paw” is also written in a gothic style this means that tension, mystery and suspense is very important factors. “The monkeys paw” is about a friend who has control over a curse of a shriveled monkey paw that grants three wishes to each man that gets hold of it. In both the stories the real names of the characters were not given. They were either initials like Mr. White or the characters were just simply referred to the old man or the man or I. This is the way that gothic fiction is created, by just giving initials or simple reference builds up more suspense. There are only two characters in “the tell tale heart” a old man who is murdered at the end of the story and another character who we don’t know anything about except that he is a killer, and he’s mad. The names may not be given to indicate that this may happen to anyone in the ‘19th’ century. One of the most well known techniques used in both stories is the way the author creates suspense and mystery. The use of repetition is used a lot by Edgar Allan Poe in the tell tale heart. An example of his repetition would be “I...
Words: 359 - Pages: 2
...Turning the Screw: Analysing Douglas’s Tale In this essay I will be exploring the narrative style present in “Turn of the Screw” by Henry James and discussing the character called Douglas as a frame narrator for the governess’s tale. I will explore the reliability of Douglas and his relationship with the governess and look at any bias caused by this relationship. I will be analysing the narrative style of the novella, and discussing how this style contributes to the development of the story. Along with this, I will be comparing “Turn of the Screw” to traditional ghost stories, and discussing whether there are differences between the two. Douglas is presented from the outset of the story as a frame narrator in that he begins his tale by offering to recite a manuscript written by his sister’s former governess, who is a person who Douglas holds in high esteem. This act of recounting another person’s story, or presenting a story within a story, is a clear indication that the type of narrative present in the book is frame narrative (Frame Story - Wikipedia, n.d.). If we look at this fact in terms of the quote presented within the study material, we notice that Douglas places particular emphasis on his story, proclaiming to be “quite too horrible” (pg 1). Due to the fact that Douglas is a frame narrator rather than an omnipresent narrator, he comes complete with a range of human faults, including exaggeration and bias. The introduction of the story adds to this idea, as Douglas betrays...
Words: 1563 - Pages: 7
...Throughout the tale of The Monkey’s Paw, the weather, similar sinister contrasts in atmosphere, death and fore-shadowing in the re-incarnation of another, are constantly intertwined to provide the perfect detail in aspect of tension and horror surrounding ‘The Monkey’s Paw.’ The use of such outlooks creates an in-sight into the life of the White family without necessarily stating the obvious, allowing us to understand their undulating journey through mystery and misery combined. Weather and overall environment play a huge role in this somewhat staged life belonging to the White family. As soon as you commence scrutinizing the first page, without having even to deduce the sly connotations imprinted, the weather springs out in your mind to set the ideal scene: darkness, dreariness and death. From the very first to the very last, contrast is used to constantly unsettle your mind, most specifically in the turbulent weathering systems: “Without, the night was cold and wet, but in the small parlour of Laburnum Villa the blinds were drawn and the fire burned brightly.” The striking definition and distinction betwixt both internal and external night ‘life’ is most certainly one of eeriness. The hostility of a stormy night that is almost automatically referenced to the damp and bitterness of the evening creates an apprehension of misfortune and death; the era in which the novel was written was also one of suspicion and most likely would have regarded such a night to be as arid...
Words: 980 - Pages: 4
...result in which happens due to it. Symbolism, an essential part in the “Tell-Tale heart” and the “Masque of Red Death” shows us the events that will soon unfold. For example, this key quote from the “Masque of Red Death” symbolizes the remaining time before death takes them. “At each lapse of an hour, the musicians of the orchestra were constrained to...
Words: 679 - Pages: 3
...Amstutz 1 Deborah Amstutz Dr. J. Woolston English 102 15 February 2014 Catacombs and Floorboards. Edgar Allan Poe is considered one of the founding father of the Gothic Society and great horror short stories. These writings were about people on the cusp of events that were grotesque to his audience. It is a known fact that his short stories were on the dark impracticality side of the mind, with characters that were pathological killers. In “The Cast of Amontillado” and “The Tell-Tale Heart,” Poe portrayed exceptional acts of madness, murders, and decay. In the case of “The Cast of Amontillado,” Poe’s character Montresor seemed mentally disturbed over a thousand injuries and an insult, obsessed with revenge. (1238). This demonstrated the instability or madness of Montresor mental well being. The individual here shows he was committing insanity by letting his emotions rule and not thinking logically. “The Tell-Tale Heart,” the person starts the story stating he is not mad which makes the reader sure of his mental illness. Eight nights he visits the bedroom of the old man, on the eighth night the eye opens; he grows furious as he looks at it and kills the old man. At the end of the story, his madness manifests into the form of the old man’s heart sounds. Illustrating he was insane before and after his killing of the old man. Montresor’s murder is careful calculated, and was illustrated with the trowel. Poe wrote he pulled a trowel from under the folds of his...
Words: 686 - Pages: 3
