New Weird: Metamorphosis

For New Weird, I read, Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. This is my second time reading this story, I once read it a long time ago in high school, and it was a story that always stuck with me. And Franz Kafka being a classic New Weird author, I decided to revisit it.


Gregor is an everyday salesmen working hard each day to make money to support his family. He is tired of his job and just wishes he could quit. One day he randomly turns into a bug. Leaving him stuck in his room and not able to communicate with his family, or move around easily for that matter. He ends up living as a bug, and his family financially takes a toll. The story follows his everyday life as an insect watching his family. Gregor eventually dies, and his family returns back to normal and relieved of the stress of taking care of Gregor.


At the point I was in my life when I first read this story I did not fully understand it. And even now, I don't know if I do, and I guess that is where the New Weird aspect comes into play. Being the soul supporter of his family, wanting a change in his life, a change suddenly happens, but probably not the change that was expected. The change results in how everyone was effected buy him not being around to take care of them. Which to me has a moral lesson.


I also started reading the book, Dead Bitch Army, for the New Weird genre, which I think encompasses a more modern take of the genre. It is more about zombies and war and messed up society, which I believe horror is going in the direction of.


I have never been a huge horror fan because I am easily scared. But now since I have opened my eyes more. I would like to see horror films going further than jump scares and gore. More well developed stories like we have read over the past few weeks.

J-Horror: Kwaidan

While reading the series of short ghost stories, Kwaidan, I picked up a few differences between J-Horror and western gothic right away. These stories were mostly spirit based and had some type of moral center. In most western ghost stories they revolve around terror and jump-scares, but in the J-horror stories I noticed it is more about morals, and learning a lesson. As well as the spirits not being good or evil. While in stories about ghosts in western society they are usually one or the other. In the J-Horror stories revolve around a lot of death and spiritual themes. I know that some people find the J-horror stories very strange, but they are also eerily terrifying. The one samurai story, was actually very graphic and I did not expect that.  Western gothic's have many different themes compared to J-horror, especially compared to today's horror genre. But I can also see how these stories can be turned into very terrifying modern horror films.The film we watched in class, I believe it was called Pulse, was a perfect example, the suspense and the weirdness it had made it extra horrifying in my opinion. Then again I am very easily terrified. 

Vampires: Interview with a Vampire

Vampires are gothic characters that have been around for ages and are constantly evolving. How the characters become vampires, how they live their everyday lives, how they feed, and especially how they interact with others and the world around them. Vampires are immortal characters living within the human world. This brings up the relationship between humans and vampires. In some stories humans are nothing but blood banks, but in others humans can represent the innocence of vampires. Interview with the Vampire reminded me of vampire stories that I used to read when I was younger, like the Mortal Instrument Series, and some shows like The Vampire Diaries. I was constantly comparing the relationships between all of the vampire stories I have known to this book. 

When it comes to vampire relationships, especially love, everything is immortal. And most relationships revolve around the transition in becoming a vampire. Like the relationship between Louis and Lestat. The one vampire Armand mentions how strong his love is for the vampire who turned him, "A love so strong he couldn't allow me to grow old and die...", and Louis is shocked by this, he hates Lestat, but if he likes it or not Lestat and him are bonded. 

The the show the Vampire Diaries, it is a modern day vampire story with similar vampire characteristics. When Damon and Stefan were turned into vampires by Katherine, they were both in love with her. Even hundreds of years later they still had love with her, until their love for her progressed into hate after all of the evil acts she committed. Which is very similar to the relationship between Louis and Lestat. Even events in the book and in the television series are very similar from Lestat being burnt in the fire but actually having had survive, and Katherine surviving many near death experiences where she should have died. And the theme of turning innocent people into vampires, like the character of Claudia in Interview with a Vampire, and characters like Caroline in Vampire Diaries. They become big characters in the story after their innocence being taken and their mortality ripped from them. 

Gothics: Frankenstien

Frankenstein is a classic gothic that has been portrayed in pop culture, literature, films, and much more throughout the years. Frankenstein's monster has been known as a classic gothic character and is easily parodied and adapted. Some more contemporary spins on the tale I can think of are The Munsters and Young Frankenstein. Films like Weird Science pay homage to the story of Frankenstein, such as when they were building the perfect woman and bringing her to life. As well in the film by Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands. In Edward Scissorhands, an inventor created a boy and before he could give the boy hands he died, leaving Edward alone in the castle as a monster with scissors for hands. Like most stories that involve the classic gothic monster who lives in a spooky castle, Edward Scissorhands and Frankenstein follow similar archetypes. In this film it follows many examples that are needed in a gothic, as well as some stereotypes. Edward is created by a mad inventor. Edward’s appearance is dark and is somewhat frightening, as any monster. He lives in a large dark scary castle overlooking town. Near the end of the film there is a mob that drives Edward back to his castle, which is a similar gothic trope when it comes to monsters. Though this film is not exactly like the story of Frankenstein it pays homage to the gothic yet makes a brand new story involving love and a “monster”. I would consider Edward Scissorhands to be a gothic because of how it uses the setting, plot, and character details. Edward Scissorhands is one of my favorite films the way it takes a quirky spin on a dark situation then involving love and self discovery as Edward sees the real world he was taught about by the inventor. I believe it is a perfect example of a contemporary gothic.