Category: Ghost

Everyone has thought about Area 51 and ghost is real, but these topics don’t just come to be true, lies are always exposed. Area 51 and ghosts are just in people’s minds. The belief behind them is considered to be for attention. Therefore, area 51 and ghosts are just a myth, regardless of people’s proof on social media, the evidence is still false.

Firstly, Area 51 is a raid that sources say happened on September 20, 2019. About 100 space fans came together at the gate of Area 51. What was so-called to follow the original storm that was planned didn’t end up happening with officers blocking the gate. All believers think it’s real because of the spaceships they think they saw. There were pictures that were posted on social media of a whole bunch of people waiting to argue about what they see. The article stated that “…the area and testimony from a retired Army colonel who says he was given access to extraterrestrial materials gathered from an alien spacecraft that crashed in Roswell.” There wasn’t really a spacecraft crash they used this as information to get more people to believe this is true.

Although Area 51 was a problem, Ghost is a problem in the world too. Ghost is a sign to people that they can see someone’s soul that had passed away. It’s just the way the human brain functions and it is weird. We need to know why things happen or what’s causing us to see these things. When it comes to unexplainable, mysterious happenings, the only logical explanation is often the presence of something supernatural. What else could explain sudden cold spots, voices and footsteps, floating spheres appearing in photographs and the feeling that someone is touching your shoulder when no one is there? Nothing, really nothing could explain any of those things cause theirs no evidence it’s a ghost. For example, I would like to share something personal on my side. I don’t believe in ghosts, but I do believe in spirits. You might think well aren’t they the same thing…no it isn’t. I was just about 15 when I felt my great-grandma present and it was a feeling that made me start to cry. Understanding these types of situations is unbelievable but I see it too.

Lastly, people try to prove that Area 51 is true with the pictures and edits they “have”. In my opinion, I do not believe in anything that revolves around Area 51, it’s fake news, but when it comes to ghosts you may think, Is there life after death? Many people not only believe there’s life after death, but they also believe that humans have led past lives. Your spirit lives the afterlife and it’s so crazy to think about. It’s a common belief among many cultures and religions. This belief gives many people comfort when they lose a loved one or are faced with their inability to live forever. So, for those who believe in the time after death, it only makes sense that spirits are staying around, but these things that you hear or see is all in your head.

To conclude, Area 51 is all a joke, but spirits have a small part that makes me wonder to this day. The proof people give us is not revealing enough; that we know they are just myths. Area 51 and ghosts are just in people’s minds. The belief behind them is considered to be for attention. In the same way, people are drawn to scary movies and terrifying roller coasters, believing that there are spirits of the dead looming around is just plain thrilling. Ghost hunters will tell you that they not only believe in ghosts, but they will do everything to try to prove they are. Same with Area 51 no matter what there is no proof of a real alien and probably never will be.

Sound Design in Ghost Stories “Genres that aim to initiate strong and intense emotional and bodily effects in the viewer (such as horror films or thrillers) produce complex audiovisual metaphors that elucidate affective and physical experiences.”(Fahlenbrach, 2008) Sound design has the incredible ability to evoke emotional and physical responses from audiences, which is profoundly noticeable in the horror genre. Sound is “greatly involved in the production of dread”(Heimerdinger, 2012) and offers a much more inclusive experience than visuals alone, allowing for more character and complexity.

Ghost Stories (Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson, 2017) is a psychological horror adapted from the 2010 stage play of the same name, written by Nyman and Dyson. The film is a moral tale about guilt and the long lasting effects of past trauma. The narrative follows Professor Philip Goodman(Andy Nyman) as he investigates three supernatural case studies in an effort to disprove the existence of ghosts, but becomes haunted by his own past mistakes. Nyman and Dyson have both expressed a love and undeniable talent for supernatural horror and comedy, which is recognisable in Dyson’s writing in The League of Gentlemen(BBC, 1999-2002) and The Guides(Jeremy Dyson, 2002), and Nyman’s roles in The Woman in Black(Herbert Wise, 1989), Dead Set(Yan Demange, 2008) and Crooked House(Damon Thomas, 2008). Ghost Stories has no credited sound designer, with the writers wanting to emulate as much of the stage performance as possible. The film’s supervising sound editor Martin Cantwell(Casino Royale, Kingsman: The Secret Service) reported that the directors had a very specific vision for the sound design that seemed to replicate the stage show almost exactly. Cantwell explains that he never saw the show before he started working on it and stated that the similarities in soundscape was a “happy accident from good direction”(M Cantwell, 2019, personal communication). The sound design in Ghost Stories attempts to blur the line between reality and fantasy, which is achieved through sense of space. A noticeable binary in the soundscape is the difference in space between a characters “safe space” and the areas they feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Goodman’s first case study revolves around Tony Matthews, a nightwatchman in his late fifties. Tony’s office acts as his safe space, as it is confined compared to the large warehouse outside. The sound in Tony’s office reflects that of a small room, as expected, but as he moves further away from his office, the reverb on his footsteps and movements becomes much larger, as does the reverb on the music playing from his office, giving a sense of complete isolation. Although not completely visible, the audience can conclude Tony is in a large space where he can’t see much, raising the tension. Here, sound is used to give the audience a point-of-view experience, encouraging them to endure the situation from Tony’s perspective.

Goodman’s second case is Simon Rifkind, a nervous man in his early twenties. Similar to Tony, Simon’s safe place is in his car, and he feels unsafe outside in the open forest. During Simon’s case, the supernatural force haunting him ends up inside the car, rendering it unsafe. This is implied in the sound design as when the creature enters the car, the small car appears to take on the reverberation of a wide, open space, mimicking Simon’s terror.

Unlike the other two, the case of Mike Priddle aims to oppose the audio conventions that have been presented to the audience. Priddle’s apparent “safe space” is a large, open field with reverb that is unusually small for the area. In contrast, the reverb becomes larger as he enters the nursery in his house. The overall arc of sage vs unsafe spaces seems to blur the line between reality and fantasy, which is emphasised in Goodman’s arc. At the beginning of the story, Goodman’s dialogue, footsteps, and actions appear to be extremely close to the audience. However, as the story continues, and he becomes more and more plagued by psychosis, the atmosphere becomes much larger, to the point of being unbearable, until he is returned to a safe place after the climax. This subtle yet effective design place the audience inside the protagonist’s mind, forcing them to experience what he is going through.

“Atmosphere can not only make up for a weak narrative but thrive in the vacuum created by its diminished force”(Spadoni, 2014). Cantwell explains that creating an effective horror soundscape requires subtle elements to be carefully crafted around the plot. Ghost Stories uses a classic horror sound trope which Cantwell refers to as the “placement of silence”, which uses lack of sound or atmospheric noise to create tension. This is achieved by having no sound over a specific scene, either to emphasise a small sound, or to make the audience uncomfortable, as most film audiences have become accustomed to having a soundtrack underneath every scene and feel uncomfortable when there is a lack of sound.

One major plot-related audio motif in the film is heavy, laboured breathing which foreshadows the death of a character at the end. Similar to Cantwell’s designs for creating space using reverb, he increasingly distorts the sound of the breathing to suggest that the characters are not in reality. A common plugin used to distort the audio throughout the film is a flanger, which modulates the sound and gives it a very distinctive, metallic sound. When combined with the reverb, the breathing begins to sound very unnatural, contributing to the atmosphere of “unreality”.

During most films, audience members place trust in the filmmakers to tell them a story without omitting anything. However, in horror, audiences expect to be deceived, wanting to enhance the horror experience by allowing themselves to be mislead. Fahlenbrach(2008) states that horror can initiate “strong and intense emotional and bodily effects in the viewer” which are stimulated by the atmosphere created by the filmmakers. In horror, sound is arguably the most important stimulus in creating an emotional reaction in the audience as many horror films use low key lighting so much of the narrative is told through the soundscape.

Bibliography:

1. Fahlenbrach, Kathrin. (2008) ‘Emotions in sound: audiovisual metaphors in the sound design of narrative films.’ Projections: The Journal for Movies and Mind, 2 (2), pp. 85+. Gale Academic Onefile, https://link-gale-com.ucreative.idm.oclc.org/apps/doc/A196442141/AONE?u=ucca&sid=AONE&xid=24024fbf. Accessed 13 Nov. 2019.
2. Ghost Stories. (2017). [film] Directed by Dyson, J. and Nyman, A. [DVD] UK: Warp Films.
3. Heimerdinger, J. (2012) ‘Music and sound in the horror film & why some modern and avant-garde music lends itself to it so well’. Seiltanz. Beiträge zur Musik der Gegenwart, 4, pp.4-16.
4. Spadoni, R. (2014) ‘Horror Film Atmosphere as Anti-narrative (and Vice Versa)’. R. Nowell (Ed.). Merchants of Menace: The Business of Horror Cinema, pp. 109–128. New York: Bloomsbury Academic.

The book I chose is “The Canterville Ghost” written by famous English author Oscar Wilde. He was an Irish poet and playwright. It is a short story written in the form of novella about the mansion haunted by a ghost. Its genre is Gothic fiction. The title itself reveals that it is a scary ghost story. But when I read it, I found out that it is a horror-comic.

Hiram B. Otis, a well off American, buys Canterville Chase, an antiquated English lodge, despite of admonitions that the house is well known to be spooky. He moves into the house joined by his better half, his oldest child Washington, his little girl Virginia, and his two more youthful twin children. Quickly upon appearance, the family is stood up to by a bloodstain in a parlor. The servant, Mrs. Umney, clarifies that the stain has been there since 1575 and is the after effect of Lady Eleanore de Canterville having been fiercely killed by her significant other, Sir Simon de Canterville. The Otis family takes an even minded viewpoint and scours the stain away; they rehash the procedure when the stain keeps on returning each morning. The obstinate return of the stain, just as other weird events around the house, drives them to consider that the gossip of the phantom may not be unwarranted. These thoughts are affirmed when one night, the sound of thumping chains wakes Mr. Otis from his rest. He gets up and faces an unnerving phantom, however, reacts just by prescribing that the apparition oil his chains with the goal that he doesn’t cause so much clamor when he is strolling around evening time.

Mr. Otis isn’t the main relative who isn’t apprehensive about the apparition: the youthful twins appreciate tormenting the phantom with tricks. The apparition is extremely glad for his custom of unnerving guests for a long time, and he is resolved to strike dread into the American family. Be that as it may, the increasingly unnerving he attempts to be, the more they either ridicule or disregard him. Things hit absolute bottom for the Canterville Ghost when the twins really make their very own phony apparition to startle the genuine phantom. He acknowledges that he has lost his status and force, and he starts to get discouraged and pine away.

Then, Virginia’s excellence has pulled in the consideration of the youthful Duke of Cheshire, who comes to remain at Canterville Chase. While he is visiting, Virginia out of the blue runs over the mystery concealing nest of the phantom. The phantom clarifies his pity and enduring, disclosing to her that he aches for the serene experience of death. He additionally discloses to her that considering her virtue and blamelessness, she can assist him with achieving this harmony. Even though she is startled, Virginia consents to help; both go through a mystery opening in the divider and evaporate. At the point when Virginia can’t be discovered, her family and the Duke become disturbed. A couple of hours after the fact, Virginia shows up in obscurity at the highest point of the stairs. Her solitary clarification of her vanishing is that she has aided at long last carrying unceasing rest to the Canterville Ghost.

As a token of his thanks and fondness, Sir Simon has given her a crate loaded up with gems. Virginia drives the family into a mystery chamber, where they are welcomed by seeing his skeletal remains. After four days, Sir Simon’s body is at long last let go with a legitimate entombment. Virginia along these lines weds the Duke of Cheshire. Although she never mentions to anybody what she encountered when she evaporated with the Ghost, she generally thinks about tenderly him and his memory.

This novel has an amazing content. It is really very interesting book and I specially like the ending. It became a pretty touching because earlier than sir Simon had gone forever, he has a friend with the intention to pray for him. Possibly a few of us don’t accept in the ghost, but there is continuously something around us that we cannot see. The story is told in a comedian, unexpected and some of the time mocking tone. After all, the tone turns out to be progressively genuine and thoughtful in the last area after the apparition at long last concedes that he is languishing. I highly recommend that everyone should read this book because it is very funny, imaginative and easy to read. Moreover, this story gives us the lesson kindness.

In late 16th century English drama vengeful ghosts, adapted from a Senecan drama, became a common occurrence. William Shakespeare, a well revered writer, “is unique in the fact that he is the only author who fully participates in the popular vogue for presenting ghosts onstage”. According to Stephen Greenblatt, “Shakespeare, more than anyone of his age, grasped that there were powerful links between his art and the haunting of spirits”.

In two of Shakespeare’s works, Julius Caesar and Hamlet, the supernatural for the most part, is represented through the presence of ghosts of the former rulers. In relation to the topic of revenge tragedy, both plays touch on fundamental principles that constitute the genre. Shakespeare in Hamlet uses revenge as a tool that influences the actions of the protagonist, Brutus, while in Caesar he touches on two aspects that constitute revenge tragedy and tragedy as a whole, recognitions and reversals. The supernatural helps to present these concepts of revenge tragedy and tragedy as a whole. The three principal ways that Shakespeare represents the deceased are through three modes: the ghost as the projections of fear, the ghost as the spirit of history, and the ghost as the embodiment of deep psychic disturbance. Both plays touch on aspects of these modes of presentation, but the supernatural is presented in an even more complex way. In Hamlet, the ghost directly influences the psychology of the protagonist which leads him to revenge. In Julius Caesar, the presentation of the supernatural is much more complex as it appears to be embedded in the protagonist’s own psyche.

In Julius Caesar the main protagonist, Brutus, is influenced by Cassius to kill the high and mighty Julius Caesar who has just gained an immense amount of power. Brutus conspires with his fellow colleagues and is successful in killing Caesar. Although this appears to be a victory, it causes Brutus intense mental turmoil as he battles to justify his actions. In Act three Caesar is stabbed and exclaims: “Et tu, Brute? – Then fall, Caesar’. Richard Proudfoot in the footnotes of this line make an interesting point to Caesar’s final words as he says: “My guess is that at this moment Brutus knows he is wrong and that all is lost”. Although there is no concrete evidence of Brutus actually having a recognition, it is a recognition of Caesar. This recognition foreshadows the recognition that Brutus will have when he meets the ghost of Caesar. The best sort of recognition according to Aristotle, is that accompanied by peripeteia…” Not only is a recognition happening in this scene but a reversal of fortune for Caesar as well because he is murdered. It is potentially the beginning of reversal for Brutus as well due to the fact that his demise begins when Caesar dies. What is particularly interesting about the demise of Brutus is that it appears to begin when he encounters the ghost of Caesar. According to Kerrigan, “revenge plays specialize in recognitions of this sort. The object of retribution does not just suffer from what is done to him but from perceiving in what is done to him what he did to his victim, and from enduring that knowledge”. Brutus suffers due to the fact that he has allegedly encountered the ghost of Caesar and does not know if his actions for murder were justified. He feels tied to Caesar because he orchestrated his murder and also because he has this supernatural encounter. This causes him to take his own life by committing suicide in the end.

The ghost in Julius Caesar does not appear frequently throughout the play but does have a monumental impact on Brutus and his actions. In Act 4, Brutus notices something is in his presence as he states: “How ill this taper burns! Ha! Who comes here? I think it is the weakness of mine eyes that shapes this monstrous apparition. It comes upon me. Art thou anything? Art thou some god, some angel, or some devil, That mak’st my blood cold and my hair to stare?” Stephen Greenblatt has a great analysis of this scene in relation to how the supernatural is presented. Greenblatt states: “The lines trace a seesaw of conflicting responses: a dimming of the candlelight by which he is reading leads Brutus to look up. Startled, he sees someone-it is a “who, not a “what”, that he perceives- and then immediately calls into question the legitimacy of his perception”.

Brutus continues as he demands for a response stating: “Speak to me what thou art”. Greenblatt questions the ghosts response which is, “Thy evil spirit, Brutus”, because it is an answer that is quite distinct from the three options – God, angel, or devil – that he has advanced. In analyzing it this way, Greenblatt allows for one to interpret the supernatural as more complex than just presented through a ghost. One may even claim that the ghost appears to be a part of Brutus as his own “spirit” rather than an actual representation of the supernatural. Although there seems to be a psychic disturbance as the candles are dim and Brutus describes his “blood as cold and hair as stare”, the ghost never implies that it is supernatural force or even the dead Caesar. Greenblatt claims this as well as he states that the response of the ghost “calls into question the relationship between the projections of the mind or thy eyes and the weird supernatural forces that seem to exist objectively in the cosmos of the play…” It is important not to disregard the supernatural forces that are present such as the soothsayers that predict Caesar’s fall along with the prophetic dreams that Caesar’s wife has.

This experience that Brutus has drive’s him further into a frenzy as he becomes paranoid: “Didst thou see anything?” – he exclaims to Lucius after the incident. His remorse grows as he says: “Friends, I owe more tears to this dead man than you shall see me pay”. The final words of Brutus as well shows the impact that Caesars “spirit” has had on him as he claims: “Farewell, good Strato – Caesar, now be still”. In the footnotes it says: “The spirit of Caesar, like the ghost in revenge tragedy, is able to rest when his murderer is dead…” It is not apparent that the ghost of Caesar was pursuing revenge, but Brutus’ last line appears to be a recognition of the wrong he has done. In saying, “Caesar, now be still” Brutus’ appears to recognize that Caesar’s spirit is restless. The apparition he had helps to fuel this recognition of Brutus. Brutus’ last line is also evidence of his own reversal of fortune as he runs on his sword right after speaking. Although the supernatural entity may have just been a figment of Brutus’ imagination, it still influenced him to ultimately end his own life.

In Hamlet, Shakespeare takes a more direct approach to the revenge genre tragedy as Hamlet aims to get revenge on Claudius, his uncle, who has married his mother Gertrude. Hamlet is enraged and sad because he lost his father and now has to accept his uncle as ruler. He struggles to figure out what the best action would be to take. Kerrigan emphasizes this question of what action may be in stating: “Shakespeare’s Hamlet, for instance, revolves around the question, what might action be?” Hamlet is urged towards vengeance because of the fact that there is disorder in the royal family due to his father’s death. According to Kerrigan this is common in a revenger’s position as he states: “Injured by another, or urged towards vengeance by a raped mistress or murdered father, he is forced to adopt a role”. Another point that Kerrigan makes is that: “a revenger’s position is different. His predicament is imposed on him, and to know this is part of his plight”. Both of Kerrigan’s points are applicable to Hamlet as he is forced to bear the burden of his father’s predicament and also must adopt the role as the revenge seeker. The ghost of Hamlet’s father is the culprit who imposes his own predicament onto Hamlet in stating: “If tho didst ever thy dear father love-Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder!” Hamlets becomes mad as he pursues revenge which ultimately leads to the destruction of the royal family along with a majority of the people within the play. Kerrigan sums up the tragic end in claiming: “Revenge is a building-block, the seed from which something larger can grow, since, one man’s vengeance being another man’s injury, the single exchange on an open stage will breed others as blood calls for blood and the symmetries of action extend into plot’.

The ghost of Hamlet’s father is therefore of the utmost importance to analyze and discuss as it has such a large influence on the plot. In reference to the supernatural, the ghost appears to be an entity that is foreign to Horatio and Marcellus. Although at first Horatio is skeptical of it, he eventually acknowledges that it is a different entity as he fears that it will draw Hamlet into madness if he follows it. When Hamlet leaves Horatio and Marcellus to follow the ghost, it states: “I am thy father’s spirit, Doomed for a certain term to walk the night and for the day confined to fast in fires till the foul crimes done in my days of nature are burnt and purged away”. The words the ghost says gives it the properties that constitute the supernatural as it is a spirit that appears to be in purgatory. The ghost tries to get Hamlet to feel pity as it says: “When I to sulphurous and tormenting flames Must render up myself”. The ghost speaks about what it currently is enduring as a way to manipulate Hamlet. According to Kerrigan this is common in Revenge tragedy as it “likes to show how the sins of the fathers are visited upon the sons when only the fathers are directly punished”. Hamlet gives into the manipulation as he responds with pity “Alas, poor ghost.” The ghost continues as it pleads for Hamlet to swear that he will seek out revenge for him. Later on, when Hamlet is with his mother Gertrude, the ghost appears again. It claims: “Do not forget! This visitation Is but to whet thy almost blunted purpose…” it continues as it says: “Speak to her, Hamlet.” It is interesting how the ghost appears to be using Hamlet as a way to speak to Gertrude. The words that the ghost speaks to Hamlet are direct and commanding which reveals its power over him. Kerrigan again touches on this idea in his work as he says: “There is a sense, however, in which the structure of obligation under which Hamlet labors makes him, on a psychologically significant level, a substitute for the father he is out to revenge”. This further makes the play more tragic as it is not even Hamlet’s revenge, it is his father. Hamlet does not need to necessarily take action on the matters, but the ghost of his father uses its position to influence Hamlet and his decisions. The most tragic aspect of the play is the fact that in pursuing revenge, the royal family is completely destroyed and is taken up by an outside ruler Fortinbras.

Although Hamlet is fully revenge tragedy while Julius Caesar only has aspects of it, both plays fully present the genre of tragedy as a whole. In both plays there is a disruption of the natural order as the former rulers are murdered. In both plays the protagonists eventually commit suicide. The supernatural helps to shape the outcome of these plays but it accomplishes it in different ways. Hamlet’s ghost has a straightforward influence while Julius Caesar’s ghost may have not even been a full representation of the supernatural. What is important to state about the presentation of the supernatural is that it is not completely clear. There are multiple ways to interpret the presence of the supernatural within both works. Greenblatt comments on this as he says: “Shakespeare was fascinated by the way in which disoriented or anxious people construct desperate explanatory hypotheses – his contemporary Gascoigne called them “supposes”- about their world.”

To say ghosts do not exist would be ignorant because there have been many sightings of them and have been spotted in multiple countries. This idea is based on the ancient tale of a person’s spirit existing separately from their body and continue until death. A ghost could appear in any form but in the same reincarnation of a person. Ghost could appear at any time but in stories and some cultures they are said to come only when they want revenge and are used to scare little kids not to sin. There are also many books that use ghost as a mean to scare people, but most adults do know that they are real.

First experiences on ghost

A person or animal is considered a ghost when after death he or she returns in a half human form, where some can touch and move objects. The roots of spirit photography can be traced back to the past (bbc.com). Since ancient times places that are haunted tend to be associated with some past occurrence with ghost. It is said that a few people around the world can also speak to ghosts and see them in their everyday lives. Some celebrities have also encountered them, and those dead have been spotted a few times such as Michael Jackson, Tupac and many more but most of the videos are said to be fake. Spirit photography is a form of picture taking that attempts to capture pictures of ghosts or anything relating to it. The beginning of this can be traced back to the 19th century, during this time some photographers were experimenting with new effects when they realized the idea and exploited it for profit. Ghost have been in our society for a long time and is said that a camera could capture a ghost we could not see. Scientists have studied the human eyes and discovered there are images encoded in random patterns only taught to be in computers that create images in our head of ghosts. In 856 A.D, the first poltergeist known of was a ghost that caused physical disturbances such as loud sounds and objects falling to the ground scared and caused the death of a family three.

Apart from exact physical touch, there are traditional ghosts’ signs which are used in movies and occur in real life situations as well. These are haunting signs that range from strange noises, lights, smell change, bells playing music and the displacement of objects. Early ghost sightings were in the first century A.D where the roman author and statesmen Pliny recorded one of the first notable ghost stories. He spoke on suspecting his house to be haunted after his encounter with a ling bearded man in his house. Ghost appearing clothed in white is very mysterious but tells a little about their origin. The Greeks often told stories about visiting the underworld and it was easy to recognize their fellows among the dead because they wore white clothes. Some people say that ghosts create their appearance is such form due to them being able to produce light with colors in order to make it seem like they were wearing clothes (Humantruth.info).

Ghost in Media

The internet portrays the topic on ghost to a much larger scale. Most of these tend to often be fake but some do tell the true stories on some topics. A TV series known as dead famous was a British paranormal reality television show that first aired on June 15, 2004 to June 13, 2006. The show emphasized on famous deceased people. Online these topics are used for entertainment purposes and in order to get people interested to watch the topic gets turned into fake news. Ghost stories are vaguely exploited online in cases where people explore abandoned buildings or play haunted games. Explorers online tend to do research before checking these places, but some people check mainly for online attention. This in some cases could result in deaths and could sometimes affect the viewers very badly. The media is a very good place for sharing stories and a lot of people share their experiences and encounters with ghost around the world. This help to cope with stress and scientist can help from this. Communicating examines the influence of the medias messages about paranormal activities and tells how people perceive the information (Paul Brewer).

Everything relating to ghosts such as their appearance, affects, unclear communication, affect on the media all require a great amount of subjective interpretation. Ghost also seem to appear at any time in physical and in our minds where it would be least logical and least sensible. Every scientist to try figure out this topic have all returned unsuccessful, every single solved case has turned out to have a little error. All it really took was an idea and a ghost story could become real, and to test this some scientist made up a false story and it was only a matter of time before people began saying the saw it (Human truth.info). The occurrence of ghost in hallucinations is said to give believers the most convincing experience and dreaming someone only to find out they were dead. There is also no afterlife, there is no soul, and there is no such thing as spirits it is only our brain producing patterns creating images.

The origins of Japanese horror can be prominently traced back to the 17th century, which in Japan was the time of the Edo period (1603-1868) where under a more unified rule, arts and culture began to prosper. Known as Kaidan in Japanese, the word directly translates into “talks of the strange”. These are folklore that were often passed down from family and friends as a way to describe their own encounters of the incomprehensible, such as ghost sightings, natural disasters and other ill fortune events, or to creatively illustrate social injustices that frequently depict a wrongdoer and a ghost who seeks vengeance upon them.

People of different social status started to pay attention to the pleasantries of life due to economic growth and relative peace, and thus this environment became a hatching ground for the tales of horror that not only was used to depict the different realities of the people, but as proper entertainment in the form of a game called Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai (A hundred tales of ghost stories). This was a game that most sections of society engaged in, be it samurai or peasant; a group of people gather and trade these horror stories while each blowing out a candle from a hundred as a testament of courage. The immense popularity of this game brought about a literature explosion of horror stories, from household to household both near and faraway, with some coming all the way from China.

Then with the acquisition of the printing press, literature became more widespread and accessible, and the genre of the strange, in the form of Kaidanshu (ghost story books), was officially born. This laid the foundation in which most, if not all Japanese horror films found inspiration from. Fast forward to the late 18th century, where film was invented, two shorts were made in Japan in 1898, named Shinin no Sosei (Dead man’s resurrection) and Bake Jizo (Ghost Statue). These films, now presumed lost, are considered the first horror/supernatural films made in Japan and in the whole world. Owning to Japan’s infatuation with these tales of the spirits and demons, it can be counted upon that one of their earliest films produced would portray the genre, marking the importance of the horror genre in the history of Japanese cinema. Another example is from one of the most famous Kaidan of all time, Yotsuya Kaidan, a story of a wrongfully murdered wife, Oiwa, and her ghostly revenge against her husband Iemon, who committed the murder and adultery. The story, which was originally written in 1825 by Nanboku Tsuruya IV as a kabuki play, draws from the common theme of a female ghost’s revenge against her killer in Kaidan stories, often resulting in the deaths of multiple characters connected to her murderer, yet we the audience sympathize with the vengeance of the ghost. As film, it was first adapted in 1912, and was re-adapted repeatedly in different times of cinematic development, from silent films to narrated, colored to the use of CGI, up until recently in 2014. The intertwining of theater, literature and film inspired by these narratives, continued to contribute towards each other even now. These narratives, which came from Kaidan, laid the foundation with its roots deep in the development of Japanese cinema, and reoccurring narratives such as the “female ghost revenge” mentioned above is continually used to inspire future Japanese horror films, like Ju-On.

While film is a universal language, it still requires a pathway in which to reach audiences from around the world. This is especially true for other non-Hollywood films where lower budgets and less international exposure leads to low confidence for cinemas to showcase them. Japanese Horror was still widely unknown among the western audience with the exception of cult film fans during the time where Hollywood remakes began to appear. Remakes of Japanese films started around early to mid 60’s, where Shichinin no Samurai (1954) and Yojimbo (1961) were remade into The Magnificent Seven (1960) and A Fistful of Dollars (1964), it was not widely known by the audience at the time that it was largely inspired by the two Japanese films mentioned above, even though they were considered Western classics. This was the time where filmmakers themselves shared their knowledge of their craft, and these films mark the first tangible integration between Japanese and American film culture. Even though these remakes grabbed the attention of film lovers, in the horror department Hollywood had started to come to a stalemate in the late 1990s. During that time, classics such as A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), its remakes, and the Friday the 13th sequels has started to lose its charm.

The low exposure of Japan cinema internationally was less of a problem than an opportunity for both sides, as profit seemed a definite possibility if films from the East could make its way through to the Western audience more effectively. It was not until 2001 that distribution of East Asian films and with it, Japanese Horror, was made available to the UK and later on to parts of the US by Tartan Films, a distribution label that grouped East Asian films together, packaged it, and re-branded it into “Asian Extreme”, a term coined by the company. As the name suggests, it served to establish a dangerous yet enticing theme for these films that attracted film lovers, being made readily available in big DVD stores. This “new genre” of films appealed mainly to cult film fanatics at first, but soon expanded to others such as those interested in cinema world, granting them easy access to these “exotic” films. This can be argued as the advent of Japanese horror in Western culture and soon after, the start of their Hollywood remakes.

References:

1. Hantke, S., 2005. ‘Japanese Horror Under Western Eyes: Social Class and Global Culture in Miike Takashi’s Audition’. In: J. McRoy, ed. Japanese Horror Cinema. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, pp. 53-65.
2. http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/the-edo-period-in-japanese-history/
3. Zack Davisson, https://hyakumonogatari.com/what-are-kaidan/, 2010
4. http://www.kaidan.org/review-wiki.html
5. Hiroshi Komatsu, The Lumiere Cinematographe and the Production of the Cinema in Japan in the Earliest Period, Film History Vol. 8, No. 4, International Trends in Film Studies (1996), p. 436-7.
6. http://www.weirdwildrealm.com/f-yotsuyakaidan.html
7. The Grudge (2002). How and Why did Hollywood start remaking Asian movies?
8. https://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/jc50.2008/TartanDist/film/

The inspiration of the story “The Mystery of the Faded Girl”, emerged from a book by Jeffrey Archer which I had read and had a similar plot. In this essay, I explored the genre of ghost story. I presented a gripping event in the beginning and built on it to engage with the reader but avoiding to wrap it up a neatly.

The structure is made up of some few basic elements in ghost stories within a mundane scene, for instance, evidence of a crime, a suffering soul and a dinner scene. However, the two major parts of the plot involve the girl’s murder and both apparitions. The opening immediately sets the scene. There is a shift in the setting, firstly in the countryside, the second is depicted in the domestic scene, eventually finishing in the same outdoor setting. The contrast of these settings, when Francis firstly encounters the spectre, at home when he hears the priest’s stories and when the medium meets the spectre, employ a set of events which are reinforced by the imagery and diverse point of views.

Ghost stories are typically written in the third person narration in the past tense so I abide by that convention. In my opinion, this point of view makes the storytelling less relatable so, in order to better understand the characters and events I used direct speech to convey aspects of their personality and advance the plot of the story. The awareness of the crime evokes sympathy not fear when the spectre reappears. The brief dialogue between the medium and the ghost is meant to pull the reader back into the story and create suspense. Nonetheless, the reader might be concerned with the meaning of what the ghost is looking for especially with the words: “I will not leave. Stay away! You’ll regret this”. Prior to this statement, the plot seemed to be moving to a conclusion so I avoided a traditional resolution to leave it open to interpretation.

Challenges and areas of improvement

My main aim was to fit the structure of Freytag’s pyramid as a model then I decided to have a climax in the beginning and construct the plot, with a semi-resolution. Due to this, I did not strike a balance between the characters’ interaction. I reworked the writing according to the feedback mainly focusing on the inclusion of more dialogue in order to get various reactions to the story. I realized that the story could be told by relating to other characters as Jeff VanderMeer contends that “[c]haracters who, from their point of view, in a sense create setting, and who exists for us through description, which technically, includes dialogue”. Thus I have included the point of view of secondary characters, as the priest’s monologue felt too long then altered it to a conversation, thus developing secondary characters and make the story more believable. I would definitely work on the ending of stories as it entails thinking in order to avoid clichés, and have great endings.

Compare the ways in which author Kate Alice Marshall (Rules For Vanishing) and director Adam Wingard (The Blair Witch) employ a wide variety of techniques to explore the genre of horror/thriller and the sense of mystery within their texts.

Ghost stories have long been a part of every culture, in every corner of the globe; usually adopted to educate and generate fear, keeping people in line, morally aware, and away from danger, for centuries. However, it can be argued that ghost stories are just that – stories. Kate Alice Marshall, author of paranormal fiction novel, Rules For Vanishing uses fractured plot, non-linear narrative, accumulative snippets of detail and an unreliable narrator to drive the mysterious plot of her text. Contrastingly, Adam Wingard, director of the horror/thriller film, The Blair Witch relies on clever camera work, color and sound to draw the reader deeply into his story. Both authors use techniques such as found footage and different points of view to generate a spooky mood and a sense of horror. These techniques really bring the mystery of their own ghost stories to life.

Marshall’s Rules For Vanishing utilizes a fractured plot and non-linear narrative to explore and make sense of the world in which the text is set, whereas Wingard’s The Blair Witch, re-visits selective footage whilst also retaining a strong, linear narrative. In addition, both texts make use of found footage as the driving force of the story. Marshall’s uses of a fractured plot, a broken and split story line, along with a non-linear narrative, helps unravel a complex tale. This means that the text moves between both the present and past, adopting the forms of recorded interview transcripts and written testimonials by the protagonist, Sara, respectively. When this happens in the present, Dr. Ashford prompts Sara to write more of her testimony offering us more of the story. This gives the reader an insight into the future of the story without concrete evidence. A great example of this is during an interview between Dr. Ashford and Sara she believes that it is “[her] fault” and that her friends “wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for [her]” yet she remains from saying what happened to her friends, making the reader have to speculate about what happened. On the other hand, Wingard takes advantage of a strong linear narrative for his story, even though he does revisit the same footage with a different level of context and the story line uses the manipulation of time to its advantage.

By implementing a linear narrative, the audience is completely unaware of what the future holds. This also gives us a sense that we are experience the same thing that James and his friends are experiencing. The story revisits the same piece of footage as it is used as a found footage at the beginning of the film and then again as the experience of Lisa. By doing this it confuses the audience, making them have to think about whether James and his friends are experiencing what Heather did or if they somehow found their own footage. The manipulation of time also has a profound effect on the mood of the film as the irregularity of the day/night cycle drives the characters to a state of discomposure especially when they wake up at 9 o’clock in the morning when the sun rises at 6. Both authors use their form of narrative structure to their advantage. In Marshall’s text, the reader becomes unsure of what to expect about the future. Meanwhile, Wingard attempts to make his audience experience something completely unrealistic while trying to convey an unsolvable mystery, both influencing the viewers response while they engage with their texts. Interestingly, both authors use found “old” footage to help drive their plot and highlight action and elicit reactions. In Rules For Vanishing, the found footage comes in the form of text messages, video and audio recordings from not only by past travelers but also from Sara and her friends, this would then allow Marshall to inform the audience about the friendships of the characters and the horrors associated with the road. Wingard, on the other hand uses found footage in two ways; the first is the motivation and the driving force for the story, as this footage leads to his search for his missing sister. The other way in which Wingard uses old footage is evident in the style of the text, as it is filmed as a faux documentary with a lot of the film being shaky as a handheld camera technique is employed. In other parts, the film is in shallow focus, giving the impression that it is aged, ominous and mysterious. It also suggests that the audience may be watching the “found” footage, drawing them into the story of the text.

Rules for Vanishing by Marshall uses many different forms of text to accumulate snippets of information to convey the feeling of the characters, whereas Wingard in The Blair Witch uses but one method of to draw out suspense in the text. Added to this the creation of unreliability of narration is a common technique adopted by the authors to add suspense to their texts. The narration in Rules for Vanishing differs from other pieces of text as it doesn’t have one sole form of narration and the story is presented to the readers through different pieces of text, such as written testimonials, recorded interviews, text messages, emails and so forth. Majority of the text, the plot, was written as testimonials by protagonist Sara as she was recounting what happened as part of an investigation, there are a few other characters that become narrators such as Dr. Ashford and Abbigail during private discussions. Having multiple inputs for information from different sources it allows the audience to see the story from a different point of view or through a different lens. These snippets of information allowed other texts and pieces of information to present itself to the reader that is not accessible to all of the characters. Wingard did not use multiple forms of text to convey his story and elicit his response, instead he wished to use a number of more personal points of view from each of the characters to express his story. Instead, Wingard wanted the film to be filmed in a pseudo-documentary style. This was achieved by each of the characters having cameras with them at all time being either handheld, an earpiece camera to give a point of view shot or other cameras set up by the characters themselves. This form of filming style is used to further immerse the audience into the piece of text this is expressed well in the scene when James is taught by Lisa on how to use the cameras. Having a part in the story means that we feel as though we are the characters and the readers experience what the characters do. Yet at the same time by having handheld cameras the view is shaky meaning we can’t always see clearly or everything they do as we don’t have the same level of peripheral vision.

Marshall played the story well and to add suspense to the story she decided to erase and alter parts of Sara memories, this allowed for Sara to become a test subject and an unreliable narrator. The creation of Sara as an unreliable narrator works well in the sense that something seems off about her before we realize that memories are wrong and missing, having this feeling of distrust and uncertainty grows as we learn more about the characters and plot. This aspect of the text creates a lack of trust between the reader and Sara, feeling as though the reader does not trust her, they will look for other characters and people to believe before anything she writes. By having Sara as the main protagonist means that to hear any of the story, we have to listen to her, raising more suspicion and suspense. Wingard has done something similar to Marshall and effectively tires to make the viewer feel untrustworthy and unsafe, this is done as creatures are seen in the corner of the screen, we start to question reality and because of the immersion of the filming technique we no longer trust ourselves. Marshall’s use of informational snippets and creation of an unreliable narrator draws upon the pent-up suspense drawing forth the feelings of uncertainty of the reader, while Wingard elicits suspense through fear and feelings of disbelief of reality.