CMTLitHorror

The Hobbit: An unexpected Hero's Journey    The Hobbit was written by J R.R. Tolkien in 1937 after the midst of WW1 The Hobbit is a fantasy epic written. This book would be a major milestone in fantasy story telling. Having been written after WW1 the book explore themes of war, industrialization, and the hero's journey.     The book begins with a hole in the ground. There lives a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins, Bilbo in many retrospects isn't you typical hero or protagonist of the story, he is an everyday man. This is similar to Tolkien's own experience as him and the other soldiers of the first World War were everyday men that were he reluctantly joined military. This in many aspects is vastly similar to the call to action of Bilbo Baggins, he is called to an adventure that far exceeds the norms of his everyday life. As he begins his journey he like Tolkien faced many challenges and along the way he had revelations. But by the end however the Banding co...

Akata Witch: Witching Norms The ideas and practices of Witches and witching is one that can found within the foundations of the American western roots as from the Puritans that landed on Plymouth rock to the modern incantations of voodoo and various witch practices. The book Akata witch is a modern incantation of almost the modern witch with roots with in the old witching practices. Written by Okorafor, the supernatural world is portrayed in a modern sense with modern day characters. This book was written for young adults, and in a sense contrary to the words aren't as intricately woven as those found in our previous readings of Interview With a Vampire. This however works to its benefit as it helps attracts a wider range of readers. This in addition to the very relatable character such as Sunny give the reader lens to see the world through. This book in many aspects is a vastly different interpretation of the witch and the supernatural incarnations that precede it in other ...

Frankenstein: Questioning the Monster      Contrary to what the film adaptation of Frankenstein maybe, the book is far from the film interpretation that has captivated audiences when it graced the big screen back in 1931. The source material though is a completely different breed. The book was written about a century prior to getting a film and had to rely on its text and syntax to grab the attention of the reader.    The book in my observation seems to be multiple genres into one. It is the "triple threat" It encompasses the Gothic themes of romanticism while also exploring science fiction and horror genres. From Victor's abandonment of the monster to the horrors of the monster to the science fiction of the monsters creation.    The book is more or less about Frankenstein himself and not the monster. in fact the monster isn't introduced until halfway through the book. The monster's creation in fact harkens to the science fiction aspect of t...

Ju-On (The Grudge) – 2002 – Dir. By Takashi Shimizu The Grudge is a remake of the 1986 film of the same name which would then be remade again in 2004 for a more western audience by the same director. It follows the story of various characters that fall prey to the grudge in the film. However unlike our more modern films in which the audience is introduced and is expected to empathize with a character that is introduced early on as the protagonist the Japanese version bucks that trend and instead goes to make the Grudge/monster itself the main character of the film. This in effect makes it so that there are a multitude of characters in the film that would be later revealed to be the victims (as opposed to a titular character in the American remake being the focus of the film) This in a sense gives the film a shroud of mystery as the viewer must think as to why the people are being killed and what circumstances makes it so that they are the victims. The approach to the horror...

Interview with a vampire by Anne Rice “Every Moment must be known then savored” – Louis These words ring true for almost the entirety of the book. Throughout much of the story we are introduced to two viewpoints on the. However, during the beginning of the book/interview with the vampire named Louis it is quickly shown that this trope of vampire is one that goes against the common modern/post-modern types of vampires that we as an audience witness today. Like the title suggests this book is structured as an interview, with a vampire, from a 3 rd person point of view starting with a nameless character who is eager to know the secrets of the vampire. Right from the start before the interviewer is able to set the tone and time of the interview Louis is adamant in answering his questions and says that he will answer them but on his own terms saying that he wants to “tell all of his story form the beginning” He starts this simply enough by shattering the conventional vampire ...

Horror Tropes Infringement on the natural form Dark Foreboding Atmosphere Heavy weather Feeling of powerlessness Man v Monster Use of gore and blood Isolation from society and cultural norms Abandoned environments Grotesque Imagery  Use of screams/loud noises Use of Jump Scares Audio Cues (Unsettling music composition)