Kwaidan/J-Horror

Ah, the J-horror genre. While Japanese horror and ghost stories are nothing new, it has been on an upward surge of popularity in the Western world by both the mainstream Hollywood crowd and horror aficionados. The main attraction to this genre simply comes from the differences we find in it compared to a traditional Western horror film, with J-horror usually having a bigger emphasis on tension, the unknown and psychological fear rather than shock value or clear explanations. Kwaidan is a series short Japanese ghost stories that gives a good idea on the general range of J-horror genre. While a few of the stories may be dull or not scary, there is enough variety in each story to make sure you're reading a unique tale each time.

One of the main things of note here is that a majority of the stories are set the feudal era. By doing so, we are exposed to not just a unique setting but also a bit of a cultural lesson as well. The stories themselves range from creepy, to depressing, and sometimes just boring or weird. Despite this, I can't really count that as a negative for Kwaidan. The stories are all based on a deep rooted culture with many stories relating to ghost and the spirit world.

While I'm not a fan off all the stories, I do appreciate the aspect of learning while I'm reading. On the other side of the spectrum, modern Western horror doesn't really give much of a history to it's monsters/antagonist. Overall, I'd say Kwaidan is an interesting read worth the time to anyone into horror. It gives a unique take on the genre and there's bound to be a story that interest you in the lot.

Interview with a Vampire

The vampire, a unique monster archetype that has went through dramatic changes over the years. While many people have very...”passionate” views on them, no one can deny that they have been so ingrained into our culture through books, movies, television and games. Interview with a Vampire by Anne Rice is a really influential novel in a sense that many modern vampire stories borrow assets and themes from it. The “vegetarian” vampire (feeding of animals rather than humans) and the whole morality issue they face has been made popular thanks to this book, turning the vampire into more of a cursed human rather than a true monster. The different breeds of vampires is also a common theme made popular thanks to this story.

Despite seeing all this before, I still felt that Interview with a Vampire was refreshing and unique. It's told through the perspective of a reporter (only known as “The boy”) interviewing our main vampire Louis. The story starts off in 1791 New Orleans, where Louis turns thanks to his “friend” Lestat, and enters a moral struggle trying to accept the fact. They gain a “daughter” Claudia, who also ends up developing a deep hate towards Lestat and creates a scheme to kill him. Claudia and Louis decide to travel to Europe shortly after to find more vampires.

Anne Rice is known for writing stories of the more risque variety, and this book is no exception. While I wont go much into detail, the book certainly alludes to many things that would not be very acceptable in the 1970s. In my opinion, it makes for an interesting narrative and adds to the moral issues so often talked about. Overall I'd say that this book was pretty good. If you're not a fan a vampires, this book will probably not change your opinion, but anyone with a passing interest should check it out.