Urban/suburban myths in recent US horror
For my project, I will be researching urban/suburban myths that have featured in recent US horror films and I will also be looking at the scare tactics used. My focus film will be The Ring, (Gore Verbinski, 2002) because of the Japanese spirits that inspired the main antagonist, Sadako Yamamura, such as Onryō, the story of Yotsuya Kaidan and the legend from Japanese folklore, Banchō Sarayashiki. My other supporting films will include The Blair Witch Project, (Eduardo Sánchez and Daniel Myrick, 1999) and Sinister, (Scott Derrickson, 2012).The Blair Witch Project is based on a fictional myth which concerns the disappearances of residents in Blair, Maryland , USA, which is also a fictional town. The disappearances were blamed on the ghost of a former resident of Blair named Elly Kedward, who was accused of witchcraft in 1785 and sentenced to death by exposure. This fictitious legend was made into a mockumentary by the directors, where it was portrayed as fact using many manufactured materials. This is interesting because although it is a work of fiction, the myth has certain likenesses to real myths as it is made to be equally believable.
Sinister is also an interesting concept because although the entity is fictional, it has certain distinct similarities to the Pagan entity Moloch. The writers even based the fictional entity on the Pagan religion. The antagonist Buguul shares similar traits to Moloch in that they both known for their links to child sacrifices. Many people after watching Sinister, believed that Buguul actually originated from Pagan legends. There is also a link to the Pagan deity, Abyzou whose nickname is 'Taker of Children', as throughout the film Buguul is known for consuming the souls of children and taking possession of them.
Secondary research:
I plan to read relevant articles to my subject in the Empire film magazines that I own which range from June 2015 to October 2016. I am planning to use books from the library along the lines of traditional themes in horror and how they are used to scare the spectator. There is a mockumentary for The Blair Witch Project, so in order to gather the relevant information I will be watching it.
Early ideas of which scenes I plan to use from each film:
- For The Blair Witch Project, I plan to use the scene where they discover the cemetery and the cairns AND/OR the scene where they discover the stick figures hanging from the trees AND/OR the scene at the end where the group discovers the house.
- For Sinister, I plan on using the two scenes where Professor Jonas provides information about Buguul.
- For The Ring, I plan on using the scene where Rachel travels to the island to locate Samara's family and the scene where Rachel falls down the well, resulting in the ghost re-emerging from the waters then through the TV screen.
