Bibliography
Focus films
The Blair Witch Project (1999) Directed by Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez [Film]. USA: Artisan Entertainment.
I have chosen this to be one of my three focus films because the content and story has mythological links throughout. Although the film is based on a fictional myth, the film makers have created a separate mockumentary in order to portray the story as a true event. By combining this with the way the film is made- using psychological horror techniques- the spectator is persuaded that the storyline may be true. This horror is also one of the most effective found-footage styles because of the hand-held camerawork and restricted visuals, the spectator is left to imagine the threats as a result of them never being shown on camera. By restricting the view of the threat, this creates a strong reaction of fear for some audience members because of the unknown aspect.
The Ring (2002) Directed by Gore Verbinski [Film]. USA/Japan: DreamWorks Pictures.
This film is key to my research on cultural myths because of the emphasis on the spirits in order to evoke fear. During my research, I have found many links between the film’s portrayal of Samara and the Japanese Yokai. After doing some research on Yokai, I found some shared characteristics between Samara and the Japanese spirit Onryō aka The Vengeful Spirit. These spirits are a popular feature in Japanese folklore and while some worship and respect these spirits, others fear them due to their disruptive nature. In the film, Samara shows strong acts of revenge as a result of her death and this is one of the documented characteristics of Onryō.
Sinister (2012) Directed by Scott Derrickson [Film]. USA: Momentum Pictures.
This is the final focus film of my selected three and I have chosen this because of the way the film portrays the fictional Pagan deity, Buguul. During the film, after doing some research, Ellison finds out that Buguul is an ancient Pagan spirit that possesses and consumes the souls of children. Although Buguul does not actually appear in real Pagan folklore, there are connections between him and other Pagan deities including Moloch and Abyzou. This film emphasizes the ritualistic and mythical elements through its running time as well as its Pagan connections and that is why it is relevant to the research that I am conducting.
Other materials
Davisson, Z. (2013) 10 famous Japanese ghost stories. Available at: https://hyakumonogatari.com/2013/10/18/10-famous-japanese-ghost-stories/ (Accessed: 20 October 2016).
This is one of my strongest project sources because the creator of the website, Zack Davisson, is an award winning translator and scholar of Japanese mythology. This enables me to use his information as part of my secondary research because he has high credibility and validity. The website also goes into depth on the Japanese spirits, e.g. Onryō, which I am researching and even includes some of the tales that they occur in. Davisson has produced many books on these topics such as Yurei: The Japanese Ghost. His awards include Eisner Award and a nomination for the 2014 Japanese-US Friendship Commission Translation Prize. He has also appeared on the Chinese state news broadcast channel, CCTV.
The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica (2016) ‘Moloch | ancient god’, in Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Moloch-ancient-god (Accessed: 25 September 2016).
I included this source in my catalogue because it is a reliable and educational resource. It has detailed information on the ancient god known as Moloch that, in turn, has connections to Buguul in Sinister as they have similar traits. Buguul is responsible for possessing and consuming the souls of children in order to survive, and is related to Moloch because Moloch is known for being the recipient of child sacrifices. The website is created by creditable scholars and other qualified academics so I have confidence that the information provided is accurate and well-founded.
Gelder, K. (2000) The Horror Reader. London: Routledge.
This book is from the Haywards Heath Central Sussex College Library where there is an extensive collection of publications related to horror film and media. These books focus on the origins of horror in film as well as the production. This particular book the role of world events and culture and how they influenced horror films. This publication was useful when I was conducting research on fear and how it is created, however it also contributed to my research on cultural myths. Subsections of this book allowed me to quickly locate relevant areas of text and the detailed articles fully explore the topics.
Jancovich, M. (1992) Horror. London: Batsford.
This book was key to both my areas of research on urban myth and factors that cause fear. There were a number of relevant and detailed chapters that covered specific aspects of horror. I found the chapter Introduction to Monstrous Imagination and Psychology as a Public Culture particularly useful because they looked in depth at the origins and inspiration for a variety of horror. The book also quotes relevant material from famous films and other publication in order to support it information. The range of sources that this book cites makes it a reliable source as the subjects included have been widely researched and verified.
Jarrett, D.C. (2014) The lure of horror. Available at: https://thepsychologist.bps.org.uk/volume-24/edition-11/lure-horror (Accessed: 19 September 2016).
This article was written by the British Psychological Society which is a reputable reference and was published by qualified individuals making the information given reliable and accurate. I chose this topic because I felt that it was relevant to my research on the factors that cause fear. By looking at horror from a purely psychological view, this article allowed me to extend my research by adding that extra dimension. Being a psychology student, I also used my knowledge of the human response to danger e.g. the fight of flight response to add further reasoning for the effects of horror on its audiences.
McCullough, W.H. (1988) The Cambridge History of Japan, volume 2. Available at: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=eiTWWfoyuyAC&pg=PA559&lpg=PA559&dq=onryo+japanese+vengeful+spirit&source=bl&ots=PQnsvSfdOP&sig=V1AZUfA7YlnokQIQxFpgxUmTYqs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjJvurmucbPAhWoIsAKHaoUBLs4ChDoAQgrMAQ#v=onepage&q=onryo%20japanese%20vengeful%20spirit&f=false (Accessed: 20 October 2016).
During my research, I came across this extract of a Cambridge University publication and although it was only an extract, I was still able to find detailed information on the spirits of Japanese folklore. This university publication gave information on a range of Japanese spirits including Onryō which is the spirit I am researching in relation to my chosen film The Ring. This extract has a highly reputable publisher therefore it allows me to have confidence is the information I have already read on Onryō because there are matching pieces of information.
Meyer, M. (2013) Onryō. Available at: http://yokai.com/onryou/ (Accessed: 16 September 2016).
The author of this website, Matthew Meyer has researched, written about and drawn Japanese spirits for his entire professional life. By contacting him through email, I was able to find out that he has a BFA in illustration from Ringling College of Art and Design to accompany his life-long research. He has also publish several books including The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. His website includes detailed and relevant articles to my project, most notable the database on the Japanese Yokai. Using his artistic skills, he is able to support his articles with relevant illustrations.
Odell, C., Blanc, M.L., LeBlanc, M. and Blanc, L. (2007) Horror films [With DVD of 3 horror Shorts]. London, United Kingdom: Kamera Books.
This book was one of the most relevant sources for my research topic because not only did it break down the different types of horror e.g. natural, supernatural etc, but it also looked at horror from the perspectives of different cultures. There were three key chapters in this book that were majorly influential on my research and they were Horror in Europe, Horror in Asia and Horror in the Americas. These chapters look at specific horror films from each of the mentioned continents and how their culture influenced them. One of my focus films is The Ring and although only the Japanese film, Ringu, is mentioned in the book, it is still a vitally relevant case study for my research.
Professor Brendan Walker (2014) Sinister extended final cut low. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-Yk1MpkNUY (Accessed: 27 September 2016).Fear Experiment
This feature was part of the bonus content from the DVD of my focus film Sinister. The experiment is related to my research as not only does it look at how fear is created but it even does this by using one of my focus films. Professor Brendan Walker is a creditable scientist who has spent decades researching how emotions can affect our bodies and looking for physical ways to measure them. This credibility makes this experiment a valid source for my project. During the experiment, various spectators of the film Sinister are examined for responses of fear. Their body’s response to fear is measured throughout the film by monitoring heart rate, skin temperature and sweat production which are all closely linked to feeling scared.
Proud, J. (2016) Urban Legends: Bizarre tales you won’t believe. United Kingdom: Summersdale Publishers.
This book has compiled a list of popular urban myths and legends that have occurred in various cultures over time. The book breaks down the types of myth into different categories such as supernatural and historical. Although not directly linked to horror films, this publication allows me to combine its information and link it towards my research project as it still includes related content. Urban myths and legends are the focus of my research project and the title and content of this book reflects that topic which is why I have included it in my catalogue. One of the myths found in this book that has some connection to The Ring was The Dead Phone Line which relates horror to the use of modern technology.
Riggio Ph.D, R.E. (1991) The top Ten things that make horror movies scary. Available at: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201410/the-top-ten-things-make-horror-movies-scary (Accessed: 14 September 2016).
I chose this article to feature in my catalogue because it is relevant to my research on the factors that cause fear. It was written by R.E. Riggo Ph.D and it looks at the psychological effect of various scare tactics in horror. I believe that the article is a reliable source because it is written by a doctorate for Psychology Today. The article breaks down the different categories and explains their effect on a typical horror movie spectator. The information included on this website can be considered consistent as similar information has appear in other sources that I have looked at.
TEDx Talks (2012) The sound of fear: Dan Blumstein at TEDxUCLA. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQQmFocLDng (Accessed: 3 September 2016).
Ted Talks are very highly valued because of their educational and university standard lectures on a variety of subjects. This particular lecture is about the science behind fear and specifically how it is created by using classic horror soundtracks. Whilst the lecture is being given, the presenter uses the well-known horror classic Psycho as a case study backs up the research with relevant graphs and charts which adds to the scientific credibility. The link to Psycho strengthens the studies link to the horror film industry and this makes it increasingly relevant to my research project.
Possible eliminations (TBC)
Adams, S. (2008) Horror film gene that makes some scream while others laugh. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2535221/Horror-film-gene-that-makes-some-scream-while-others-laugh.html (Accessed: 20 September 2016).
Brooke-Nottingham, L. (2015) This kind of suspense makes horror movies scary. Available at: http://www.futurity.org/horror-movies-960542/ (Accessed: 24 September 2016).
Butler, K. (2014) The Vengeful Spirits of Japan. Available at: http://midnightsocietytales.com/2014/06/07/vengeful-spirits-japan/ (Accessed: 6 October 2016).
D’Amato, S. (2012) ‘Can you #SurviveSinister - M2M and drum create the fear factor’, Thoughts In Flight, 1 October. Available at: http://thoughtsinflight.typepad.com/blog/2012/10/can-you-survivesinister-m2m-and-drum-create-the-fear-factor.html (Accessed: 25 September 2016).
Derbyshire, D. (2010) Ever wondered why the music in horror films scares us? The harsh sounds tap into instinctive fears. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1281385/Ever-wondered-music-horror-films-scares-The-harsh-sounds-tap-instinctive-fears.html (Accessed: 25 September 2016).
Dirks, T. (2016) Horror films. Available at: http://www.filmsite.org/horrorfilms.html (Accessed: 27 September 2016).
Drum (no date) An experiment in fear: Drum. Available at: http://www.drum.co.uk/content/an-experiment-in-fear/?filter=sinister (Accessed: 1 September 2016).
FilmmakerIQ (2016) The psychology of scary movies. Available at: http://filmmakeriq.com/lessons/the-psychology-of-scary-movies/ (Accessed: 25 September 2016).
Lopez, J. (2012a) Factual basis of the ring. Available at: http://www.curseofthering.com/fact.php (Accessed: 13 September 2016).
Lopez, J. (2012b) Rumors and phenomena. Available at: http://www.curseofthering.com/phenomena.php (Accessed: 13 September 2016).
Miyamoto, K. (2015) 8 ways horror movies scare the S*** out of audiences. Available at: https://screencraft.org/2015/10/30/8-ways-horror-movies-scare-the-s-out-of-audiences/# (Accessed: 1 September 2016).
