J- Horror and its american remakes

[Michael McCaskey]

Dear Stefanie,

This is the new book on Asian horror films. I've ordered a copy myself, but I've not yet read it, so obviouly I can't express any opinion about it now.

Asia Shock: Horror and Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Thailand (Paperback) 
by Patrick Galloway

Paperback: 211 pages 
Publisher: Stone Bridge Press (November 1, 2006) 
Language: English 
ISBN: 1933330120 

Another that looks interesting, which I've ordered myself, is:

The Spectacle Of Isolation In Horror Films: Dark Parades (Haworth Popular Culture) (Hardcover) 
by Carl Royer, Diana Royer
Hardcover: 120 pages 
Publisher: Haworth Press (June 30, 2005) 
Language: English 
ISBN: 078902263X 

This book has nothing special to do with Asian horror--but one of my students is in fact currently trying to write an honors thesis on Japanese horror films, and he has adopted the idea that in many of them, the haunted person/victim is someone who is isolated--such as an only child in a dysfunctional family, a recently divorced or widowed person, a "loner" of some kind. Again, if his idea works much of the time, it may just be because isolation is a factor found in horror films in many cultures and countries.

Regards,

Michael McCaskey

----- Original Message -----
From: stefanie simon <stefanie.simon at gmx.at>
Date: Sunday, December 3, 2006 8:42 am
Subject: J- Horror and its american remakes

> Hello!
> 
> 
> 
> My name is Stefanie and I'm a student in Vienna, just writing on 
> my degree
> dissertation. I got this mailing list from a friend who told me, 
> that you
> could help me to solve a few problems concerning my writings.
> 
> 
> 
> First of all, I want you to explain my subject: I'm making an 
> empiric study
> about the Japanese horror films "The Ring", "The Grudge" and "Dark 
> Water"and am comparing them with their American remakes. In my 
> film analyses I
> want to look how much of the Japanese tradition can be found in 
> their films,
> and how the Americans deal with this different tradition in their 
> remake.I'm also interested in finding formal differences like the 
> proportionbetween image and sound, the shot sizes., but also in 
> exploring the
> different use of music, dialogue and silence, the different 
> presentation of
> the characters in the films especially of the female part, the 
> presentationof the ghosts, the tradition of uchi/soto, family 
> system and so on.
> 
> 
> 
> I hope I could explain it good enough, so you can understand the 
> subject of
> my degree dissertation. Now why I am writing to you is, that I 
> hope that you
> can help me in finding some literature to these different parts of 
> my work.
> It's very hard for example to find something about the Japanese 
> film in
> Vienna, but more different is finding something about the Japanese 
> horrorfilm in special. Although I need for my theoretical part a 
> short history of
> the Japanese horror film. You might have some titles of books, 
> which could
> help me out of this problem. I only have "The Japanese horror 
> cinema" from
> Jay McRoy, its good, but unfortunately not enough. What I also 
> need are
> books about specifics of the Japanese society for example the use of
> silence, symbols and the difference between the tight social rules 
> and the
> detonation of these rules in films like those of the horror genre. 
> Theremight also be books about new influences on the Japanese 
> society, especially
> for the youth,  that mix up with the existing tradition.
> 
> 
> 
> You might also have some advice for me, where I can find 
> differences between
> the Japanese horror films and its remakes furthermore. 
> 
> 
> 
> I would be very thankful if you could help me with your advices and
> knowledge in this topic. I'm happy to have the opportunity to 
> write my
> concern to you. 
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you for reading this mail and I wish you a nice day.
> 
> Respectfully, 
> 
> Stefanie Simon.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 


----- Original Message -----
From: stefanie simon <stefanie.simon at gmx.at>
Date: Sunday, December 3, 2006 8:42 am
Subject: J- Horror and its american remakes

> Hello!
> 
> 
> 
> My name is Stefanie and I'm a student in Vienna, just writing on 
> my degree
> dissertation. I got this mailing list from a friend who told me, 
> that you
> could help me to solve a few problems concerning my writings.
> 
> 
> 
> First of all, I want you to explain my subject: I'm making an 
> empiric study
> about the Japanese horror films "The Ring", "The Grudge" and "Dark 
> Water"and am comparing them with their American remakes. In my 
> film analyses I
> want to look how much of the Japanese tradition can be found in 
> their films,
> and how the Americans deal with this different tradition in their 
> remake.I'm also interested in finding formal differences like the 
> proportionbetween image and sound, the shot sizes., but also in 
> exploring the
> different use of music, dialogue and silence, the different 
> presentation of
> the characters in the films especially of the female part, the 
> presentationof the ghosts, the tradition of uchi/soto, family 
> system and so on.
> 
> 
> 
> I hope I could explain it good enough, so you can understand the 
> subject of
> my degree dissertation. Now why I am writing to you is, that I 
> hope that you
> can help me in finding some literature to these different parts of 
> my work.
> It's very hard for example to find something about the Japanese 
> film in
> Vienna, but more different is finding something about the Japanese 
> horrorfilm in special. Although I need for my theoretical part a 
> short history of
> the Japanese horror film. You might have some titles of books, 
> which could
> help me out of this problem. I only have "The Japanese horror 
> cinema" from
> Jay McRoy, its good, but unfortunately not enough. What I also 
> need are
> books about specifics of the Japanese society for example the use of
> silence, symbols and the difference between the tight social rules 
> and the
> detonation of these rules in films like those of the horror genre. 
> Theremight also be books about new influences on the Japanese 
> society, especially
> for the youth,  that mix up with the existing tradition.
> 
> 
> 
> You might also have some advice for me, where I can find 
> differences between
> the Japanese horror films and its remakes furthermore. 
> 
> 
> 
> I would be very thankful if you could help me with your advices and
> knowledge in this topic. I'm happy to have the opportunity to 
> write my
> concern to you. 
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you for reading this mail and I wish you a nice day.
> 
> Respectfully, 
> 
> Stefanie Simon.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>