I am an A Level media studies student and needs to find out why japanese horrors are soo apealing to other cultures other than the japanese. Can you please reply with your own personal opinions on why you enjoyed this film and what specific aspects were the most appealing? Thanks, vey much appreciated Ben.
sharePersonally I think that Japanese horrors appeal so much to international audiences because of cultural differences. Since Japanese cinematic sensiblities are different from our own, the films seem more quirky and interesting. Also, Japanese directors are typically given more creative freedom than their western counterparts.
that's not to say that mainstream Japanese horror isn't just as generic as Western horror. A lot of the time you'll find the more experiemental J-horrors that are successful in the west actually do very poorly in Japan, whereas commercial J-horror doesn't get a lot of exposure over here.
I enjoy them because they don't necessarily have to have linear plotlines. For example, in Marebito the audience readily accepts the Hollow Earth Theory. In American films, it would need a lot more definition to be considered. Also, the scare factor in Japanese films is more psychological, while in American films it's just things jumping out at you.
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