A soul-sucking demon learns a valuable lesson in friendship.
November 26, 2011 1:43 PM   Subscribe

Japanese Horror Film Ghoul Makes a Friend, [SLYT] all thanks to Winnipeg's Hot Thespian Action. [Earworm-trigger warning: Hall & Oates]
posted by wreckingball (11 comments total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
From the YouTube comments:

"Anyone in the mood to go do karate in their garages?"
posted by Blasdelb at 2:10 PM on November 26, 2011


I totally approve. This kind of approach could turn "The Walking Dead" into a sitcom. Unless, of course, the zombies don't like Hall & Oates. (In which case, I'd recommend keeping some alt-rock, hip-hop or modern country available for a quick substitution)
posted by oneswellfoop at 2:12 PM on November 26, 2011


My Disappointing Ghoul Best Friend?
posted by Decimask at 3:09 PM on November 26, 2011


I love this. It might have gone on just a little bit long but the concept is gold and the execution is pretty excellent.
posted by nonmerci at 4:23 PM on November 26, 2011


Pretty excellent. Except they were hard on the wig...

Kaidan Gets Her Groove Back?

Sisterhood of the Travelling Yurei?
posted by Samizdata at 5:04 PM on November 26, 2011


I appreciate the earworm warning, but you missed the moustache advisory.
posted by bicyclefish at 5:56 PM on November 26, 2011


Cadaverne and Shirley?
posted by Renoroc at 6:55 PM on November 26, 2011 [1 favorite]


That's very sweet. Thank you!

At the same time, it makes me think that there is an inevitable process that occurs with each new horror icon - vampires, werewolves, Lovecraft, the slasher, the serial killer and now the Japanese ghost. They begin as terrifying, then people use humour to ameliorate the fear - so we have chibi-Cthulhu, for example, or even (you might argue) Dexter.

Then, of course, somebody else comes up with something new and the cycle begins again. You can sort of see it in Lovecraft's essay "Supernatural Horror in Literature", which, as well as being a rather good survey of the history of horror up to him is also an argument for writing horror the way he likes it - the older stereotypes are played out, they don't really scare anyone any more - anyone who reuses them is, basically, just thinking small.

But that, in turn, seems to be what makes horror such a fertile genre. Because it depends on evoking a raw emotion - i.e. fear - it is quite easy for someone to say that something is no longer working and justify going out and making up something new.

Hmmm.... That went a bit po-faced, even for Metafilter, even for me, so, by way of apology - here's an advert from Argentina in which Sadako can be seen (briefly) giving someone a Christmas present.
posted by lucien_reeve at 1:46 AM on November 27, 2011


Lucian_Reeve: I think in most cases, the humor isn't to manage fear, but because the concept has been overexposed yo the point where it isn't scaryi, and people start noticing the silliness of the concept.

In the case of Lovecraft, society has evolved as well. Intellectuals have had decades to get used to the scale and impersonal nature of the universe- big squid have nothing on a gamma ray buster pointed in the wrong direction, when it comes to existential horror. Likewise, we just aren't that horrified by the notion of miscegnation, or Italians moving into our neighborhood. In a weird way the notion of Cthulhi is comforting-at least there's something out there, and it cares enough to eat us.
posted by happyroach at 6:36 AM on November 27, 2011


Spent the weekend hangin' out with the ghoulfriend. We're bff, doncha know? (best fiends forever)
posted by Mike D at 7:22 AM on November 27, 2011


I still find the Japanese ghost terrifying, but I think that's more to do with the stories they've been a part of. A lot of the ones I've seen have simply been pretty good ghost movies, which I haven't been able to say for vampires or werewolves in quite some time. ("Let The Right One In" notwithstanding.)
posted by Hoopo at 12:10 PM on November 27, 2011


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