Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Monster Roll: Probably still better than the new Godzilla



Forgot to post this yesterday for International Sushi Day. 

Alas, still no kickstarter in sight, or any hints of a follow-up, but it has been getting some great screenings. It does raise some interesting questions about where we can center the horror in stories like this. As we've mentioned with some of our discussions regarding the Cthulhu Mythos, tentacles, worms, giant fish and snakes, and similar reptilian things are rarely the terrors they are to those of us from Asia, and more likely to be on the menu than anything. 

I have noticed the theme of corrupted food, on the other hand, is a fairly strong and common trigger, or the lack thereof. Times of hunger, based on the traditions of the Phi Phaed, the hungry ghosts, are an element of greater concern, right along with one's body not being properly interred. 

Kobayashi Eitaku's "Body of a Courtesan in 9 Stages" is an interesting convergence between science, art, and culturally, horror. While one should not be attached to the body, or what happens afterwards, one can also say there is a hope of a collective social compact that one won't just leave it lying around to be eaten by just any old thing. Presently, we have never seen an image like this executed in the Lao community. It would be interesting to consider how it might be done, and what the community reaction would be.

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