#horror guide

[localhorrornerd]

A Guide to the Ringu/Ring Films

This one was very hard to put together as there is just so much Ring content out there, so hopefully I’ve got everything here, and if not, I’m sure this guide will have to be updated later on anyway!

A Quick Introduction

Ringu/Ring is a series that centers around Sadako Yamamura (aka Samara Morgan & Park Eun-suh) and a cursed video that causes all who watch it to die within seven days (or in one version, two days). Sadako’s backstory varies from entry to entry in the franchise, but it is generally portrayed that she had some sort of psychic powers before she died, partially leading to how the curse works.

Ring originally started out as a series of novels written by Koji Suzuki before it was adapted as a tv movie in 1995, then followed up by an actual theatrical movie in 1998.

The Japanese Ring Films

As stated, the first actual Ring movie is a 1995 tv movie.

Ring: Kanzenban (1995)

This adaptation follows the original story of the novel, so there’s many differences to the version that we know now, but Sadako is still a part of the story. It’s certainly worth a watch if you’re interested in the novels.

Now this is where things become a bit more confusing. At some point with the Japanese films they sort of split into four categories: the ones that follow director Hideo Nakata’s timeline, the ones that follow the book timeline, the ones that follow both timelines, and the versus films. 

Both Timelines

Ring (1998)

Ring 0: Birthday (2000)

Ring/Ringu is obviously the movie we know today, that is very beloved. While it partially follows the books, it also has Hideo Nakata’s personal touches to it, that you’ll sort of see no matter what timeline you look at. Ring 0, however, is an origin story, and gives you a look into Sadako’s life before she died while she was a part of a theater troupe. It’s extremely tragic, and one of my personal favorites. 

Hideo Nakata Timeline

Ring 2 (1999)

Sadako (2019)

As implied, these two movies follow Hideo Nakata’s storyline, and are also two other movies in the franchise directed by him. Would recommend these two if you want to see a continuation of the story from the characters in the first film.

Rasen Timeline

Spiral/Rasen (1998)

Sadako 3D (2012)

Sadako 3D 2 (2013)

So here’s the interesting thing about Spiral/Rasen, it was actually released at the exact same time as the original 1998 movie. However, there ended up being much more interest in Ring rather than Spiral, so it quickly flopped upon release and is why we saw another sequel to Ring come out the next year. Though there was certainly some interest in it, as the Sadako 3D movies were released in 2012 and 2013. While these follow different characters, they still have ties back to the ones from Spiral, and follow the books to some extent.

Versus Films

Hikiko-san vs Sadako (2015)

Sadako vs Kayako (2016)

Bunshinsaba vs Sadako (2016)

Bunshinsaba vs Sadako 2 (2017)

Basically, a bunch of movies portraying Sadako fighting other ghosts from Japanese/Chinese media. Each one is vastly different, but definitely fun if you’re into seeing that sort of thing! Note: at this time I am unable to find a translated version of the first Bunshinsaba vs Sadako movie, however, it won’t be an issue to watch the second as I was able to watch it easily without knowing the plot of the first (if you can find a translated version though, feel free to inform me!) Note: the Bunshinsaba vs Sadako films are actually Chinese movies, but since i was covering the vs films here, I felt it’d be best to just add it rather than making a whole different category.

The TV Series

Ring: The Final Chapter (1999)

Rasen (1999)

The last bit of Ring media we have to cover in Japan, Ring actually got a tv series with two seasons, one with 12 episodes and the other with 13 - the episodes running about 45 minutes each. Though I have not seen it yet so I can’t give great detail, it’s said to loosely be based off the novel along with the 1998 Ring film.

Updates

since making this of course more Ring media has came out, so any updates i will add as they come along

Sadako DX (2022) - haven’t seen it myself yet, but it’s stated to be a sequel to Spiral (1998)

The Ring Virus Film

A quick extra stop before we get to the American films, The Ring Virus (1999) is a South Korean remake of both the 1998 Ring movie, but also Ring: Kanzenban to an extent as well. It borrows many elements from both, and instead of Sadako we have Park Eun-suh as our cursed ghost this time. While I wouldn’t say it adds really anything new to the series, still worth the watch if you want to see all of the Ring movies.

The American Ring Films

The Ring (2002)

The Ring Two (2005)

Rings (2017)

I don’t think much needs to be said here. The Ring was a very popular remake in America and is what is credited for starting the J-Horror remake phase over here. The popularity caused for two current sequels to be made, one even directed by Hideo Nakata himself (The Ring Two). Obviously it’s a much more Americanized version of the series, with Sadako this time being replaced with Samara Morgan, which unlike herself in both the Japanese and Korean films, is a child, which adds a lot to how Samara’s story is played out differently from Sadako’s. 

Other Media

If you’re looking for other media pertaining to the Ring Franchise, here’s some for you:

The Ring novel series by Koji Suzuki (consisting of 6 books: Ring, Spiral, Loop, Birthday, S & Tide)

The manga series (consisting of 6 different volumes all following different movies)

The Ring: Terror’s Realm (Dreamcast Game)

Rings (2005 short film)

Various other mangas and comics by different authors (Sadako-san and Sadako-chan, Sadako at the End of the World, Sadako)

And there you have it! A hopefully helpful guide to the Ringu/Ring franchise! Of course, new stuff will be added as time passes.

[un-bog]

A Guide to Convenience Stores

Modern Convenience stores: Unremarkable. Best suited to college students willing to shell out double the normal price for Ramen and candy. Also some of the safest to be in, as long as you head the rules and don't look too long at other customers or the cashier. Stealing is not advised, but the price is usually small.

“Old Fashioned” Convenience Stores: You can tell these by the more dated decorations. The lights may flicker, and the Hood ice cream box may be stuffed with off-brand products. Such stores are relatively safe to shop in. The only caveats are to keep your shopping to when the flickering lights are at a lull (think of the flickering like a cat hissing before it bites), and unless the ice cream is the correct brand, don’t look at the labels for too long. It’s quite impossible to tell how long such treats have been there, so it's best to avoid them. Stealing is ill advised, but will have little consequence as long as no one catches you. 

“Night” Convenience Stores: While not the official name, these stores are known for only appearing at certain times. Some claim the doors only open at a certain time, like the exact strike of the clock at 10:35 pm. Others claim such places have a much more liquid time of opening, sometime after the last blues of the sky have fled. While these stores are certainly open to the general public, you must remember to be cautious. Only purchase things you recognize from your world. While items from other places are largely harmless, you can never be sure of what affects they will have on you. Under no circumstances are you to steal. They will make sure you always pay for what you take, one way or another. 

“Barren” convenience stores: Found in ghost towns, and on some stretches of less populated highway, they only appear in desolate places. You can usually tell these stores from their broken, dark windows, and the slow music that endlessly pumps from the open doorways. If you come across a store like this, simply close your door, roll up your windows, and keep driving. Don’t look in the windows, and don’t listen too closely to the song; these stores aren’t for you. They won’t hurt you, as long as you keep away. 

A side note: It is important to be sure that the convenience store you have come across is in fact a convenience store. The tell tale signs of eye-shaped windows, nostrils above the door, and suspiciously large teeth that ring the door frame will tell whether or not your store is a store or a very well-hidden mimic. 

Happy shopping!

[localhorrornerd]

A Guide to the Whispering Corridors Films

So this isn’t as big a franchise as the previous two I’ve done this for, so this will an introduction along with a quick rundown of the movies, especially since I believe this is a series that deserves more attention.

A Quick Introduction 

Whispering Corridors is a franchise with currently six films, each one focusing on a completely different story. While there are a few small details here and there that show up in other movies, for the most part, they’re not really connected. They all take place in all girls high schools, and touch on many serious topics and issues such as: homophobia, mental health & suicide, bullying, body image, & even issues w/ teachers. 

Needless to say it’s a bit of a rough series to watch at times, but if you enjoy serious subjects in your horror, it’s certainly worth the view! 

Whispering Corridors (1998)

Directed by: Park Ki-hyung

While this movie focuses on the students of course, it also focuses on a teacher who was a former student at the school. The school has a bit of a history, as they believe one of the students who died back when the teacher went there now haunts the school and is out to get revenge. These rumors only begin to increase once people in the school start killing themselves on school grounds. While it is a ghost story, it still touches a lot on said topics that were already discussed above.

Memento Mori (1999)

Whispering Corridors 2: Memento Mori

Directed by: Kim Tae-yong & Min Kyu-dong

My personal favorite - but also really hard to watch if you have a hard time handling homophobia, as that’s what the main horror focus is in this movie. It centers around two girls who fall in love, but as their relationship begins to get out, things go downhill fast. There are ghosts, of course, as there is in all of these movies, but that’s not the main focus by far. *It is also, from my knowledge, one of the first theatrical South Korean movies to portray lesbians as main characters.* I just think that's a neat little fact!

Wishing Stairs (2003)

Whispering Corridors 3: Wishing Stairs

Directed by: Yun Jae-yeon

Do you enjoy rivalry and a dash of gayness in your movies? Because, well yeah, that’s Wishing Stairs. It mostly focuses on three students, two who do ballet and who’s friendship is slowly falling apart due to rivalry over who will get the part and potential prize to go to a school in Russia, and a girl who is has many body image issues who appears to have some sort of feelings for one of the two other girls who is one of the only people kind to her. It all connects together when the stairs at the school come into play, a legend being told that if you go up the stairs and count an extra 29th step, you can a make a wish that will be granted.

Voice (2005)

Whispering Corridors 4: Voice/Voice Letter

Directed by: Choi Ik-Hwan

This movie is a bit different from the others in the sense that you see from the ghost’s point of view for at least half of the movie if not more. When a student known for her singing suddenly finds herself dead and trapped in the school as a ghost, she soon realizes one of the only people who can hear her voice is her best friend, who naturally volunteers to help her try to discover the mystery behind her death. However, things may not be that simple as it becomes clear her memories are starting to become mixed up and confusing, causing her to suffer trying to figure out what’s true and what isn’t as they go through their search.

A Blood Pledge (2009)

Whispering Corridors 5: A Blood Pledge/Suicide Pact

Directed by: Jong-yong Lee

This one is probably the closest to a traditional horror movie that you’ll get here. Plenty of scares if that’s what you’re looking for. It still has plenty of story though, and shows four girls making a pact to all jump off the roof of their school together. However, only one actually jumps. They all quickly get the idea that the one who did has now came back to haunt them, all while having to deal with the issues that was the reason they had wanted to jump + the girl’s sister who believes there’s more to the story than what they told everyone.

The Humming (2020)

Whispering Corridors 6: The Humming

Directed by: Lee Mi Young

Release Date: N/A

As this movie isn’t out yet, I can’t really say much in detail, but I will share a synopsis for the movie shared on various sites:

“Eun-hee is hired as a vice principal at her old high school, where strange things take place in the closed down washroom. High school student Ha-young and So-yeon, who used the washroom as their hideout hear humming in the empty washroom, and believe that a ghost exists inside. Ha-young discovers a flowerpot on the stairs and suspect that Eun-hee is somehow linked to the mystery. Suffering from hallucination upon her inauguration, Eun-hee finds a ghastly figured girl in the washroom mirror and begins to believe that the girl was the one who brought her back to this school…”

[localhorrornerd]

A Guide to the Ju-On/Grudge Franchise

I spent a lot of time thinking one what to make my first list on here be before deciding what better than a guide to franchise I love that can be fairly complicated for those just trying to get into it without any help. For the record you’re really not required to watch all of these in the order I give or anything, just thought it’d be helpful!

A Quick Introduction

Ju-On is a series that mostly centers around the Saeki family: Kayako, her husband Takeo, and their son Toshio. Most of the lore establishes Kayako had fallen madly in love with a man (Shunsuke Kobayashi in The Curse, Peter Kirk in The Grudge [American remake]), eventually leading to Takeo finding out and him brutally murdering Kayako along with their pet cat and Toshio (though in some versions instead of Takeo who killed Toshio it was Kayako’s spirit). Toshio’s spirit fused with the cat’s in a way, therefore leading to the meowing sound Toshio is known to make. This also falls into Kayako’s death rattle sound, as Takeo snapped her neck/crushed her throat, therefore making it so she could only make that noise.

Takeo kills at least one other person (not stated here to avoid too many spoilers), before he is the one of the first claimed by the curse, the one which he created.

Now anyone who steps into the house or interacts with those who have gone into the house are now made to suffer the curse and ultimately be killed by Kayako, with no way to escape it.

The Ju-On Films

It’s only natural to start with the Ju-On films, as that’s where it all began clearly! And where it truly began was with two short films:

Katasumi/In A Corner (watch: here)

444-444-4444 (watch: here)

These short films introduce you to the characters of Kayako and Toshio Saeki. The characters in these short films also are a bit important as well, as you can see them in the actual first move in the franchise. Fun fact! These two shorts were actually part of a tv anthology movie called Gakko no Kaidan G ! Though the other segments are not connected to Ju-On at all.

Which leads us to those first two movies:

Ju-On: The Curse

Ju-On: The Curse 2

These movies don’t really seem to be well known in America, and that’s because they’re pretty hard to find here as far as I know. But they are definitely worth watching! Though it is important to note part of Ju-On: The Curse 2 is essentially just a continuation of Ju-On: The Curse.

After that is the two everyone knows:

Ju-On: The Grudge

Ju-On: The Grudge 2

It admittedly does get complicated considering the 2 in the name, but these are actually the third and fourth movies in the series. However, nothing to fear if you’ve watched these already first - given the fact the only really continuous characters are the Saekis there’s no really required order to watch these first four in (though I wouldn’t suggest watching The Curse 2 before The Curse).

This is where it gets a bit complicated, as the next two movies aren’t actually connected to the Saeki family at all:

Ju-On: White Ghost

Ju-On: Black Ghost

White Ghost and Black Ghost are sort of its own little stories, made to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Ju-On films. White Ghost centering around a spirit and for specific reasons a basketball it carries and Black Ghost centering around a young girl and the spirit that is connected to her somehow. You can watch these at any time, there really is no specific order, or you don’t even have to watch them if you don’t wish to. However, I have to give a content warning for White Ghost for covering topics of sexual abuse.

These next two you can consider almost a reboot of sorts, and the first two that have zero involvement from Takashi Shimizu:

Ju-On: The Beginning of the End

Ju-On: The Final Curse

It still follows the curse of the Saeki family and the original formula, but the story itself does change in a way. Though I won’t give any details to how it changes obviously.

There’s one other Ju-On film to speak of currently, though I’m not sure if you can really count it as a Ju-On film:

Sadako vs. Kayako

Not to much to say here - it’s a crossover film between Ring and Ju-On. It’s, as of this post being made, currently the most recent film with anything pertaining to Ju-On.

And on top of that, there is now a Ju-On tv show:

Ju-On: Origins

This one supposedly tells the “true story” of what happened to create the story behind Ju-On, so while Kayako and Toshio are not present, there are two similar characters. It’s only 6 thirty minute long episodes, so it’s a pretty quick watch. Note: This series has a lot of triggering content (such as: suicide, abuse, sexual assault, gore), so watch at your own risk.

The Grudge Films

Finally, we make it to the American films. Of course, if you’re just looking to watch the Ju-On films there’s no need to watch these, but it’s important to include them I believe. I also must note the first two American Grudge films were done by the original Japanese director/creator, Takashi Shimizu.

Not too much to note, I’ll just list them in order here:

The Grudge

The Grudge 1.5 (promotional graphic novel/animated short film for second film, found here)

The Grudge 2

Tales from the Grudge (three short films, watch here)

The Grudge 3

Grudge (2020)

As far as Tales from the Grudge goes though, it’s three short films by the names of Hotel, School, and House in that order (small warning for flashing lights in the House short though). 

That’s all there is in terms of movies, however if you’re interested in other things there is also:

Ju-On: The Grudge (Wii Video Game)

The Novel for Ju-On

Ju-On: Video Side & Ju-On 2/Ju-On Vol. 2 (Manga)

Flash Games for The Grudge & The Grudge 2

And there you have it! A hopefully easy to understand guide to the Ju-On films!

[tlbodine]

To show the Horror Beat Sheet in action, I thought it might be helpful to compare it against a few different horror movies, both to show off how flexible the structure is and how prevalent it is.

The first movie I'm looking at is Wes Craven's SCREAM. Why Scream? One, because it's a well-known film that nearly everyone has seen or at least is familiar with. Two, because it plays straight with its tropes; it's an homage to the classic slasher film, and as such it has a very easy to analyze structure.

So with that in mind, let's get started!

(Video transcript under the cut)

ACT ONE

1 - THE WORLD IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS The opening beat is where the audience catches their first glimpse of the monster, or at least an early hint of where the story will go.

In Scream, we're introduced to Casey -- who, in an iconic 11-minute opening sequence, receives an ominous phone call, discovers the caller is in her house, and is brutally murdered.

This opening sets up everything we need to know about the story's premise: We know what to expect from the monster, catch a few hints of the darkly comedic tone of the film, and see plenty of blood and guts. The opening scene is a promise to the audience, who will now eagerly watch or read the rest to see that promise fulfilled.

2 - PUTTING THE PLAYERS IN ACTION Now that we've made our contract with the audience, it's time to introduce the main characters (if we haven't already met them) and reveal their primary internal conflicts. As we know (or would know, if you've read my How to Write Horror Guide), all monsters are mirror images of the main character's internal conflict.

So in Scream, we're introduced to tender young Sidney Prescott, and quickly learn everything we need to know: She lives alone with her father; she has a boyfriend, Billy, who is upset at their lack of sexual intimacy and is bad at respecting boundaries. We don't know exactly what's happened yet, but we know from their introduction that something big has happened in Sidney's recent past and that the baggage is causing trouble in her relationship.

3&4 - SETTING THEM ON THE PATH & THE WARNING Beats three and four often happen close together or are bundled into a single event. In this case, after we meet the rest of the important supporting characters -- Sidney's best friend, her insensitive boyfriend, and the weird tag-along friend Randy -- we hear a literal warning from the school advising teens not to spend time alone or go out at night until the murderer is found.

But Sidney is on a collision course with the monster anyway. We know that horror relies on isolation, and we're treated to a long sequence establishing just how alone she is as she returns to an empty house while her father is away on a business trip. She arranges for a friend to come get her, but for a moment, she is totally isolated. We also learn more crucial information about Sidney's history, namely that her mother was brutally raped and murdered a year ago -- an event that starts to make sense of some of her struggles with intimacy in her relationship.

5 - THE FIRST CONTACT WITH THE MONSTER The audience of course has seen the monster in action already - but the fifth beat is about introducing it to the character who, up to this point, has only been struggling with their own inner demons.

What's important about plot point five is that the character doesn't immediately realize how dangerous the threat really is. We see that here: Sidney receives a threatening phone call and at first fails to take it seriously, going so far as to attempt to provoke it.

ACT TWO 6 - SHIT GETS REAL The "Shit Gets Real" moment is where the threat becomes evident to the characters involved. In Scream, that moment is when Sidney gets attacked in her house, an event which also leads her to become suspicions of Billy, putting even more pressure on their strained relationship.

This moment happens about 1/3rd of the way into the story, or at the beginning of the second act. In The Hero's Journey, this is the "crossing the threshold" moment.

7 - THE CHASE Beat seven is the longest part of a story. It's what Blake Snyder would call the "Promise of the Premise," or what the Hero's Journey would call "The Road of Trials." But in a horror movie, it's the part of the story where the monster grows increasingly dangerous and comes ever closer to catching hold of the hero -- hence The Chase.

It's also the part of the story where the link between the character's internal and external struggle begins to become clearer as the character battles against both. In Scream, we see Sidney continue to wrestle with the specter of her mother's murder. Billy has been ruled out as a suspect by the police, but their relationship is still in trouble. And the audience is teased with glimpses of the killer and a few murders to keep things going.

The Chase is the heart of a story, the part where the problems brought up in the first act are teased out and examined. I've heard this section called "Fun and Games" before, and that's pretty apt as well.

Once again, the characters make a decision that puts them on an isolated collision course -- in this case, a party invitation that defies the curfew that's meant to keep everyone safe.

8 - FAILED CONFRONTATION As the second act approaches its close, the hero attempts to solve their problem, but fails due to not having all of the important information -- in other words, the link between the internal and external struggle has not yet become clear to them. This may be a conflict with the monster itself, or it may be an attempt to reconcile the character's interior trouble; but either way, this confrontation is doomed because the character isn't ready yet.

In our case, this is the portion of Scream where Sidney gives in and has sex with Billy in hopes that it might return some sense of "normal" to her life and allow her to move past her mother's murder.

But after they're finished, Sidney realizes that didn't fix her problem at all. Things are still weird with Billy, and she doesn't feel any better.

9 - THE DARKEST HOUR The confrontation has failed, the monster is on the move, and the character is more isolated and in greater danger than ever before. The chase reaches a feverish pitch.

In our case: Sidney's best friend is dead; almost everyone from the party has left; she's alone with Billy and then -- OH NO! -- Billy gets stabbed, leaving her to fight off the monster on her own. Every attempt she makes to get help fails as the people she seeks help from are taken out one by one.

ACT THREE 10 - A DIFFERENT SOLUTION Some new piece of information comes to light that makes it clear how to defeat the monster. This is usually the placement of the big twist.

In Sidney's case, we have the revelation that not only is Billy not dead, but -- GASP! -- he was the killer all along. Or, well, one of them. The whole scheme comes to light here. And, most shocking of all, we discover that Billy killed Sidney's mother as well, which ties up all of those internal and external conflicts together into a tidy package with a neat little bow.

11 - SEEKING OUT THE BEAST Armed with knowledge, the hero is emboldened to succeed at last. Where previously they had been running for their lives, the hero now seeks out the monster.

In Scream, Sidney turns the tables on the killers, using their own methods against them.

12 & 13 - THE TRUE COST IS REVEALED & SACRIFICES ARE MADE Victory comes at a cost. Both the internal and external conflict must be confronted together, and their defeat will leave the hero irrevocably changed.

For Sidney, she now knows now that she was right all along to distrust Billy, and that the internal struggles -- her mother's death, her problems with intimacy -- were all his fault, not hers. But she also has to kill her own boyfriend, and come to terms with the realization that she put an innocent man on death row for her mother's murder.

14 - THE INEVITABLE FALL-OUT Now that the climax has been reached, the story must show the consequences of the sacrifice or decision the characters made. In Sidney's case, we keep this brief because it's the first film in a franchise -- we'll be dealing with these consequences for quite a long time. In a stand-alone movie, this might be longer.

15 - EVIL CANNOT BE CONQUERED, ONLY DELAYED There is often a final scare or glimpse of the monster, reminding us that victory in a horror story is only ever temporary. Again, this is kept brief in Scream because it's the first in a franchise -- but the final image is a fraction of a second glimpse of our monster Ghostface, giving the monster the final word.  

[thehorrorfacts]

Fan Made Guide for ‘Friday the 13th’ NES Game 25 Years After its Release

Fan Made Guide for ‘Friday the 13th’ NES Game 25 Years After its Release

Having rented this game title from my local video store when this game was newly released I was really surprised to find out that someone has made a guide for the game a full 25 years after the game was released as a tribute to the franchise and perhaps a shot at some form of E stardom.

If you’re unfamiliar with it, the game was…

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