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Birdcage Inn 1998

Since Japanese horror sensations The Ring and Audition first terrified Western audiences at the turn of the millennium, there’s been a growing appreciation of Asia as the hotbed of the world’s best horror movies. Over the last decade, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and Hong Kong have all produced a steady stream of stylish supernatural thrillers and psychological chillers that have set new benchmarks for cinematic scares. Hollywood soon followed suit, developing high-profile remakes of films such as The Ring, Dark Water, The Grudge, and The Eye. With scores of Asian horror films now available to Western audiences, this guide helps viewers navigate the eclectic mix of vengeful spooks, yakuza zombies, feuding warlocks, and devilish dumplings, talking about the grand themes of Asian horror cinema and the distinguishable national histories that give the films their special resonance. Tracing the long and noble tradition of horror stories in eastern cultures, it also delves into numerous of the folktales that have influenced this latest wave of shockers, paying tribute to classic Asian ghost films allround the ages.

From Publishers WeeklyThis survey of Asian horror movies is improbable to work either for the casual filmgoer or the consecrated fan. Orotund pronouncements (“Godzilla demonstrates that a giant monster movie is one of the most effective ways of dramatizing social, political and ecological crises”) are coupled with sketchy sumups of dozens of movies from the last 50 years and uneven commentary. While Richards distinctly has an indepth cognition of his subject matter, his expertness shines through most distinctly in an firstborn chapter when it comes to the view of supernatural forces in Eastern culture that manages to convey a lot of utile data in just four pages. Readers unfamiliar with the films discussed are likely to find too little data regarding their plots to make an intellectual decision with regards to whether they are worth their while, and his “verdicts” (“Splatter hounds have a host of creatively executed gougings, garrottings, impalements and decapitations to enjoy”) aren’t sophisticated or elaborate enough. (Dec.)
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From BooklistIn this look at the history and influence of Asian horror cinema, Richards begins by tracing the genres origins back to the end of the nineteenth century and explaining how the innovative Asian horror film started out after the end of WWII—showing, for example, how the Japanese monster movie cycle of the 1950s, which begun with Godzilla, reflected and reenacted the destruction of the war, the mutant monsters being reminders of the “horrors of radiation harm and environmental pollution.“ With the scene set, Richards discusses respective examples in a simple, orderly format: a brief description of the story followed by background on the film’s production and a “verdict” assessing the movie’s influence and importance. Some of the movies will be intimate to Western readers—Godzilla, The Ring, The Grudge—but others in all probability won’t. The book isn’t for casual readers, however, but rather for severe horror-film fans. That crowd will have a ball reliving a lot of of the genre’s biggest havoc-wreakers. –David Pitt

About the Author

Andy Richards is a freelance film journalist and television producer who has written for the DVD Stack, Filmfour.com, the Observer, Sight & Sound, Time Out, and Uncut.

Most helpful customer reviews

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
good read
By Norrin Radd
This book is a good read not great. It does get a bit slow at times unless you have an idea about all the movies that it is speaking of. I enjoyed the way it was written and I did learn a bit about the history of the asian horror movies that I didn’t expect to. I still say it is a interesting read if you are trying to learn and follow the asian horror scene.