tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729289955062416774.post8876018936075071745..comments2023-11-12T10:12:51.801-05:00Comments on Elizabeth Twist: A Non-Review of Mama, and Some Further Thoughts on HorrorElizabeth Twisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03133959633383307056noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729289955062416774.post-21870235810057090882013-03-11T23:16:27.048-04:002013-03-11T23:16:27.048-04:00So I popped in over here after you checked out my ...So I popped in over here after you checked out my poem and I loved this post.<br /><br />I write a lot of horror stories. I've never thought of it the way you set it out here but your point makes a lot of sense. A whole lot of sense. <br /><br />I haven't seen Mama but a lot of movies are structured like the point you make. The ones that I liked don't seem to be. "The Ring' springs to mind: solving the reason why Samara (I think that was her name?) Does those things didn't help them escaoe the curse. And "The Woman In Black" with Harry Potter was the same way.<br /><br />So I think you're on to something. Looking forward to reading those A to Z posts!Brianehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01616494058636881575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729289955062416774.post-86557634722601132052013-02-22T14:41:43.513-05:002013-02-22T14:41:43.513-05:00Love ghost stories that blend with science-y stuff...Love ghost stories that blend with science-y stuff, so I'm all for blends. Catherine Stinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08131569196977321229noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729289955062416774.post-89471356280404378792013-02-15T11:19:17.989-05:002013-02-15T11:19:17.989-05:00Elizabeth: I love that term, genre sabotage. Sums ...Elizabeth: I love that term, genre sabotage. Sums it up perfectly.Folly Blainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13968120424017617988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729289955062416774.post-31449762217896870062013-02-15T00:32:52.582-05:002013-02-15T00:32:52.582-05:00@Andrew: I think the whole soft, squishy, feel-goo...@Andrew: I think the whole soft, squishy, feel-good ghost thing started, arguably, with the Sixth Sense. Great film, but a bit of a death knell for ghosts (har har har). J-Horror somewhat revived them (har) for a while. <br /><br />@Mood: It's said that a ten pound monkey is a match for a two hundred pound man. I would watch out for issues of proportional strength when it comes to dealing with any hairy ghosts.<br /><br />@Angeline: Woot for non-resolved ghosts! That anthology is getting some great reviews. Good times!<br /><br />@Folly: Yes indeed. I found the plotting pretty mushy, too, scene after scene set in the house after nightfall. Some wonderful visuals, great moments, but yikes. I was really thrown off by the tone of the ending: the whole disappearing feral child transforming into beautiful butterflies / moths / whatever? I felt as though they were trying to pull off a last minute Pan's Labyrinth or something. It didn't work, but figuring out the reasons why provided some good fodder for conversation for me and Dave, so there's that. <br /><br />Agreed, totally, there was some stealth and not-so-stealth genre sabotage going on here. The original short was most definitely horror. The film was something else.Elizabeth Twisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03133959633383307056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729289955062416774.post-7523364816575781812013-02-14T17:49:52.309-05:002013-02-14T17:49:52.309-05:00My problem with Mama was that there was no subtlet...My problem with Mama was that there was no subtlety--the scenes unfolded too "on the nose," like someone had made a checklist of scenes they thought should be included in a horror movie, without actually liking the genre. (Well, the flashback's done. Wouldn't want the audience to have to figure out anything by themselves. Wait, we need to put something scary in. Let's have a dark shape jump out at the viewer all-of-a-sudden. Oh, but let's add some moral ambiguity around the youngest child disappearing, so it'll give the appearance of depth.) After the first few scenes I was rooting for the ghost. <br /><br />I had really wanted to like this movie, too.Folly Blainehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13968120424017617988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729289955062416774.post-58857071798818028902013-02-14T06:23:57.682-05:002013-02-14T06:23:57.682-05:00That's definitely some food for thought. I hav...That's definitely some food for thought. I have written a non-resolved ghost story - 'The Vincent Orphanage' in The Mirador Fantasmagoria anthology.<br /><br />But I agree, a lot of horror works best when it's left unresolved.Spanjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13893837904669368614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729289955062416774.post-67185318479395896312013-02-14T03:21:47.054-05:002013-02-14T03:21:47.054-05:00I've always wondered about the small girl ghos...I've always wondered about the small girl ghost (often with hair in eyes). I'm no ghostbuster, but I'm pretty sure I could take someone under 3 foot.<br /><br />mood<br /><a href="http://moodywriting.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow">Moody Writing</a>mooderinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01523337588830695638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729289955062416774.post-4945931596520029402013-02-13T23:34:03.839-05:002013-02-13T23:34:03.839-05:00I'll have to think about it. I don't think...I'll have to think about it. I don't think I have any.<br /><br />However, my wife and I were just talking recently about how much Sixth Sense influenced pop culture with that whole ghost thing.Andrew Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13964775673414653644noreply@blogger.com