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explorationofthesunkenplace · 9 months ago

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Blog Post #6

The short story “Please, Momma” written by Chesya Burke has stuck with me for days after reading it. While reading it, I was unsure of the direction the story would take but as the events unfolded I soon realized what it all meant. To me, the message behind this story is what perfectly encapsulates the meaning of true horror.

The ending of “Please, Momma” revealed that Sissy’s twin sister, Baby, was actually dead the whole time. Sissy’s twin connection to her deceased sibling had allowed her to hear Baby’s thoughts beyond the grave. The hold that the mother kept on Baby after her passing had resulted in her ghost sticking around.

As a result of holding onto this grief, it began to manifest into a creature that stuck onto the mother’s back. It was a parasite that hitched onto the mother’s hopelessness and suffering and fed onto it. It wasn’t satisifed by the mother’s pain alone and wanted to consume Baby. However, the mother had refused and had to be pushed by Sissy, Baby, and the Oinara to let Baby go.

This was a very upsetting story and one that I find to be one of the more interesting concepts of horror out of the works that I had been introduced to in this course. The idea of grief manifesting into a creature is a concept I wanted to explore in a short story I had planned on writing. I decided on writing an essay for the course, but my initial idea was to write about grief manifesting into a monster that begins to consume those around the victim who was experiencing the grief.

The idea of grief manifesting into a monster is a concept that was explored in the works of Candyman(2021) and Beloved. The collective grief, pain, and suffering experienced by the black community as a result of injustice manifested into Candyman. In the 2021 film, Candyman existed as a supernatural entity that represented black pain. Beloved is another example of this where Beloved is a manifestation of generational trauma and suffering. By Beloved being initially murdered by her mother to avoid the treacherous life of a slave, she soon comes back to haunt the family and remind them of the pain they had experienced. Even when they are free, they are not truly free from the generational pain and trauma they had suffered as a result of slavery.

The idea of grief and pain manifesting into a monster is the most striking to me because, to me, it feels the most real and authentic. True horror to me is not jumpscares of finding a creature in the corner of your dark room, it is being confronted with the reality of growing up and losing those you love. Grief follows you for an eternity while only being overshadowed with time, but never entirely going away.

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explorationofthesunkenplace · 10 months ago

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Blog Post #5

Beloved was one of the most disturbing films I have seen to date. The acting of Oprah Winfrey and Thandiwe Newton alone made the film that much more disturbing. I could feel the pain of Slethe and Beloved equally, making the scenes feel and appear raw and authentic.

Learning about the inspiration behind Beloved changed my view on it completely. I had initially thought the idea of a mother murdering her child to avoid slavery was an original concept, but learned about the story of Margaret Garner. Margaret Garner’s story, being identical to slethe, made me realize that the idea of this is not fictional. Beloved made me stop and really think about the impact of slavery, and the lengths people would go to avoid living an enslaved life. Both Margaret and Slethe were so traumatized by slavery to the point that they thought that death for their children would be a better fate.

Beloved, as a character, represents the pain that stems from the historical and generational trauma of slavery. She is the manifestation of this pain, representing how the pain of slavery will follow you even after you achieve freedom. When Slethe and her family were at the festival, they were at their happiest point of the film. Immediately after they returned home, they had found Beloved near their front porch. This demonstrates how, at their happiest, they are unable to escape the pain that slavery left behind. Beloved is the representation of that.

The mothering spirit of Slethe immediately recognized Beloved when having an overwhelming desire to urinate. This is her monster instinct knowing on sight who Beloved actually was. Over the course of the film, it is revealed that Beloved is Slethe’s deceased child. Personally, I had not been expecting this reveal and it was certaintly one of the more surprising parts of the film.

The disruptive nature of Beloved had ruined the family dynamic they had started to build. Paul D and Slethe were close to having another child and building from the family they had. However, the presence of Beloved had ruined their chances of doing so and had broken them apart completely. At the end of the film, Slethe is a broken version of herself and her relationship with Paul D was not as it was in the beginning of the film.I found Beloved to be a very disturbing film, but important to watch in its own right. I do not personally think I would rewatch this film in the future, however, I think bringing awareness to the pain of slavery is important. I believed that Beloved accomplishes this perfectly, being painful and disturbing to watch. Slavery has affected individuals who are still alive to this day. The pain of slavery still exists and the pain of it will be felt for many generations to come.

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explorationofthesunkenplace · 10 months ago

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Blog Post #4

Before watching Night of the Living Dead, I was aware of how large of a role Duane Jones was going to play in the film. Having a black actor being the point of view character in 1968 after watching a film like Love Ouanga made it a much more enjoyable experience.

I found it interesting to learn that the role of Ben was not created specifically for a black man in mind. I have noticed the trend that black characters in older films were typically type-casted into the role. It feels like a much more contemporary concept to have a role being assigned to a black man simply because he performed the best.

The scene of Ben putting on Barbara’s shoes had stood out to me while thinking of this concept. At the time, black men were not allowed to touch white women in films. This was seen in Love Ouanga when the “black man” featured in the film that kissed the biracial woman was a white man in black face. A black man being merely able to touch a white woman was unheard of at this time, so seeing it in Night of the Living Dead was a nice change from Love Ouanga.

Not only was the acting of Duane Jones the best out of the cast, but the character of Ben himself was the most favorable to me. I enjoyed watching Ben take charge despite the hesitation and difficulties he faced from the other characters. Ben was able to challenge Harry Cooper, who had tried to dominate the group and have them abide by his thinking. Ben, however, was equally just as dominating and encouraged him to be more collaborative.

The end of the film had taken me completely by surprise. After watching Ben be the hero for the entire film, it was daunting to watch him be shot and killed by the police. However, the lecture reminded me of the social issues present at this time. The shots at the end of the film of Ben’s corpse reminded me a lot of historical images of racial violence, such as lynchings. Along with his body, the shots of the white mob appeared a lot like the racist ones in the real world. This shows the real-world elements within the film, even if they were unrelated to the plot.

It was interesting to me to see the contrast between Ben and all the other characters. He was the one who was able to maintain his composure in a hostile environment. The other characters, on the other hand, were unstable and were not level-headed. This could relate to how Ben is desensitized to hostility because of the racial violence and prejudice he experiences in the real world. Overall, I found Night of the Living Dead to be a great horror film. While not scary, the role of Ben and the acting of Duane Jones made it enjoyable for me to watch. It felt much more like a modern film to me than one from the 1960s.

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explorationofthesunkenplace · 10 months ago

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Blog Post #3

Candyman is a film that needs no introduction. While I had not seen the original before this class, I was told time and time again that it gave everyone nightmares when they had first seen it on release. Watching it, I finally understood what they meant.

Candyman is a film that made me feel uneasy and, as the film went on, I started to believe that I shouldn’t say “Candyman” five times. The visuals and the use of real bees on the set whenever Candyman appeared made the film that much more believable. The acting was magnificent, specifically the acting of Tony Todd. His chilling voice echoing in those dark, eerie moments added to the nightmarish presentation of the Candyman.

While I acknowledge the greatness of the horror behind the original film, there are many problematic elements that can overshadow its prestige as a horror film. This includes how Cabrini Green was exaggerated as an urban jungle. It was disturbing to discover that Cabrini Green was made to look dirtier by the crew sprinkling trash around it. An urban, black-dominated neighborhood was made to look trashy, dirty, and unsafe despite that not being true to reality.

There is also the idea of black characters appearing as props and not people. In one of the scenes, the black men were wearing matching jackets to appear uniform to one another. These black men were also pursuing the white women for seemingly no reason. This occurred in the scene where they cornered Helen in the bathroom and pulled out a hook to attack her with. The hook being used as a weapon is unrealistic, as well as the unnecessary violent behavior of the black men.

Candyman had also targeted his own people rather than seeking revenge on those that had killed him. In actuality, Candyman should have been targeting and trying to kill Helen rather than being obsessed with her. Helen is a descendent of the type of people that had made Candyman a victim of racist violence. However, in the film, Candyman kills his own people instead of seeking revenge on those who had harmed him. An example of this is him killing Bernadette despite her not saying his name 5 times. Normally, this incantation results in the person saying it to die. Not only is she not related to the perpetrators of his death, but her death directly contrasts with the lore of the film by her not saying the incantation. Despite the problematic nature of this film, I found myself enjoying Candyman and being scared by it. What stood out to me the most in this film was the acting of Tony Todd. For me, he makes it enjoyable and rewatchable. However, I find it is important to recognize the problematic elements of the film to discourage future filmmakers from integrating these types of themes into their work.

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explorationofthesunkenplace · 11 months ago

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Blog Post #2

Us has been one of my favorite horror films since its release back in 2019. The hidden meanings and the incredible acting throughout solidified its place as one of my favorite horror films I have seen to this day.

I found it difficult to comprehend exactly what things meant in the film on first watch. To fully understand it, I watched and read analysis pieces that explained exactly why characters were represented the way they were and why it unfolded the way it did. The deeper meaning behind the tethered is what inspired a final project I took on in high school which was aimed at explaining the world of Us.

Based on my understanding of the film, the tethered are supposed to represent an impoverished society. In the real world, there are those who live their daily lives in the shadows of those “above them” in an economic, hierarchical sense. They are often stepped on, dismissed, and have less privileges to enjoy in comparison to their richer counterparts.

In discussion of this, the scene that stands out to me is when it shows Red and Adelaide in their own worlds during the stroll through the carnival. On one hand, you see Adelaide walking through a normal carnival with things you expect to see at an event like this. On the other hand, you have Red walking through a nonexistent carnival with people whose enjoyment of a rollercoaster ride is limited to jumping in place.

Another example of the tethered being an impoverished society is that they rely on rabbits for food. Those above have the luxury of enjoying whatever food they desire without limit. Red explains that they are forced to eat the rabbits raw, as they do not have access to the resources that those above have.

In addition to the meaning behind the tethered, the acting in the film is what I enjoy the most. After watching this film in the theaters, Lupita Nyong’o quickly became one of my favorite actresses. Her portrayal of Red/Adelaide is nothing short of masterful and deserving of every award. The voice that she gives Red is so unsettling and always makes my skin crawl whenever I hear it. Not only is it scary, but it is realistic since Red was unable to use her voice in a mute society. Lupita’s ability to depict that so seamlessly is what impresses me.

The acting of Lupita Nyong’o and the meaning of the tethered is one of many things that I enjoy about this film. In a later blog post, I will delve into the plot twist of the film and why I enjoy it so much.

The genius of Jordan Peele continues to show in all of his work. I am positive that Us is one of many masterpieces he will create in his time as a director.

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explorationofthesunkenplace · 11 months ago

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Blog Post #1

As an avid film enthusiast, enrolling in this class was one of the most exciting moments I have had as a college student. There are few classes I can say that I enrolled in with a smile on my face.

I expected to love this course and that has not changed through the first week of engaging with the course content. It aligns directly with my love for film, specifically my love for horror. Rarely do I miss a new horror film that has been released in the theaters.

Despite my undying love for the horror genre, I was unfamiliar with the world of black horror. I am grateful that Jordan Peele’s Get Out was what introduced me to this world. I was part of the lucky crowd that watched this film on release in theaters.

Get Out is a film that engages the audience in a way that I find few films do. Jordan Peele’s mind works beautifully by creating a film that requires such deep analysis to understand and catch many of its themes, motifs, and real-world connections.

What stood out to me the most in this film, especially on rewatch, was its underlying theme of black bodies being exploited for the benefit of elite white people. When Chris was hypnotized into the sunken place, he was essentially stripped of control over his own body. While this occurs, Rose’s family attempts to sell his body to elite whites without his consent. This is one of the film’s many real-world connections where it is similar to the period of history where enslaved black people were brought to America to be bought and sold without their consent.

After being sold, those who were enslaved were stripped of their rights and solely served the purpose of benefiting their captors. I related this to the instance in the film where Chris is bidded on by a blind man named Jim Hudson who had desired his eyesight and talent. This can be relayed back to enslaved people being used to benefit what their captors were incapable or unwilling to do themselves.

Get Out is a film that I have admired since its release, and rewatching it has only fueled my existing love for it. Its wide variety of themes and recurring symbols made me more observant on my second watch. I found that there were many things of significance, such as the white savior trope and the recurring deer symbol, that I had missed on my first watch.

I have yet to be swayed by the belief that Jordan Peele exists as one of the best horror directors of our lifetime. He makes the creation of timeless films look effortless. The genius of his work will be discussed long after our generation has passed, including the thought-provoking and award-winning film Get Out.

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