Social anxieties and lost “spirit”: The relationship of horror films and their remakes from Japan, South Korea, and the United States

Ford, Anna Mari

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/116122 Copy

Description

Title

Social anxieties and lost “spirit”: The relationship of horror films and their remakes from Japan, South Korea, and the United States

Author(s)

Ford, Anna Mari

Issue Date

2022-07-21

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Wilson, Roderick I

Committee Member(s)

• Song, Myoung-Sun
• Tierney, Robert T

Department of Study

E. Asian Languages & Cultures

Discipline

E Asian Languages & Cultures

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.A.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• horror film
• Japan
• South Korea
• United States
• supernatural other

Abstract

This study investigates the depictions of the supernatural other and ethical dilemmas within horror films from Japan, South Korea, and the United States and compares them to remakes of these same horror films in a different cultural context. The main portions of analysis are focus on Ringu (1998) and its two remakes The Ring Virus (1999) and The Ring (2002), A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) and its remake The Uninvited (2009), Haunters (2010) and its remake Monsterz (2014). By choosing films and their subsequent remakes, I illuminate how the portrayal of the supernatural other as what is fear-inducing in the films reflects social anxieties towards physical disability, mental health, and ideal family dynamics. I postulate that elements relating to socio-cultural specificities have been changed to suit the audiences they are intended for, such as changing the religious connotations of a ghost or different portrayals of good and evil. While these changes have been considered why a remade film loses its appeal to audiences, I argue that these changes were not the main reason why remakes were not as well received by viewers and critics. Instead, these remakes disappointed their audiences because they changed the overall “spirit” of the successful original.

Graduation Semester

2022-08

Type of Resource

Thesis

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2022 Anna Ford

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