My Zen Arcade

So after watching ‘Wanted’ and then the thoroughly mediocre ‘Incredible Hulk’, I popped in ‘Re-Cycle’ by the Pang brothers.  While I found the last bit in the other-world akind of annoying, overall I’ll give it a thumbs up.  It is not your mother’s horror movie. 

But, then again, thats true of most asian horror.  Usually I love the stuff.  Sometimes it bounces off me, but I think thats because the cues used to indicate rising danger/tension/whatever are somewhat different than what we use here, and so I don’t know I’m supposed to be frightened.  I’m also a little confused about their obsession with hair, water, and the telephone.  But I very much appreciate how atmospheric these movies tend to be, and how unabashedly bizarre.  And here, well, I think the set builders probably had a LOT of fun.

That said, there are two things I really love about the ‘genre’.  First, the casual relationship with the supernatural.  If you watch Ringu, there’s a bit where the male lead mentions casually that he has psychic powers.  This is said, and taken, no different than if he had said he had run a marathon.  Slightly unusual, but not note-worthy.  Second, and more importantly, I love how the normal world always appears to be just right next to the  land of the dead, the world of ghosts and monsters and stories.  Like taking a wrong turn in a song, or painting a flower a slightly different shade of sad, or listening closely to yellow and suddenly you slip into the other place, often without notice.  I really do love that.