Free Differences Between Eastern and Western Horror Movies Essay Sample
Horror movies are frightening films intended to terrify, cause anxiety and apprehension, and to arouse serious worries. Horror films aim to evoke unenthusiastic emotional response from the viewer via playing on his/her primitive fears. The films have existed for a long time, portraying different themes depending on the culture of originality and fantasy. Horror movies often deal with audiences’ revulsion, nightmares, fears and dread of the unknown. The common elements of horror films comprise demons, vicious animals, zombies, serial killers, vampires, psychopaths and witches.
These films proficiently reveal the dark side of life where outlawed events take place. Horror movies get a person into a frightening world and a terrifying mood without posing real danger. The situation is vague about the exact feelings that horror movies entail in both western and eastern regions. Horror movies are viewed from a different perspective in western and eastern regions. The movies originate from a vast number of sources, including tales with the devil character as well as ghost stories, and aim at instilling fear in the viewers.
Impact of Religion on Western and Eastern Horror Movies
There are a number of differences between eastern and the western horror movies. The disparity in the two types of films is based on traditional differences that exist in the regions. Grave spiritual themes are distorted by mythology and folklore of the region where a horror film was produced. To begin with, in the eastern region, film producers make use of supernatural powers as a usual and a vital part of daily life. On the other hand, the western film-makers depict ghostlike powers as dreadful and abnormal. Paranormal elements closely intertwined with comprehensible events such as the earthly visitation by Christ, God’s actions as well as satanic lures are some of the examples. By contrast, eastern horror movies illustrate the viewpoint on a supernatural nature whereby mystic forces subsist rather than intervene.
Western horror films mostly deal with Christian legends while eastern films are connected with the traditions of the region. Although this trend has persisted for a long time, the topics of eastern films are currently replaced by folk legends about ghosts and vampires. On the other hand, religious horror subjects in the western region are replaced by a bit darker motives, which made them more believable. Due to the fact that these kinds of films lacked humor, they often seemed to be real stories.
The Role of Supernatural Powers in Horror Movies
The western mythologies appear to be a bit brighter in comparison to the ordinary and supernatural. Western horror films are elaborate in their weirdness, which differentiates them from the natural films. On the other hand, eastern horrors represent an idea that supernatural and mysterious events are present in everyday events. In western horror films, ideas such as predecessor veneration, animism, deliberation, destiny and reincarnation are inactive concepts that support supernaturalism as a viewpoint on the world. In western horror movies, the major characters are ghosts representing certain individuals in the society who come back after death to avenge their offenders.
In eastern films, the major elements are used to deliver a certain message to the viewer as well to inflict fear. Eastern horror films are more perspective to a certain extent than the belief structure. This enables eastern films to keep hold of their significance despite an unreliable degree of actual plain relief among viewers. Western horror films are therefore perceived to be less accurate and more mystical as compared to eastern horror movies. In western regions, horrors are regarded as mere fantasies in contrast with eastern regions, where films are considered a vital component in their livelihood. This is elaborated further by the fact that in the west, films makers are guided by the belief that the majority of the population has a supernatural view on horror movies. The characters in horror movies are compared to supernatural creatures living in the universe. These creatures are said to be invisible; therefore, their depiction in horror films is compared to supernaturalism. Hence, in eastern regions, a big number of citizens are non-believers; in comparison, western citizens regard horror films as an element of passing experience to people.
Impact of Traditions and Beliefs on Horror Films
In the eastern region, horror films are perceived seriously as the audience feel that they represent their traditions. By contrast, western horror films are not taken in such depth as they are employed as a storytelling device. The eastern mystical horror film adopts a dissimilar approach to movies occurrence. Ghosts and curses of customary legends are abundantly represented in eastern horror films. However, these legends are not often absolutely hostile in contrast with the western evil spirit and monsters. Haunting, curses and ghosts are more frequently employed as essentials of larger tales. They are ghostly remnants of some illegal behavior.
Eastern horror movies appear to be more relaxing and the viewers a chance to come to their own conclusions, which at times may not coincide with the objective of the movie makers. In addition, the audience gets a chance to express its reply to the movies. In contrast, western horror films are much more objective in the depicting the plot of the film at hand. They tend to pay more attention to explaining the reason why things happen the way they do and utilize the motive of punishment of a wrongdoer in the film. Eastern films have an enormous number of scare scenes directed at the viewers and leave the unknown inexplicable; the aim of the character in the film remains unknown and thus gives rise to a paranormal story.
Effects of Social Beliefs on Horror Films
Eastern horror films yearn to address or describe a given social concern, which is a factor that lacks in the western films. This is due to a belief held by people living in the eastern region that horror is a vital cinematic tool. Many years ago western citizens had a similar view on horror movies. Eastern movies tend to try out astonishing and at times fanatical elements to promote idea they aimed to put across or the story they aspire to tell.
Eastern paranormal horror films industry is famous for a diverse horror films experience. Haunting, spirits and curses of customary folklore are abundantly represented; however, they are hardly ever discretely antagonistic. Similarly, western films use elements such as haunting, curses and ghosts. These elements are frequently employed as fundamentals of better moral tales. They are mystical remnants of unlawful activities, such as a blemish left on the planet. Normally, the elements of horror movies differ from the ghostlike elements as a result of having some preexisting connection to the guts world. In the eastern region, the young generation is scared not to misbehave by using horror movies aspect. In a situation where no digital gadgets are found, horror stories are narrated to the young to educate and instill fear in them and thus prevent misbehaving. In the western region, horror movies educate the young generation on how to face extraordinary issues when they arise in nature. In the west, horror movies are considered as an entertainment. Thus, western citizens spend their leisure time watching horror movies.
Recent View on Divine Horror Movies
In the recent times, western horror films have become action-oriented where the audience is treated to scenes where monsters maul victims, battles and also shootouts. On the other hand, eastern horror films use a different perspective to inflict scare in viewers. Thus, they use pacing and frame of mind rather than spirits and blood to inflict fear. Additionally, the antagonist is not destroyed at the end of the film in eastern films. By contrast, in western movies the rival element is eliminated, thus the emphasis is made on the extinction of the wicked spirit. Eastern films typically end with an implication that the guts linger at large. This is because in the eastern region, the spirits regarded as enemies are also seen as creatures that co-exist with the human race.
A vast number of western horror films elaborate the reason behind the occurrence of events in a given plot despite the fact that there are expectations in a given film. In contrast to western horror movies, eastern films tend to pose more questions as compared to the answers they give, living a lot to be explained by the viewer. This adds more power to eastern films as they work in a dreamlike point. Eastern horror films are better placed in such a scenario as compared to western movies since they give a position to control and develop a non-fear altitude. Western films leave little for imagination as the viewer is given the whole consent of the film. On the contrary, eastern films leave a room for the audiences’ imagination, thus making them more entertaining. While western horrors are frequently anxious with a lot of issues left unidentified, eastern horrors frequently portray the unknown attack the known.
Fear Aspect of Monsters, Ghosts and Vampires in Horror Films
Eastern films recognize an extent of otherworldliness as compared to western horrors, which tend to focus on evil spirits in an explicit location. Eastern horrors employ a certain degree of indistinctness as well as an invasive approach; as a result, they are regarded more emotive compared to western films, which employ neither an invasive nor a vague approach. This, therefore, makes eastern horrors more moving. Another difference between films from the eastern and western region is the depiction of monsters. In western horror movies, there are diverse monsters such as zombies, vampires as well as some individuals with malformed psychology. Western horror films have awful bloody episodes. Eastern horror films have major monsters as ghosts, where main theme remains a combination of current social problems, traditions and history. The films are based on the cultural and chronological elements of the society, whereby citizens of the eastern region believe that ghosts of murdered victims will hang around killing individuals devoid of any grounds.
Eastern horror films mainly are based on the frame of mind and anticipation. In addition, the films have a reasonable gore with much scare as well. On the other hand, western horror films have a minimal set up, straight gore, with more shock and little expectations. In eastern horror films it is not important whether the ghost is real or not, whereas western films put more consideration to whether the ghost is real. Eastern horrors are not as terrifying as western films since they contain some element of comedy.
Conclusion
In conclusion, horror movies are aimed at inflicting fear in the audience in the eastern culture and at the same time at entertaining viewers in the western region. Horror movies are taken as special implications of ancestral value in the East. This is because the citizens of the eastern region believe that horror movies show that the ancestors come back as monsters to revenge on people who did not broke the rules of the land. In addition, in eastern communities, horror movies are used to threaten children not to misbehave. In the western region, in contrast, horror movies are used as an element of entertainment.
The young, the old and middle aged generation use horror movies as a way of joyfully spending their free time. They believe that movies have a sense of educative value in their lives. Western people think about how these horror movies sharpen their brain in order to face issues and challenges in their everyday lives. They use horror movies to enlighten their mind, especially on how to handle similar situations in case they arise in the future. It helps the young to be courageous as they face life as cruel as it is. Moreover, horror movies are used as a learning element in both regions. Horror movies in both regions help individuals to realize the natural occurrences and magic beliefs about the universe. Moreover, horror films expound the natural beauty in the western region, whereas in the eastern region, horrors deal solely with the ancestral valuation.