Japanese and American Horror: A Comparative Study of Film, Fiction, Graphic Novels and Video Games

by Katarzyna Marak

Horror fiction is an important part of the popular culture in many modern societies. This book compares and contrasts horror narratives from two distinct cultures--American and Japanese--with a focus on the characteristic mechanisms that make them successful, and on their culturally-specific aspects.

Genres: Nonfiction, Research

226 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2014

Reviews

[Teleseparatist · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Full disclosure: I know the author.)

The book attempts to make a relatively comprehensive comparison between Euroamerican and Japanese horror fiction, and it uses a large range of examples to make its points, covering such themes as ghosts, monsters (including vampires and werewolves but also other monsters) and religious themes. The conclusions are well argued and the sections dedicated to Japanese examples seemed particularly interesting to me as a person without any expertise. I enjoyed and appreciated the clarity of thought present throughout and the choice of relevant examples appeared fully justified (although I always want to discuss genre as a limiting factor). When the discussion shifted from more familiar examples to texts I have no or little knowledge of, I appreciated the clarity even more, and enjoyed the discussion as well as found it enlightening.

Recommended for people interested in horror fiction, and particularly Japanese horror.

[Natthakorn Khampuan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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