Witches in Aunt Maria

  “Aunt Maria” (also known as “Black Mariah”) is a novel by Diana Wynne Jones about two siblings named Chris and Mig, who visits their old aunt. They later find out that she is a witch and has the whole village around her finger through powerful spells. At first, Aunt Maria is not a stereotypical witch character, she’s actually pretty sweet. She has tea parties, goes on walks and is pretty nice to our main characters. This is until they find out the real truth where the dull, zombie like villagers are under her spell and her butler was turned into a cat, now she’s your typical evil witch. The two emotions are so distinctly different but somehow manage to to wrap up perfectly within one character. Sweet old ladies can sometimes be insanely creepy, that’s why most witches fall under this category.

  When it comes to the topic of women in power, this book makes it an obvious message. The character of Chris is there to constantly question Aunt Maria with an incredibly rude attitude. With this conflict I believe Diana fully knew what she was trying to come across, most women can’t just have higher power without men constantly questioning their every move, even if the woman is evil such as this one. It might also stem on the power a woman can have on men. With men becoming “zombie like” towards her and the butler becoming her slave, it’s clear that sex appeal and a reputation can turn the strongest men into mindless freaks. Girls truly run the world in these sort of situations and more power to them for it. She’s eventually taken down in the climax and all is restored but hey the overwhelming power she had almost destroyed a whole village!

   Overall, Aunt Maria turns stereotypes on their heads and brings up some powerful points on the way women can rule the world and men’s reaction to it. Witches are pretty much a metaphor for women with power and it was neat to hear the subtle way those still attach in modern stories such as this.

Fido and the weird

  The film I watched this time was “Fido”, a story about a young boy and his pet zombie in a world where zombies are domesticated and used for chores and pets. Sounds ridiculous and scary but it’s probably the most surprisingly sweet thing I’ve ever seen. The weirdness of the concept is what makes it work so well and in a strange way, the weird is incredibly interesting. This goes back to the days of carnival freak shows where people with deformities where gawked at in awe from an audience of everyday folks. The strange and unusual peak our interests because if it’s something you don’t see everyday, it’s worth seeing. In literature and pop culture this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Horror itself stems from the thrill of the unknown and through it’s original stories like “Frankenstein” and its preceding works from Jules Verne, the strangeness compels you to keep turning the page. Also who knew a cartoon about a talking sea sponge of all things could capture such world wide acclaim and love from millions of kids across the planet? Fido knows it’s audience, horror fans looking for something new. Strange movies are now looked upon audiences as “refreshing”. Look at “Guardians of the Galaxy” or “Deadpool” with it’s oddball cast of misfits that stand out severely from it’s other superhero counterparts. Huge hits at the box office just because it was something different. Fido was a breath of fresh air that took its weirdness by the balls and made something out of it. Without things like it, entertainment as we know it would not be the same.

The assumptions of ghosts in the movie "House"

“House” is a Japanese horror film from 1977 centered around seven little girls who stay in an aunts haunted house for a short vacation. Cute concept, absolutely insane execution. Crazy editing, drastic changes in tone and kung Fu fighting, a real feast for the senses.

  The nature of good and evil within this film are incredibly similar to those of Japanese folk stories. Spirits in their culture are usually respected instead of feared. They’re wiser and kind. The twist in this film is that the grandmother was in fact a spirit the entire time. Seeing as she’s the kindest and gives the girls friendly welcomes and advice throughout the entire film. The demons however are a different story. They come in all shapes and sizes, floating heads in wells, pianos and much much more. They mostly come through one source, a giant cat painting that shoots blood out of it’s mouth. Japanese culture manly focuses on demons and monsters as the bad guys in their fiction. Evil spirits are usually put on this earth as punishment and when they bark, they bite.

  Americans aren’t as broad when it comes to our sense of the supernatural. All ghosts are typically out to get you through urban legends, horror movies and historical accounts. The worst thing a ghost can really do in western culture is make itself visible and send shivers down your spine. Making for the acceptance of a spirit such as the ones in Japan highly unlikely.  Good and evil is typically through ignorance of the main character. Why can’t the living ever accept the fact they were wrong for barging in the ghost’s living space? Demons have the exact same reputation though, still evil and still out to kill.

  By the end of it all, the Japanese and English See horror in their own lights. The east has a bigger respect for some unlike the west who run and hide any chance they get. It’s incredibly interesting that what can be horror to others could become fantasy through a different perspective and form of beliefs. We can only hope people can accept both.