Essay Archives | Otaku No Culture

Krampus for the Holiday Season? (Part One)

Krampus has been featured in many comic books or films since becoming mainstream…

You better not pout when a different kind of supernatural force comes to town this holiday season. Some revellers may well encounter the Christmas Devil–aka Krampus! This name is a derivation of the Germanic word krampen (claw) and some may say he’s as old as time. This creature has changed over the years. In the old days of Germany, before the coming of Christianity, children feared the wild and woolly horned beast. Any child known to be misbehaving was whipped with a birch stick (or a swath of) by this monster. Some were even taken away to the underworld never to be seen again. The lucky who were “released” most likely promised to mend their ways.

In later years, he was known to visit villages with Saint Nicholas on Krampus Night (Krampusnacht; Dec 5th)! The good were rewarded by his friend and the bad found sticks of birch left in their shoe (it was a tradition to leave it out on this night). These days, a chance encounter from someone cosplaying as him doesn’t always provoke the same response.

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On Why Not Everyone Will See Todd Phillips’ Joker

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

Just a little more than a month since the release of Joker, I simply don’t have the interest to see Todd Phillips’ box office smash hit. Enough has been spoiled online, where just going will simply be a waste of time. In the DC Comics universe, many writers ranging from original creator Jerry Robinson to Alan Moore (The Killing Joke), have done their character study and to add another take feels like overkill.

From animation to video games, not all of these clown prince(s) of crime are going to behave the same. Some will take on the chilling appeal ala Charles Manson and others are just troubled individuals. The Joker, for me, is an embodiment of chaos. His mania developed to a point where he can’t pull off a caper without getting Batman getting involved. This version never commits anything low-key.

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Master the A-B-Cs of Paranormal Investigation (Part One): A Beginner’s Guide to the Haunted

Paranormal Investigation is not just an art, and nor is it a hobby. It’s a discipline that deserves a proper discipline going forward.

Halloween paranormal investigation Halloween is a very enjoyable time for many. Whether attending a live theatre production, a book reading, a horror movie marathon, or a paranormal investigation, it’s a time to be merry—or to get your spook on. Getting closer to the spirit world has come a long way. In the early 20th century, options were generally limited to séances, allowing people to attempt contact with loved ones.

Even the annual tradition of contacting Harry Houdini became part of the paranormal tapestry. He passed away on All Hallow’s Eve. He promised his wife Bess that if either died first, they would attempt to communicate, using a code word to prove it. Over the years, methods have evolved and organizations have formed.

Technology has also expanded the tools available to newcomers. For casual investigators, all that’s needed is an open mind and the willingness not to bring personal spiritual beliefs into a case. Many veterans believe such biases can taint the data. Experienced investigators generally agree that a good dose of common sense, a basic camera, and an audio recorder are all that’s required.

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Where’s the Longevity in Oren Peli’s Paranormal Activity after 10 Years?

The Paranormal Activity franchise ended many years ago. and some fans may argue it’s been a trailblazer for the found footage genre.

By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)

The Paranormal Activity franchise ended many years ago. and some fans may argue it’s been a trailblazer for the found footage genre. Anastasia Hanna of mxdwn.com thinks so, and I have the opposite opinion. It’s been 10 years since its wide theatrical release on Oct 16, 2009 (technically 12 if you count the film festivals), and the last film was about three years ago. Unless there’s a steady stream of this franchise, interest will pitter off.

The impact of this franchise faded with the passage of time. This series has always been a social experiment from the get-go. It’s designed to see how many people will react to the jump scares than to follow the trail of clues offered in all the movies made to date. Blair Witch did a better job with this particular subgenre of horror films since it felt realistic. It did not depend on sequels to make a lasting impact which gets imitated in comedy variety shows and in pop culture. After six films, there’s nothing to even truly recall other than the one ‘scary’ scene where the bedroom door swings open and the fate of Katie and Micah unwinds for all to see.

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Unmasking M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable Trilogy & Glass

I feel with the Unbreakable trilogy, Shyamalan created a what if product based on Charles Darwin’s work, On the Origin of Species.

Release Date: April 16, 2019

Although M. Night Shyamalan‘s Unbreakable trilogy took nearly twenty years to finish, the wait was certainly worth it. Ever since I saw the first film, I could not help but think of the line from Snow White, “Mirror, mirror on the wall who’s the fairest of them all?” Instead of considering the response from the Disney movie, I feel another meaning can be pulled from it. Anyone who has looked upon this reflective surface is asking to themselves, “Who am I, really?”

Not everybody will like what they see of themselves reflected back. With titles in part two and three suggestive of different mental states, I have enough theories going on in my head wanting to break down what this auteur’s films are about. The bonus material which comes in the home video release of Glass, however brief they are, offer more than a few teasing answers and confirmations in what I already believe. Upon seeing all three films again, back-to-back, I have a few theories.

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100+ years of Cinema and the Sequential Art, A Retrospective

Neither does cinema and the sequential art medium needs to involve Sony, Fox or Disney (merger-driven or not). As long as the work has more substance than style, people will flock to it.

Movies based on comic strips/books are big business, and not all of them were based on superheroes. The idea to adapt popular titles began way before Marvel and DC comics formed and this essay offers a highlight reel of these other popular works. Not everyone realises cinema and the sequential art medium go hand in hand.

In the early days of cinema, French journalist Georges Sadoul believed Louis Lumière‘s L’Arroseur Arrosé (1895) was an adaptation of L’Arroseur (The Gardener), a strip by artist Hermann Vogle. [1] The next work which followed was based on the British comic Ally Sloper (1867). Three films were made.

In the golden age of cinema, superheroes did not command the screen. Instead, these projections were humourous looks at everyday life. Harold Teen (1928) may well be the first to arrive on the big screen in North America. Blondie (1930) was immensely popular because of its look at middle-class suburbia. The early years followed the romance of this eponymous character to Dagwood, the comic relief, and the media buzz upon their marriage is comparable to the media hoopla when Peter Parker aka Spiderman married Mary Jane.

To be fair, certain key heroes like Batman and Superman will be explored. Also, television played an important role in popularizing this genre. Periodic looks at what happened on this front will also be offered.

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