Introduction
Horror movies are among the most popular film genres in the contemporary scenario. This is due to their appeal to the emotions of an individual causing fear and anxiety during viewing. The films usually explore themes, which include nightmares, supernatural events, and death among other terrifying events (Richards 71). However, for the themes to be effective in captivating the audience, it is essential that the film should have adequate cinematographic features to complement the inclination of the film. In order to analyze a film effectively, it is essential to consider the motives and intentions of the filmmakers. This is achieved through the consideration of the different components, which distinguish the film. For instance, the eye and one-missed calls exhibit the characteristics of a horror films despite having distinguishing aspects. In addition, the films are not produced in Hollywood a factor that is significant considering the prominence of Hollywood to the global audience. The phenomenon of globalization has resulted in the planet becoming increasingly interactive. This is evident in the film industry where films break the geographical and cultural boundaries characterizing the planet. This is evident with the aforementioned Asian horror films attracting positive reviews from the global audience (Richards 72). This depicts the increasing prominence of productions from Asia in the global scenario. Therefore, this analysis will explore in depth the aforementioned Asian films in order to comprehend the features characterizing horror movies. This will give an insight on how Asian films have appealed to audiences across cultures successfully in the contemporary scenario.
The Eye
The eye is an impressive Chinese production. The movie’s plot shows the characteristic of a horror movie since it involves supernatural events. The movie explores the life of a violinist who sees supernatural events after receiving an eye surgery. The protagonist had the abilities of a psychic and was able to predict catastrophes, which were going to occur in the future in her environment. Naturally, this ability makes the protagonist, Mun to appear insane, and she is not taken seriously when she tries to warn individuals on the dangers she has foreseen. The mystery of the plot is deepened when it is revealed that the donator of the cornea, had a similar gift, but committed suicide since the community did not believe her premonitions. The catastrophes seen by the protagonist and her encounters with the supernatural create the anxiety and fear that is elicited by the film. The directors attribute the inspiration for the movie to an event, which occurred 13 years prior to the film whereby a teenage girl received a cornea transplant and committed suicide soon afterwards. This motivation is a chilling scenario, which is evident in the film giving it a scary element. In addition, the plot appears to be a recreation of a Hollywood horror flick. The translation of the dialogue to English also made the film relatable with the global audience. It is essential to comprehend the plot of the movie and inspiration in order to analyze the movies features effectively.
Considering The Eye, the movie is a successful horror film using juxtapositioning. This involves switching through the images of the past and the current scenario and the dead and living sides of life. This approach enables the film to show the essence of time in life and the fear, which is, realized when the dead are manifested to the living. The film creates fear using the mystery of the dead, which is a taboo subject in most cultures. In addition, the mystery of the future is also featured in the film. This is evident in the approach of the film where the protagonist sees future events. Visions concerning misfortunes create anxiety and fear since there is knowledge that there is going to be misfortune. This approach seems to be inclined to nostalgic imaginations, and this complements the trend evident in Asian horror sub-genre.
The title is significant in the event that are portrayed in the film. The eye appears to control what individuals see. In the movie, the eye of the protagonist appears to give her insight of the supernatural. Her eyes appear to enlighten her about the presence of the supernatural. The eyes also give the protagonist a peek into the future and warn the character of impending catastrophes. The title signifies that the protagonist has exceptional insight about life when compared to the rest of society. Therefore, the title gives the audience an idea of the movie’s direction in the plot.
The production also utilizes cinematic features to augment the scary effect of the film. This is evident in the lighting, camera angles, music and mise en scenes of the movie. For instance, the spirits from the supernatural are a significant feature in the film. In addition, the film has to ensure that the audience experiences the fear and anxiety being portrayed by the characters. Finally, the producers had to ensure that there was suspense in order to build the interest of the audience. This requires the production to use several cinematography approaches in order to achieve these characteristic of a horror film.
The directors maximizing on the myopia of the protagonist in order to create a claustrophobic and scary atmosphere characterize the first half of the film. This is achieved using the cameras whereby there is a frequent use of the mid shots to show her blurred vision and shapes and ghosts, which were lacking in her background. In addition, there is use of the close up to show the view of the protagonist. The shots were essential considering that the movie was reliant on the view of the protagonist since it is the basis for the plot. The character having received eyesight recently from her previously dark world, she was required to develop her ability to see and this was a challenge. The brain had to readjust to be able to process the visual messages being received. The directors using the middle shots impressively depicted this. The camera shots are instrumental as the film develops, whereby; the character developed her abilities to see. This resulted in the increase of her visions on ghosts which are present within her surroundings. The long shots are used to show the increased presence of ghosts in the protagonist’s surrounding. The camera angle was also instrumental in the film production. In order to complement the middle and close up shots, the directors used the eye view angle to give the viewers an idea of what the protagonist was seeing. The angle was also instrumental during the period where the protagonist had difficulties with sight. The audience is enabled to experience this due to the use of the eye view angle.
The lighting is also instrumental in the presentation of the ghostly figures seen by the protagonist. The ghosts appeared to be hazy and unreal as compared to the characters that were alive. The directors were spot on in creating the distinction between the supernatural and the real world. There is evidence of the use of mise en scenes, whereby, lighting and depth were instrumental in portraying the view of the protagonist. The design of shooting in the streets depicted the situation where supernatural beings existed among living humans. The lighting in this instance was used to influence the perceptions of the audience concerning the supernatural beings. The use of lighting to create the ghostly shapes and the shadows contributed to the anxiety and fear characterizing the film. Space was also instrumental in creating the appropriate effect in the film. The film was characterized by middle and close shots in the first half due to the concentration on the sight of the protagonist. Depth was used to compliment this, whereby; the camera placement influenced the view to appear as if it is being viewed from the audiences’ eyes.
The directors were successful in creating momentum in the first part of the movie. However, in the second part, there appears to be a slump when the protagonist attempts to trace the origin of the cornea donation. Despite this, the directors rejuvenate the story with a convicting finale. The characters give convincing performances, whereby; the plot is portrayed effectively through the acting of the cast. It is apparent that the storyline is complimented with the director’s choice of cinematographic features.
One Missed Call
The contemporary scenario is characterized by technological innovations. These innovations have influenced the modern society significantly. The cell phone is an example of such innovations whereby it has been entrenched into the endeavors of individuals (Katz, and Aakhus 87). This is the subject of the movie “one missed call,” whereby, the plot is developed around the use of the cell phones in the contemporary times. This approach required the director to characterize the film with cinematographic features, which are consistent with the genre of horror movies.
The plot involves strange calls, which result in, voicemails in the phones of the characters. The calls appear to be coming from the future whereby the number of the characters appears to be the source of the call. For instance, the character Yoko listens to herself screaming followed by a sickening silence. The character who laughs of the incident experiences a tragic end whereby an invincible force throws her against an oncoming train. The sequence seems to repeat itself, whereby victims receive voicemails, which signifies a tragic end for the recipient. The disturbing occurrences lead to investigations by Yumi and Yamatisha, whereby the attempt to identify the source of the calls. In attempts to save a recipient of the call, Natsumi, the protagonists attempt an exorcism, which ends tragically for the call recipient. The origins of the paranormal happenings appear to be caused by the actions of Mimiko. Despite the death of Mimiko, her spirit appears to find another path through Yumi who continues causing death. It is essential to be aware of the plot in order to comprehend the significance of the cinematographic features used in the film. It is apparent that suspense and grotesque deaths characterize the film and these are used to elicit fear among the audience. Therefore, it was essential for the director to use the set, camera angles, lighting and other film elements effectively.
The film appears to target the social scenario in the contemporary scenario where the phrase missed call appears to be innocuous. In the film, a missed call is presented as a source of anxiety for the characters, whereby, the individuals experience a feeling a fear and anxiety once they receive a missed call. Considering how a phone operates, it is impossible for individuals to receive a phone call from themselves in the future. The director appears to use a normal social occurrence like a phone call to shows the chilling side of the act. This is achieved through a combination of the disquiet culture of mobile technology usage and classical ghost stories (Mes, and Miike 5). The concept chosen by the director involves individuals receiving a phone that predicts their death in three days. This concept is terrifying considering that a normal communication device can be used to predict the dreaded occurrence that is death. Despite the scenes with violence, the movie appears to be inclined towards being scary than violent. The theme of the mobile phone is appropriate for the contemporary scenario due to the symbolism of the device. The device does not have pragmatic significance only but is also a depiction of the identity of individuals in the social arena (Katz, and Aakhus 88). In addition, the telephone networks connect individuals inexplicably. For instance, the phones appear to connect the characters in the film. Similarly, the phone creates a paradoxical situation, whereby, it shows the distinction in the social status of the characters (Katz, and Aakhus 89).
The film exhibits characteristics of Asian horror movies. These characteristics required modifications in order to make certain that the elements appealed to the western audience. The urban legends that characterized the Japanese society were influential in the movie. This necessitated the director to interpret the legends in a manner, which can relate to the western scenario.
The movie appears to be utilizing juxtapositioning, whereby, the event of the future and the past are intertwined. This approach enables the film to show the essence of time in life and the fear, which is, realized when the tragedies of the future are manifested. The director captivates the audience using the events, which unfold after characters receive a mysterious phone call. The characters in the film show the terror that can emanate from knowing about future events. The characters appear to hear their death in the voicemail in advance and have to live with the uncertainty on whether they will suffer the fate predicted in the phone call. This approach is similar to the aforementioned film, in that, it depicts the approach of nostalgic imaginations, which is a characteristic of Asian horror movies (Fortunati, Katz and Riccini 229).
The title of the film is influential, in that; it gives an outline of the direction the movie is going to utilize in the plot. The brevity of the title adds to the enigma, which characterizes the film. The title depicts that the movie will be fashioned around a missed call. This approach arouses the curiosity of the audience, whereby, individuals try to determine the correlation between fear and a phone call. The title is relatable to the contemporary audience where mobile phones are entrenched in social life (Katz, and Aakhus 87). However, despite the title’s significance, it was essential for the directors to complement the theme of the film with the appropriate elements in order to make the film effective.
The director is proficient in using film elements to compliment the theme in the film. The elements used in the film include music, lighting, camera positioning and mise en scenes. These elements are essential in creating anxiety and fear among the audience. This is achieved when the directors use the elements to complement the context of the scene in question. The elements are used to create suspense and surprise for the audience in order to augment the experience of watching horror films. In order to comprehend how this was achieved, it is crucial to explore the elements in the aforementioned film.
The film utilizes the middle and close up shots in showing the characters reactions to the phone call. This ensures that the viewers are aware of the terror, which is experienced by the characters during the mysterious voice message. The long shots are instrumental in the social scenario and during the visit to the orphanage later in the movie. Similar to the first film, the director utilizes the eye level angle in order to engage the audience more on the feelings and emotions of the character. This is an essential aspect of horror films since the emotions of the characters links the audience to the plot.
Lighting is also an essential part of the film. This element is used to create suspense and fear among the audience. The director uses shadows to create suspense on what fate will befall the characters. The film does not divulge the villain identity in the onset. This is compensated with the use of shadows in scenarios where the characters are facing perilous situation. This technique adds to the mystery and terror of the film. This is due to the human inclination to fear the unknown more than dangers, which are overt. Depth was also instrumental in the scenes, which involved suspense since the scene appeared to close in on the characters. This augmented the feeling that there is an unknown danger for the characters in the film. The music was also instrumental in creating the anxiety in the film. The director placed strategically music in the scenes, which were scary for the audience. This increased the anxiety of the audience on the impending peril for the character.
The global audience has acknowledged the film. Despite the sentiments that the movie was predictable, the director was still successful in captivating the audience with scary scenes, which are a characteristic of horror movies. The cast is also effective in complimenting the film’s theme. This adds to the cinematic value of the film whereby the quality was competitive in the western horror movies.
Conclusion
Horror movies are among the popular film genres in the contemporary scenario. The films involve engaging the emotions of fear and anxiety among the audience through themes, which are scary. This is evident in the films, “One Missed Call” and “The Eye,” whereby, despite the films originating from Asia the directors are successful in engaging the elements of film to compliment the genre.
Work Cited
Katz, James E, and Mark A. Aakhus. Perpetual Contact: Mobile Communication, Private Talk, Public Performance. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Print.
Leopoldina Fortunati, James E. Katz and Raimonda Riccini. Mediating the Human Body: Technology, Communication, and Fashion. Routledge, 2003.
Mes, Tom, and Takashi Miike. Agitator: The Cinema of Takashi Miike. Guildford: FAB, 2006. Print.
Richards, Andy. Asian Horror. Harpenden: Kamera Books, 2010. Print.
