The New Weird

Where is the future of horror headed? With this blog post I have to come clean about my consumption of horror movies and books. Before taking this class I had probably seen five horror movies, total. That being said I still feel like I have a pretty good grasp on the basic archetypes of horror. The new weird however was something totally new to me, and I really enjoyed watching the cabin in the woods, that movie was awesome. Now, where do I think horror movies are going? Here is my un educated call. It seems to me that with the technological revolution going where it is, voyeuristic movies like paranormal activities will rise and have been rising in popularity. The idea that we all have these cell phones that can take pictures and access the internet we will soon be able to record every moment of our lives. For this reason I think those movies seem very real to us, this idea goes back to the blair witch project in my eyes. I also feel like the future is a very popular idea among movie goers. Even outside of the horror movie realm this idea is true. Not only end of the world type movies but ideas of space travel or utopian society are topics among conversation with my friends and other young people.

Interview With a Vampire

Can I just start by saying that I LOVE vampire stories? What a great one to read for this class, “Interview With a Vampire” was so refreshing. It helped to pull me out of this pop culture vampire craze that the United States is in due to the “Twilight” saga.  

This story is a really great interpretation on what it means to be a Vampire, and what better way to tell it than from two very strong and conflicting characters. First we have Louis, telling us the story from his point of view, he is somewhat of a humanitarian vampire type filled with guilt and regret, as he can’t quite stomach the whole idea of killing. Opposite him we are given Lestat; Louis’ creator who has no problem with killing about as many humans as he pleases. Already we have a lineup for a great story. A third and also very important character is Claudia, a young girl that Lestat changes into a vampire at the age of five for Louis’ sake. Claudia is my favorite character, not that I liked her any more than the others but because her dilemma seemed to intrigue me the most. She was turned when she was very young, so as an immortal soul she is doomed to walk the earth forever as a child. As she matures and get’s “older” her body stays the same. Which is cool at first but as time passes she starts to realize that something is wrong and she begins to struggle with her condition. 

 “Interview with a Vampire” was an excellent read, although it was tough at first with the jumping between first and third person, I really enjoyed Anne Rice’s interpretation of the vampiric way of life.