Weekly Wail – To everything turn, turn, The Turning
Another week, another wail. Haunted MTL readers, please let us know what you think about this weekly blog. Have you found anything interesting from it? Do you want us to cover more of certain things? By all means, sound off in the comments. We’d love to hear it.
As for me, I recently had a nightmare where I spontaneously begin clipping through the floor like I was in a glitched-out videogame. Unpleasant. Perhaps this quick survey of stuff will prove helpful.
The Turning is out…
The Turning (2020) is a loose adaptation of the classic Henry James ghost story “The Turn of the Screw.” Directed by Floria Sigismondi and written by Carey and Chad Hayes, the movie follows a governess (Mackenzie Davis, Terminator: Dark Fate) who cares for two children, played by Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) and Brooklynn Prince (The Florida Project). Naturally, spooky things occur.
Before you possibly see it, please check out our review of the film.
No, really, Parasite is a ghost story
I mentioned in my review of Parasite (2019) there are some elements of the film that, to me, make it a ghost story in many respects. If you’ve not seen the movie just yet, perhaps it would be best to skip the current section.
Parasite is Bong Joon-ho’s (Snowpiercer, Okja) latest film. It combines dark comedy, class struggle, and progressively worse decisions into a fantastic thriller and is well worth your time.
Now, what exactly do I mean when I talk about Parasite as a ghost story? As I see it, there are two particularly key elements of the movie that, when considered through the philosophical lens of Hauntology turn the film into a haunted house story.
While the film initially presents the eccentricities of the Parks’ youngest child, Da-song as a bit of a mystery. Yeon-gyo, the mother, implies as much. However, it is not until the reveal of the husband of the housekeeper living below the Parks’ house for years that things click into place. Da-song’s ghost is merely Geun-sae, the man who comes up from the basement and manipulates the lights. The boy’s troubles and the larger troubles of the Park family stem from this pseudo haunting.
The above does not require the hauntological lens, however. That is conveyed quite bluntly during the duration of the film. The two hauntings in question are the specters of failed providers and North Korean tensions.
Hauntology
Hauntology is a philosophical concept coined by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida in the landmark book Spectres of Marx. The term is a pun on haunting and ontology, which is fantastic as a joke in literary circles. What hauntology deals with is an intrusion of the past into the present, often in such a way that we attribute to hauntings and ghosts. While this definition has been greatly expanded in recent years, it stems from an analysis of how the thoroughly dead socioeconomic-mode of Marxism has a funny way of lingering in the western world. Today the right struggles with anxieties over “socialism.”
In the most basic definition possible, hauntology is the intrusion of past anxiety in the present, but that past is also of the present because that past never dies and continues to shape the present.
Okay, are we good? So how do we see this in Parasite?
Failed Providership
Ki-Taek, the patriarch of the Kims, is contrasted by two other men in the film; Park Dong-ik, the successful figure, and Geun-sae, the failed hermit beneath the Parks’ home. Several times in the film, Ki-Taek’s failures as a provider are mentioned or implied, most obviously by the “underground” lifestyle of the Kim family.
Ki-Taek is mentioned to have had several jobs and there is a particular incident with a cake shop that is brought up. Ki-Taek seems to be a loving father and is eager to care for his family, but he also seems broken. The scene with the pizza-boxes and the fumigation, for example, show dead-eyed Ki-Taek folding boxes quickly and dispassionately. His failure as a provider, as exemplified by the cake shop incident, haunts him. It is only when his failures are presented to him in a similar scenario, by the pitiable figure of Geun-sae, that we see a change of demeanor in Ki-Taek.
The fact that both men wind up in early the same situations and place in the final third of the film is striking in that as the one ghost of a failed provider fades, another takes his place, both in spirit, action, and space.
North Korean Anxiety
The device by which so much of the trauma of the film is evoked is the presence of a bomb shelter. The Parks are unaware of shelter beneath their own home, as only Moon-gwang and Geun-sae had knowledge of it from the previous owner of the home. This shelter is explicitly connected to the division of the Korean peninsula into the distinct North and South. While the bunker-dwellers joke about North Korean propaganda, the very presence of the old bunker is that temporal intrusion of a very real past made present.
I want to unpack this further, but I am just rambling at this point. Perhaps I can dive into this topic further in the future. This, of course, is a very, very brief survey of the hauntings that lie beneath the surface of the film.
See you next week!
Anyway, please continue to check out our articles here on Haunted MTL, but mostly come back for the Weekly Wail. You can always post something for us to cover here in the comments, or you can just tag us on Twitter.
Good news to my nonbinary pals – we no longer exist!
“But Brannyk,” you may be thinking, “what am I supposed to do now that I am no longer a real being? How shall I spend my days?”
Unfortunately, the government has not released a handbook for this occasion, so I thought we could brainstorm together.
BECOME A GHOST
There are some benefits to being a ghost, for sure.
No rent or insurance payment. No corporate job, no cleaning cat litter, no AT&T trying to sell you another line after repeatedly telling them that you just want to make sure that your autopayment is on, but they’re all like, ‘Why would you pass up such a bargain on a second line? Are you an idiot? Why wouldn’t you need another phone line?‘ and so you have to tell them, “Because I’M DIVORCED, ASSHOLE, THANKS FOR REMINDING ME OF THAT!”
Ahem. I digress.
Yeah, you may not be able to venture out, much like Adam and Barbara in Beetlejuice. You may need to put up with someone else crashing your place and moving around all of your shit. Or Ryan Reynolds trying to sell you Mint Mobile. Or some toxic couple taking your creepy doll that you spent years on trying to possess.
Or, my absolute biggest pet peeve, when you’re practicing for the ghost speed chair-stacking championship and the normies just don’t appreciate your cool skills.
But the advantages are that you get to stay home, watch tv, stack your chairs and hope whoever buys your house/visits your creepy woods/gentrifies your neighborhood is a cool person, too.
(2 / 5)
It’s a good choice, but has a lot of drawbacks.
BECOME A CREATURE
Look, if you’re not going to exist, go big or go home, I’d say.
Monsters are cool. They play by their own rules. Sometimes they cause havoc. Sometimes they come around and help people. Sometimes they work alone. And other times, they have a lot of friends. Sometimes they just need some affirmation. And sometimes they’re…in high school, apparently?
The cool thing is that they come in all shapes and sizes.
Monsters are generally misunderstood. Some have their fans. Others are hated.
So basically, just like people, except with more tentacles.
The only downsides are that you might be too big or too “ick” for some people (these can also be pluses), you may have a taste for human flesh (no judgement), or the biggest issue – there are too many choices.
You could get stuck trying to figure out what kind of monster you are. If you’re not into labels, it’s an absolute nightmare. Or if you’re like me, it’ll be like standing in Subway for 15 minutes trying to figure out what toppings and dressings you want while the “sandwich artist” is openly judging you.
(4 / 5)
I like the customization, but it can be a bit too overwhelming.
BECOME A CRYPTID
Hear me out. I know it seems a lot like the monster category, but it’s not quite.
Cryptids are weird and mysterious. They keep to themselves. They have people who are fascinated by them and post on Reddit about them. Some have people making documentaries about them.
They’re like monsters’ quieter cousin who reads books in the corner at family gatherings. They collect shiny things they find by the side of the road. Sometimes they’ll steal a peanut butter sandwich or two.
Ever so often, they might scare a human just by existing or by politely asking for their stuff back.
Each one kinda has their own goals and priorities. Their own hangouts and interests. But unlike monsters, they’re not looking to rock any boats-
Never mind, I stand corrected.
(5 / 5)
I like the freedoms of being a cryptid and also dig the cottage-core vibe I get from them.
CONCLUSION: LET’S BE REAL FOR A SECOND…
I know it’s hard right now. It’s going to be hard. You may not exist to some assholes, but you are real. You have real feelings and thoughts and dreams. You have a real future. You have real decisions. Real actions that affect this world.
You have the real ability to wake up tomorrow and choose to exist. And for whatever reason you choose. Use it. Ghosts and monsters and cryptids are powerful, just like you are, even when you don’t feel like it. They have a place in our human world, just like you do. You make this world interesting and important.
You are part of this world, you are real, and you are not alone.
The horror community is one of acceptance, diversity, creativity and passion. In these times, it needs to be. We need to rely on each other. We need to cultivate and protect each other, as much as we need to protect ourselves.
And it looks like I’ll be coming out of my own cryptid hovel I’ve spent the past few years in to remind you that. My job isn’t done. Not by a longshot. And neither is yours.
You exist to me. Today, tomorrow, and forever.
Be safe out there, friends.
Breaking News
Joe Bob’s Christmas Carnage: A Bloody Good Holiday Special Fri. December 13th – 9pm ET!
Hey there, fright fiends! 👻 Are you ready to sink your fangs into some spine-tingling Black Friday deals? We’ve scoured the darkest corners of Amazon to bring you a blood-curdling collection of horror goodies that’ll make your wallet scream with joy! From classic monsters to modern nightmares, we’ve got something to haunt every horror fan’s dreams. Let’s dive into the madness!
Before we go further – we are an amazon affiliate and if you click these links we may get money for Amazon. With that said, we won’t put up things we don’t suggest so here is the curated list as it sits for Black Friday Week 2024.
🎥 Monstrous Movie Mayhem
Bram Stoker’s Dracula 4K
Sink your teeth into Francis Ford Coppola’s visually stunning adaptation of the classic vampire tale. Watch Gary Oldman’s mesmerizing performance as the Count in glorious 4K resolution!
Christine 4K
Rev up your engines for John Carpenter’s killer car classic! This 4K edition will have you gripping your steering wheel in terror as the demonic Plymouth Fury wreaks havoc.
Akira Blu-ray
Experience the mind-bending anime masterpiece that redefined the genre. Prepare for a psychedelic journey through Neo-Tokyo that’ll leave you questioning reality!
Underworld Ultimate Collection Blu-ray
Dive into the eternal war between vampires and lycans with this action-packed collection. Kate Beckinsale’s leather-clad Selene will have you howling for more!
Resident Evil Steelbook
For the true RE fanatics, this gorgeous steelbook edition is a must-have for your collection. It’s so shiny, you can see the T-virus reflected in it!
Doctor Who Complete David Tennant Blu-ray
Okay, it’s not strictly horror, but who can resist the Weeping Angels? Join the Tenth Doctor on his time-traveling adventures and prepare for some serious sci-fi scares!
Evil Dead Blu-ray
Groovy, baby! Sam Raimi’s cult classic will have you laughing and screaming in equal measure. Remember, this is your boom stick!
Scream (2022) Steelbook
The slasher franchise that knows the rules is back with a vengeance! This meta-horror masterpiece will have you guessing who’s behind the Ghostface mask.
Leviathan 4K UHD Blu-ray
Dive deep into aquatic terror with this underrated gem from the golden age of practical effects. It’s like “The Thing” meets “The Abyss”!
📚 Bone-Chilling Books and Comics
Terrifier 2 BOOK by Tim Waggoner
Can’t get enough of Art the Clown? This novelization of the splatter sensation will paint vivid, gory pictures in your mind. Sleep tight!
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror Ominous Omnibus Vol. 3
D’oh-n’t miss out on this collection of spooky Simpsons stories! It’s the perfect way to celebrate Halloween in Springfield all year round.
The Dead Zone by Stephen King
Dive into one of King’s classic tales of psychic abilities and political intrigue. Johnny Smith’s visions will keep you on the edge of your seat!
🎮 Ghoulish Games and Collectibles
Halloween and Ash vs Evil Dead PS5
Double the horror, double the fun! Face off against Michael Myers and the Deadites in this terrifying two-pack of asymmetrical multiplayer games.
Alone in the Dark Xbox Series X
Return to Derceto Manor in this reimagining of the survival horror classic. Just remember, in the dark, you’re never truly alone…
Chucky Funko Pop
Add everyone’s favorite Good Guy doll to your collection! Just don’t turn your back on him, or you might regret it…
Harry Potter LEGO Hogwarts
Who can resist the allure of a magical and/or haunted castle? Build your own magical world and watch out for those Dementors!
🎬 The Final Cut
There you have it, horror hounds! These Black Friday deals are so good, it’s scary. Whether you’re into classic monsters, modern slashers, or cosmic horrors, Amazon’s got something to make your dark heart skip a beat.
But hurry! Like a vampire at sunrise, these deals won’t last forever. If you want to do a general search on your own, feel free to use our link here.
Remember, in the world of horror, the only thing scarier than missing out on these deals is paying full price! Happy haunting, and may your Black Friday be filled with delightful frights! 🎃👻🔪
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