Short Stories: Kwaidan

Kwaidan by: Lafcadio Hearn

Kwaidan is an interesting take on horror versus what most Americans are used to when it comes to ghosts or poltergeists. These stories within the collection are beautifully written and focus more on the beautiful details of the setting and emotions rather than action and dialogue. It’s refreshing to see and feel the cultural differences by simply reading about mannerisms and even the priorities of the protagonist and the minor characters around them.

Although Kwaidan is a collection of many spooky tales, the one story that stuck with me the most until I fell asleep was about a blind man who could play wonderful music and literally show and have the audience feel incredible emotion. This tale is called Mimi-Nashi-Hoichi. What stood out to me the most about this particular ghost story is the fact that there was a little moral to it. Unlike most paranormal stories I’ve grown up with, where everything is creepy 24/7, Hearn takes a different approach as to making the reader develop an attachment to the characters only to see havoc break loose in the end. Throughout the rest of the stories, it was exciting to see how certain arrangements of the story telling made it difficult to predict the outcome. In other words, the stories weren’t cliché and because of that, the suspense and spookiness kept me on toes and had me frequently checking behind my back as I continued to read on. 

After reading the stories, I decided to watch the movie as well. It’s an incredible collection of 4 stories that had my nerves on edge and my by the incredible sets and the superb acting. Modern-day horror movies (gore-or slasher movies) are a travesty compared to the patiently built tension and subtly disturbing images presented by the director, Masaki Kobayashi. From the sad, yet chilling results of Eternal Love (the woman with the long black hair) to the thrilling battle scenes of the fall of the Taira Samurai clan (Hoichi the earless), I was so engrossed and amazed that I even got my floor-mates hooked. Being skeptical at first, I didn’t believe J-Horror would turn into one of my preferred genres.