I thought you guys might like to see this parody trailer, which imagines what Monsters, Inc. would have been like if it were directed by Ridley Scott (the director of films like Alien and, more recently, the Alien-prequel Prometheus.
This really highlights the way that stylistic decisions can change a film. We’ll discuss this (at length!) during our second unit.
When I entered the fourth grade, they started an after school program where you have lunch and finish homework. After all the educational stuff you get to have fun, we created lanyards and had fun in gym. That particular day my grandmother picked me up and we walked home as usual. I came home to witness my mom watching some random movie in English, which was weird because she didn’t speak English. My two older sisters were cuddled in blankets on my parents bed watching the movie. So I just casually sat down and watched with them. Worst decision, I do not know why I didn’t turn away or leave. The movie was called “The Bride of Chucky”, and being nine years old, I was literally scarred for life. For your protection I will not post a picture, you don’t wanted nightmares for the next three years like me.
Luckily for me, the world created Toy Story and Monsters Inc., monsters are never scary and now toys aren’t as well. I actually hoped my Barbie dolls moved when I wasn’t home or asleep. And the cute cuddly monsters were blue and funny. Movies are a powerful tool people. I enjoy Greek monsters like the Cyclopes and sirens. I still despise that killer doll, I mean pouring acid on people, really? Mythological creatures are fabulous, the modern vampire and werewolves, unicorns, and Phoenix’s? They are epic, the monsters I dislike are the Grudge, Jason, etc. etc.
My eldest sister enjoys horror with a passion. It was a big problem to get use to it. I soon learned to enjoy the Nightmare before Christmas. I love that movie now, but the boogie man freaked me out. I thought he was under my bed or staircase. So I still get scared, but now I can enjoy other horrors.
I, like many, do not have many memories from my early childhood. It is always amusing to hear of the little quirks I had as a kid. One of the things my dad had always laughed at was the way I approached scary content. He has told me that whenever I would get scared I would simply run out of the room and close the door, but just enough so that there was a little peephole left for me to watch through (although I don’t really understand why my parents allowed to me to do this haha). It is crazy that at such a young age I felt the need to battle through what was obviously scary. Even then, although I knew I hated whatever was on the screen, there was something inside that urged me on to continue watching. Fast forward to my junior year in high school and I am still doing the same exact thing. Last year, at our annual tennis sleepover, the girls had voted on watching Insidious. Imagine this: I had spent the entire movie covering the bottom half of my eyes with a blanket and the top half with a pillow whilst holding somebody else’s hand. You would think it’d be easier to just leave the room and chat to someone in the kitchen, but no. Twelve years later and a part of me is still intrigued by some horrifying movie.
There are days where I just really want to see a scary film, but knowing that I won’t be able to do it normally causes me to simply read the plot on Wikipedia in order to satisfy the subconscious calling for the gory. In some ways reading about a horror film is natural for me (and significantly more interesting) since growing up I had loved the scary mythological creatures and more so later on since monsters have become so mainstream is tween literature (yes, I had a Twilight obsession for a week). I’m not sure exactly why I am not able to view horror films, but it is possible that is has to do with the unbearable sound effects (even the flat out silences) that make me cringe with terror. Another habit of mine: if you watch a scary movie with me, chances are I’ll be covering my ears most of the time. This just goes to prove how much effect sound and music have on us. Do you agree? When was the last time a sound/song made you feel such strong emotion?
When we think of MONSTERS, our minds automatically wander and think of those creatures and beings that are psychotic, evil, fear-inducing, “ugly,” and probably one of the last things we would ever want to see in our life! These images can range from iconic figures like Freddy Krueger and Godzilla to mythical ones like dragons and Medusa. However, we tend to forget about monsters like James P. Sullivan, Mike Wazowski and all the other workers in Monsters Inc. To me, it is weird how these “Monsters” that ranges from a Medusa-looking receptionist to a Cyclops-like assistant can be main characters in a movie intended for children. Nevertheless, the director Pete Docter is able to take these and other characters that may provoke fear to any youngling at the beginning of the film but by the end of the movie give a child a new favorite character and cause us to ask the question “What is a monster?”
In the animated film Monsters Inc, James Sullivan and Mike Wazowski are two workers in an electric company that produces power by scaring children all over the world around bedtime and storing their screams to convert into energy. However, the plot takes an unexpected twist when a child (shown above) enters the world of Monsters and causes widespread panic, chaos and fear in Monstropolis.
In my opinion this movie helps raise the question “What is a monster and how does it look?” If I were to show you this picture and ask you to determine if he looks like an evil and mischievous monster solely on this image (left) and on no prior knowledge of the movie, what would you say? Personally, I would say “OF COURSE!!! WHO WOULDN’T?”
But what if I showed you this picture (right)? Now, what would you say? To me, the question of “what is a Monster?” should be classified as a philosophical question that one may never be able to solve. To the workers of Monsters Inc, the children were seen as Monsters and vice-versa. To some extent, this movie shows that a monster may be described as a creature whose intentions are unknown and different from the norm whether it is physically or psychologically.
Of the two biggest fears I had during my childhood, one was about a million times less troubling; this was because it could be defied by means of logical reasoning. I was afraid of being snatched from my room by a stranger—a human stranger. Consequently, I spent many nights—some of them hot, sticky summer nights—covered by a blanket from head to toe. I reasoned that if this stranger were to set foot in my room, he would not see me. So until I’d be taken into a more comforting world of thoughts and dreams, I would lie sweating and breathing in a way which made my body move in the slightest way possible.
The second fear was difficult to bear because I did not have a method of coping with it. I was never one to be cowardly, until (accordingly) it came to a single episode of Courage the Cowardly Dog. This is when I first encountered the character which haunted me for years following. After seeing this unfamiliar creature ONCE, I was not able to turn on the beloved TV without boiling with anxiety, in horror that I’d see it again. Even after more than a decade’s time, I cannot forget its purple hair, indefinite body, intimidating voice, and ominous environment.
This creature affected me the way it did because I did not have a way of handing it when it entered my thoughts. I could tolerate sweating profusely under a thick blanket on a summer night. I could not, however, stop watching TV. And the seconds of darkness on the screen in between the moment of pressing the power button and the image appearing on the three-foot-thick television were torture, as I brought in all my limbs and squinted my eyes and practically punched the volume lowering button. If I knew (or convinced myself of) ANY of the answers to this series of questions, dealing with this fear would have been easier; what could it do to me? What will it do to me? What does it want from me? How can it be pacified?
Whenever i hear the word “king”, i think about my baby monster King Kong. He is the original king of the jungle who can beat a bevy of Tyrannosaurus Rex with one hand, smash fighter jets by the gentlest touch. The image of King Kong atop the Empire State Building has not only permeated the public in popular culture, but also craved in millions of kids’ hearts. Kong was killed by a squadron of military biplanes simply because humans deem him as monster.
A Legendary animal combining features of animal and human form or having the forms of various animals in combination, as a centaur,griffin, or sphinx is the definition of monster in dictionary. To most people, monsters are demons, freaks who represent dangerous, darkness, psycho and frightening (at least that is what my new college classmate thinks). However, the word “monster” is loaded with misunderstood and loneliness to me.
As my baby monster Kong, ripped from his home, taken across the world, and forced to life a life in a captivity and as a curiosity, he has no choice but to react to the circumstances trust upon him. Indeed, he is gigantic, extraterrestrial and very different from us, but has anyone questioned themselves what motivated Kong to appear in the city or tried to understand what was this “monster” thinking? If you call a creature who sacrifices its life to rescue the ones he loves a monster, then I’d rather be a monster.
Accompanied with King Kong, E.T, The hunchback of Notre Dame, Frankenstein, wolf-man are often defined monsters. Stories about these abnormal creatures(oh well, The hunchback is a actually a human being) have me questioning myself what monsters really are? Spare a thought for these poor guys who may look scary and ugly, but whom are merely just misunderstood. What if their views of the world and how to behave are skewed by their interaction with it? Should we empathize with these misunderstood beings?
A question that has remained relevant throughout scientific history is “Are we the only living creatures in the universe?”. The answer to this question may never be manifested in our lifetimes or even our great grandchildren’s but there is no doubt in my mind that some type of extraterrestrial exists. I find it quite impossible that as a mass so minuscule in our universe, the Earth is the only inhabitable setting. Though no valid evidence has been provided, there have been many accounts of UFO sightings, as well as some first hand experiences of abductions and actual ET encounters.
UFO sighting
As a child, my sister and I enjoyed watching movies together, especially when we were the only ones at home. A particular movie we embarked on was “The Fourth Kind.” As two young teenagers, my sister and I typically weren’t spooked by such films, but this one in particular stayed with me for a long while. In the film, the audience never gets to see an actual alien but with first hand accounts and dramatic events, a sense of fear and mystery revolves around them. After watching the film and seeing some traumatic scenes I was not able to sleep, in fear that I would wake to a set of owl-like eyes peering in through my windows. In the present, I have overcome my fear of aliens but I am still curious about their existence.
The existence of aliens has never been scientifically proven and nobody has actually seen one but still society as a whole has a generalization of how an alien and a UFO may appear. A question that has remained with me is if nobody has been proven to have seen an alien or UFO, where did these images come from? Most people today generalize a figure with a large head and large, deep black eyes. A UFO is usually described as a large metal disk. It really intrigues me that most people have the same image of something that may very well be completely fictional. As vast as the universe is and as fast as technology is advancing, how long will it take before we find extraterrestrials?
Stereotypical Alien
Thinking about and discussing monsters and horror films often makes people anxious and uncomfortable. More often than not, people get sick stomachs from discussing bloody and diseased beings, but I tend to have a very different reaction. A few years ago, I had an art teacher, Jess Clark, who forever changed my views on blood and gore. After watching her turn me from a boy with blond hair and blue eyes into a mangled corpse using only some face paint and fake blood, Ms. Clark had shown me the fundamentals I needed to know about special effects make-up. From then on, whenever I saw a horror film or had the chance to dress up for a costume party, I immediately would think of “monsters” from an artistic point of view rather than as if they were something to be afraid of. When I see Dracula, I think of ways to re-create hollow cheeks and bloody teeth instead of how far away I would run if I ever saw him in real life. When I see Frankenstein, I imagine different ways to make scars and sunken-in eyes on myself rather than how scary it would be to see an 8-foot-tall man with bolts in his neck.
Zombie make-up I did for Halloween a few years ago.
A closeup of the same night
On any normal day, seeing someone dressed like this would probably make you run screaming, but for some reason there is a time of year when dressing like this is the norm. On Halloween, people are able to make themselves look as scary as possible and no one even thinks twice about it. Why is it that we find ourselves so obsessed with turning ourselves into something so horrific? More importantly, why do I find turing myself into these horrific creatures so interesting? Truth of the matter is, I find doing this to be very relaxing and enjoy testing my abilities to see what sort of creature I can turn myself into next. Re-creating monsters is something which seems to be contradicting of our every-day repulsion of these creatures and is definitely something worth examining more closely.
This was a make-up trial I did on myself for a character in a school play.
For anyone interested in special effects make-up, here’s a video that shows you how easily you can achieve a zombie look. You don’t need to use any expensive make-ups ether, just whatever face paints you can get ahold of.
The Salem Witch Trials marked an era of hysteric fear and paranoia among members of Colonial Massachusetts in the late 1600’s. Members of the Puritan community adhered strongly to their religion as they followed the strict rules of religious codes and lived to fulfill moral expectations. With the widespread outbreak of smallpox and the presence of hostile Indian tribes in the surrounding areas, the Puritans were under the impression that God was punishing them. Furthermore, women were starting to branch away from living in accordance to Puritan values as they began to gain their own sense of independence. Coming off as threatening, these women were naturally targeted as the Puritans saw the need to attack the “devil” within them.
When a group of eight young girls were reported to have muscle spasms, delusions, seizures and contortions, they were pressured to reveal who was responsible for casting spells on them. Although once united under a tightly knit community, the Puritans began pointing fingers and condemning neighbors they knew all their lives as they ruthlessly shattered walls of loyalty and trust. Many were brought into the courts where they underwent intense interrogation by officials. Over the course of the Salem Witch Trials, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft and 19 individuals were convicted and hung.
One may typically imagine a monster to be an abnormally large, unaesthetic creature with sharp fangs and an unyielding desire to consume human flesh. However, if it were up to the Puritans, these innocent human beings whom they labeled as witches were surely considered “monsters” since they opposed social norms and allegedly had the ability to use powers that belonged to God. This brings me to the question – Do monsters actually exist or is the fear we have for them all made up in our heads (paranoia)? Can’t anything/anyone be considered a monster based on our perceptions?
Also, as a side note, many of the accusations made by the Puritans during the Salem Witch Trials stemmed from feelings of resentment, hate, jealousy, greed, and their urge to find sources for their misfortunes. Since these are all forms of evil, is it plausible to say that we all have monsters living within us?
As far as I can remember I have always found the supernatural very entertaining. The idea of being something other than a human such as monster always seemed fascinating. Many monsters have superhuman abilities that can sometimes be useful for humans such as superhuman strength or speed or even walking through walls (always wanted to walk through walls).
Even though there were many movies and shows that came out during my childhood that including all of these monsters, they never caught my attention like the show “Supernatural.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernatural_(U.S._TV_series)) The show follows two brothers that hunt the supernatural after their mother gets killed by one of the creatures. What’s great about the show is that it includes a lot of historical and biblical background information on each of the creatures. This allows the viewer to forget that this is a fictional show and believe in the supernatural.
The show includes a variety of monsters and creatures including demons, ghosts, werewolves, vampires, shapeshifters, and even angels. Now you might be wondering why angels are on the list, but if you watch the show you’ll be able to see how even the most innocent and highly praised immortals are monsters as well. They too kill and harm humans in the show, which makes them no different from the other monsters. The monsters also take human bodies as vessels in order to fit in with all the humans because their natural form is gruesome and horrific. They will be immediately identified as outcasts and be shunned or killed. The show also gives each monster a story which is basically the “justification” for their actions. Despite the fact that these creatures are not humans, they all have the same problems that humans do which allows us to relate to them. And when they go about getting revenge, it makes us wonder whether we would react the same way and if that would make us monsters as well. The brothers might feel sympathetic towards some of the monsters but know that they still have to kill each and every one of them because they are still dangerous to the community. This makes me wonder sometimes, if we act like monsters once or twice in our lives and we can obviously do it again without being able to control it, and we are sometimes forgiven, shouldn’t we have some pity on the monsters? After all, most of these monsters become monsters because of role of societal values and morals and if we see something ugly and grotesque we simply turn it away; but if we simply accept these monsters and love them, and maybe they won’t be so cruel and will actually be able to coexist with us.