Since I currently have an HBO subscription to watch the end of Game of Thrones and the Deadwood movie, I thought I'd poke around their other offerings to get my money's worth. One show that I stumbled upon was Folklore. Folklore is an original miniseries; each episode is a self-contained story taking place in a different Asian country that showcases some facet of that culture's horrific folklore.
Here's the trailer:
The episodes range wildly in terms of tone and aesthetics. I thought they were all roughly "good," but the real interest for me was being introduced to monsters that I might want to research further for my own projects. Here's a breakdown of which folkloric element is featured in each episode, in case you want to delve into the stacks too:
- A Mother's Love (Indonesia): Wewe Gombel, the menacing spirit of a woman who adopts abandoned children.
- Tatami (Japan): A haunting caused by memories and emotions seeping into tatami mats.
- Nobody (Singapore): Pontianak, the specter of a woman who died while pregnant.
- Pob (Thailand): Pob, a murderous spirit that feeds on human flesh.
- Toyal (Malaysia): Toyal, a childlike creature controlled by black magic who is used to bring luck and bestow curses.
- Mongdal (South Korea): Mongdal, a virginal male ghost who desires to marry a woman's ghost to find peace.
I find "A Mother's Love" and "Nobody" interesting - I know the world's myths are filled with monstrous women, but the perspective on motherhood (especially in the first one) is fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there are many possible interpretations of the "Mongdal" but mind immediately goes to "Ghost of the Nice Guy Incel" - the horror!
"A Mother's Love" and "Nobody" are probably the two best episodes too.
DeleteThe mongdal in that episode is a total shit in life and in death, which is a bit frustrating. So it's like "Ghost of the Potential School Shooter Incel."
Oooh, that is interesting
ReplyDelete