Ask John: Is Anime Horror More Intelligent Than Live Action Horror?

Question:
Are anime horror films usually smarter than live action horror films?

Answer:
It’s a known fact that I’m biased in favor of anime, but I objectively wonder if anime is more prone toward intelligent horror than the international live action film community. The difficulty of establishing a confirmation lies in determining exactly what constitutes “intelligence” in horror cinema, and even what horror cinema itself is precisely. Typically horror films don’t require or insist upon any great deal of rational involvement from viewers. In fact, the fundmental functionality of horror films often rests in manipulating the viewer’s primal and irrational mind, so demanding thoughtful engagement with horror actually undermines the effectiveness of the average horror film. Movies that horrify while maintaining a degree of rational sensibility and even literary substance, like Se7en or the “Hannibal Lecter” series, are typically classified as thrillers or suspense pictures instead of straightforward horror, bringing into especially sharp focus the absence of thoughtful and rational cinema of terror. So for the purpose of comparison, horror must be classified as that which seeks to frighten or provoke anxiety of misfortune, pain, or death. Horror poses a direct threat of harm to the viewer’s surrogate, the protagonist. Suspense and thrillers revolve around violence, but don’t revolve around imposing a dire threat of harm directly upon the protagonist. Science fiction works like Children of Men, Code Geass, and Innocent Venus provoke anxiety of social upheaval and chaos rather than a threat of targeted, personal, physical suffering. Lacking intelligence has become a characteristic of horror films, and the butt of countless jokes. So intelligence in horror would be the opposite. In that case, intelligence in horror need not include academic specificity; it only needs to feel natural, avoid condescending to its viewers, and hopefully provoke some degree of thoughtful involvement from the viewer.

The Saw film franchise may claim the crown for most intelligent horror film franchise by default more than decided effort because it operates of the principle of shocking terror rather than unsettling suspense, and its films do demand a degree of rational engagement from viewers.. The Alien franchise does its best not to patronize or condescend to its audience, but it doesn’t demand any degree of rational interpretation. The Hellraiser franchise is a gross disappointment because its originating theme – one sadly abandoned by later films – of an indistinct arbitration between the sensuality of pleasure and the sensuality of pain is a rich, intriguing, and chill inducing one. The series has great potential to delve into the horror of masochism and self-mutilation that leads to homicide and the supernatural, but it hasn’t taken that path, instead turning itself into a toothless monster franchise. The first Feast movie had some sharp writing and admirably turned audience expectations upside down. I haven’t watched the second flick yet, and regardless, I’m not certain that a new two film series is established enough to justify usurping a title from a veteran five film series. Similarly, the 28 Days/Weeks franchise is sharp – demanding that the audience pay attention and keep up. But it’s still very superficial. The Signal seems to get a lot of credit for being a smart horror film, but I’ve watched it, and I don’t agree with the lavish praise the film gets. Haven’t seen Scream 2 or 3, so I’m going to irresponsibly label them as gimmick horror rather than genuine smart horror. Since I have seen the Final Destination movies, I’ll label them similarly. The Midnight Meat Train approaches illustration of the ideal smart horror film because it’s a subtle and thematic picture that provokes interpretation while also featuring extreme, gratuitous splatter. But The Midnight Meat Train also suffers from some frustrating lapses in narrative conjunction. Certain things happen without convincing justification or ample progressive development. And a singular film certainly doesn’t establish a collective standard.

International entries don’t fare much better. The Ju-on franchise is creepy, but not especially bright. The original Ring and its American re-make are smart, but the remainder of the franchise, not so much. Argento’s Three Mothers are certainly visually inspired. And while they purport to intelligence, they’re more convoluted than actually intelligent. This makes me wonder if the international film community has never given much thought to creating smart horror or if international viewers just aren’t interested in horror that engages the gut and the brain. For every live action horror picture with relatively unassailable rationality and even thematic or structural complexity, there are a dozen that succumb to idiotic logic and gaping plot holes. So that brings the discussion to a focus on horror that’s not live action – specifically Japanese anime’s take on horror.

Like its live action brethren, anime horror isn’t typified by any tremendous number of startlingly smart productions. Boogiepop Phantom may be deemed smart, but it treads a fine line between genuine horror and supernatural thriller. While its later half descends into histrionic sensationalism, the opening half of the Ghost Hunt television series takes a decidedly intellectual approach to horror. Productions including Petshop of Horrors and Twilight of the Dark Master maintain a grim rationality. The original Urotsukidoji trilogy has strong characterizations and a literary theme, but its increasingly muddled sequels tarnish the integrity of the series. However, examples including Gakkou no Kaiden, Gakuen Nanafushigi, Jigoku Sensei Nube, Warau Salesman, Hellsing, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Tsukihime, Vampire Hunter D, Jigoku Shoujo, Yoju Toshi, Bio-Hunter, Blood: The Last Vampire, Kyogoku Natsuhiko Kosetsu Hyaku Monogatari, Vampire Miyu, Witch Hunter Robin, and countless other horror anime consistently sustain a level of dramatic, believable rationality. The average level of artistry, logic, and rationality among horror anime does seem to be consistently higher than the level that carries through the live action horror movie genre.

This does not mean that anime horror is superior to its live action sibling. The unavoidable division between 2D art and 3D reality invariably prevents anime from reaching the immersive, affecting immediacy of live action. And as mentioned earlier, the lump in the throat, cold sweat tension crafted by horror is frequently most effective when it engages primal instincts and irrational uncertainty rather than thoughtful intellect. So anime may just more consistently develop a particular tone of horror than live action. In fact, the tendency of horror anime to sustain a relative degree of cohesive, believable logic may be a necessity rather than a stylistic choice. With the exception of anime horror comedies like Toilet no Hanako-san and Haunted Junction, anime may be forced to sustain a high degree of natural rationality to compensate for its natural unbelievability and inability to affect viewers on a subconscious level.