R: Japanese Horror research

Japanese horror is noted for its unique thematic and conventional treatment of horror genre. Japanese horror tends to focus on psychological horror hence why I wanted to explore j-horror as I can use techniques from them to deliver a unsettling horror film. They also build tension and suspense particularly involving ghosts and poltergeists, while many contain themes of folk religion such as: possession, shamanism, exorcism, precognition and yokai.

Yōkai (妖怪, ghost, phantom, strange apparition) are a class of supernatural monsters, spirits and demons in Japanese folklore. The word yōkai is made up of the kanji for "bewitching; attractive; calamity;" and "spectre; apparition; mystery; suspicious". They can also be called ayakashi (妖), mononoke (物の怪), or mamono (魔物). Yōkai range diversely from the malevolent to the mischievous, or occasionally bring good fortune to those who encounter them. Often they possess animal features (such as the Kappa, which is similar to a turtle, or the Tengu which has wings), other times they can appear mostly human, some look like inanimate objects and others have no discernible shape. Yōkai usually have spiritual or supernatural power, with shapeshifting being one of the most common. Yōkai that have the ability to shapeshift are called bakemono (化物) / obake (お化け).