- Commentary on the horror film "The Grudge" series
If it simply uses blood and violence, or simply presents some horror elements to the audience, then this horror film will never succeed, because the screen presents Although the various images of the film are terrifying and exciting, they are very far away from the audience's life. Even if the audience is extremely fearful after watching the film, how much room for reflection can be left for the audience behind this fear? As the world's number one horror film, the "The Grudge" series transcends the realm of any horror film in history, allowing the audience to calm down and think about human nature, life, and this chaotic world after being extremely frightened.
The Grudge series is directed by Takashi Shimizu, a well-known Japanese horror film master. Speaking of Mr. Shimizu Takashi in Japan, many young people and even middle-aged people have a lot of blame and love for this director who once brought them terrifying memories. Blame him for making the audience deeply terrified and unable to extricate themselves. Loving his movies can add a thrill to the ordinary life between the three points and one line. Indeed, whether in China or abroad, audiences will have different views on horror movies. People who love horror movies are those who are under great pressure from family, society and other aspects or have a bland life. They are eager to Give their monotonous lives a shock through the visual impact of the film. But such a crowd is still a minority after all. Most people are afraid to watch horror movies, so the audience of horror movies is very narrow. Under normal circumstances, it is difficult to reach the peak and become famous all over the world, but the "The Grudge" series can do it perfectly. When it is known and loved by many people, it can be seen how the director's shooting method or the method of creating a terrifying mood can touch people's hearts.
The "The Grudge" series broke the rules of commercial films and used documentary methods to win a higher box office than commercial films. Horror films generally belong to the category of commercial films. In the eyes of the audience, commercial films have many characteristics. For example, in the application of color, commercial films are always used to using a lot of brilliant colors to win the favor of the audience. The use of complex shots is unexpected. In addition to the use of special effects that are reasonable but reasonable, these elements are undoubtedly the labels of a commercial film. But the Grudge series is different. The director saw that the reason why horror films cannot resonate with the audience at this stage is that the life of the audience is too far away. So, the director used a new method similar to shooting a documentary to illustrate this classic horror story. In terms of camera movement, directors often use long shots to shoot, and long shots often appear in documentaries. In order to reduce the artificial traces caused by the combination of shots, the long shots in "The Grudge" make the film more lifelike and realistic. . In terms of color lighting, The Grudge is like a clip of life shot with a home DV, which is no different from the color in the natural state. The director uses natural light and diffused light, and even makes the audience feel that there is no deliberate color adjustment and lighting at all. Therefore, as soon as this film was broadcast, some people said that it could not be called a film at all, not even a low-budget film. In fact, the director deliberately used ordinary methods to shoot. When the audience watched the movie, the scene in front of them was so bland and unremarkable, as if it happened beside him, but right next to him, such terrible and terrifying things happened. Things, even if the audience watching the movie is over, in retrospect, the fear that transcends reality still exists. Maybe that's why The Grudge was so successful.
Mr. Shimizu Takashi is very delicate in the establishment of horror elements. When the audience is watching The Grudge, the most terrifying time is not when the ghost appears, but when the ghost appears, and the audience already knows that the ghost is about to appear. In historical horror films, audiences have always been intimidated by the inadvertent appearance of ghosts or their terrifying appearance. Shimizu Chongke is a master at playing with the audience's heart. What he pursues is the audience's psychological fear, which is exactly what the audience is pursuing in their subconscious. Once the protagonist of "The Grudge" reaches a gloomy place, the audience will immediately know that the Specter is about to show up. At this time, the audience will have a strong sense of precaution, in case the ghost suddenly appears and frightens them. But Shimizu Chong is not in a hurry to frighten the audience. When the protagonist is in such a tense situation for a long time, the audience is also tense and afraid to make a sound. After a long time, when the audience's vigilance gradually weakened, Director Shimizu Takashi used strong horror elements to kill the defense system established by the audience in one hit. This is the unique beauty of The Grudge!
However, although "The Grudge" is recognized as the world's number one horror film, it has pointed out the way for the development of horror films in the future. Although the director is trying his best to create a terrifying paradise for the audience, it is not difficult to watch in the film. Out of the shadow of "Midnight Bell". But this does not affect the status of "The Grudge" series in horror movies and even world movies. Chinese horror films are not that good, but there is more room for development and growth. It is hoped that some inspirational directors in China who shoot horror movies can learn more about the shooting skills of The Grudge, so that Chinese horror movies can develop.
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