Tag: Urban Legend
In the early 2000s, anime experienced a surge in popularity among Western audiences, marking a peculiar time for anime fans. However, as this unique form of animation gained mainstream attention, it also found itself under the scrutiny of moral panic enthusiasts. One particular target of this concern was the popular card game Yu-Gi-Oh. In 2003,
Recently, disturbing news regarding Masaaki Nakayama, a horror manga author known for his manga Fuan no Tane (2013), has been circulating online. According to many social media posts, he has stopped working in his most recent work to “stay alive”. Dramatic as it sounds, even some relatively reliable sources have been echoing this information as
Hasshaku-sama, translated to ‘Miss Eight-Feet-Tall’, is a Japanese urban legend – who is possibly classified as a modern Yokai interpretation of ‘ Taka-onna’– originating on the Japanese message board 2Chan in 2002. The figure has strong parallels to ‘Slender Man ‘ in the West (invented itself in 2009 via Something Awful) – a sign her
Set amidst the beautifully desolate scenery of the Joshua Tree desert, Head Count is a suspenseful slow burn that delves into folklore and urban legends through a threatening presence that hints toward the uncanny valley. Elle Callahan is able to create a meticulous feeling of impending dread in her debut full-length feature film, which
Before the likes of Puella Magi Madoka Magica instilled dark elements into the ‘Mahou Shoujo‘ (magical girl) genre, there came an anime called Magical Princess Minky Momo. While presenting an overall cuteness factor that could account for 95% of the show, there lies that leftover 5% which can be linked to the notorious Japanese curse
Operation Wandering Soul was a creepy USA propaganda experiment orchestrated to frighten the superstitious instincts of Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. Propaganda has a variety of purposes to misinform, but a predominant one is to elicit fear: demoralize and route the enemy. Operation Wandering Soul was an audacious plan seeking to manipulate the Vietnamese’s
Warning: Do Not Play is a South-Korean horror that can proudly stand among the great Asian movies from this decade with a focus on filmmaking, ‘One Cut Of The Dead‘ and ‘The Kirishima Thing‘ among them. It is essentially a ghost story spanning decades which doubles as a cursed-object movie featuring frequently disturbing imagery – mostly
Director Nia DaCosta’s kind of mostly sequel to the 1992 original revives the Candyman. Say his name five times in the mirror if you dare, as Cabrini Green has dark secrets which are dangerous to uncover. This is an incredibly slick production, which shouldn’t be a surprise from Monkey Paw Studios. There’s some incredible cinematography
The Kisaragi Station is a Japanese urban legend originating on the 2Ch message boards in 2004 and revolves around the private railway at Shizuoka. Shared as an anecdote in the thread ‘Post About Strange Occurrences Around You: Thread 26’, the tale recounted how the anonymous user – who was later identified as ‘Hasumi’ – awoke
The Okiku Doll is a haunted object presently stored at the Mannenji Temple and originating in Hokkaido, Japan as a possession of a daughter, Okiku, from the Suzuki family. The doll was bought for Okiku Suzuki in 1918 by her older sister, Eikichi Suzuki, and she fell in love with it, naming it after herself