VELIKI BOG PAN – Artur Maken

            Sa velikim zadovoljstvom najavljujem predstojeću, sedmu knjigu Orfelinove edicije „Poetika strave“: u njoj ćete naći moj izbor od osam najboljih horor priča kultnog pisca Artura Makena pod naslovom VELIKI BOG PAN.

            Sadržaj ove knjige čine sledeće novele i priče:

Veliki bog Pan

„The Great God Pan“

Srž unutarnjeg svetla

„The Inmost Light“

Beli ljudi

„The White People“

Ceremonija

„The Ceremony“

Svetleća piramida

„The Shining Pyramid“

Priča o crnom pečatu

„The Novel of the Black Seal“

Beli prah

„The Novel of the White Powder“

Krajnji sever

„N“

            Sve ove priče preveo je Dejan Ognjanović.

Pored njih, kao što ste već navikli, isti autor napisao je i opširan i stručan pogovor u kojem kontekstualizuje Makenovo delo u istoriji horor proze (gde zauzima jedno od najznačajnijih mesta!). Naslov tog teksta je Artur Maken: Mračna ekstaza.

Tu je, naravno, i veoma detaljna biografija ovog pisca koji je imao vanredno slikovit i zanimljiv život (uključujući tu i članstvo u okultnoj organizaciji Zlatna zora, veze sa dekadentizmom, urbanu legendu koju je začeo početkom I svetskog rata, itd), a koju je takođe sastavio dr Ognjanović.

Obim knjige iznosi 330 strana, a sve to je savršeno odštampano, ušiveno i povezano u tvrde korice kako biste ovu klasičnu, vrednu i nadasve za košmare inspirativnu knjigu mogli mnogo puta da čitate i iščitavate i pozajmljujete, a možda i da potraje vašem potomstvu (if any). Ovo je svakako zbirka bez koje ne bi smela da bude nijedna ozbiljna kolekcija fantastične proze, a o mračno-hororičnoj da i ne govorim.

Jezovitu koricu, kao i unutrašnje ilustracije, sačinio je veliki Nišlija (u novosadskoj emigraciji) – Ivica Stevanović.

Spremite se za jednu zaista stravičnu i košmarnu knjigu natopljenu mističnim, atavističnim užasima i neljudskom grozom kakvi se retko nalaze. Ona je zasnovana na Makenovom ubeđenju, iznetom u priči „Crvena ruka“:

„Svete tajne zla kao i dobra svuda su oko nas, i živimo i krećemo se, verujem, u nepoznatom svetu, mestu gde postoje pećine i senke i žitelji sumraka. Moguće je da se čovek ponekad može kretati unazad putanjom evolucije i verujem da jezivo predanje još uvek nije mrtvo.“

Kada je Makenova novela Veliki bog Pan bila prvi put objavljena 1894. godine, izazvala je šok kod kritike svojom smelošću i žestinom, kao i pojedinim za to viktorijansko vreme previše otvorenim nagoveštajima nastrane, demonske seksualnosti. Evo nekoliko odabranih kritika iz tog doba:

„Ova knjiga je, ucelo gledano, najsnažnije i najpromišljenije neprijatna od svih koje smo videli na engleskom jeziku. Mogli bismo reći i više, ali suzdržavamo se kako ne bismo jednom takvom delu davali reklamu.“ (Mančester gardijan)

„To je nekoherentni košmar seksa i navodno užasnih misterija što se iza njega kriju, i moglo bi se zamisliti da od njega pati čovek sklon morbidnim promišljanjima nad takvim temama, ali uskoro bi ga mogao dovesti do ludila ukoliko se ne obuzdava.“ (Vestminster gazet)

„Začudna parabola suviše morbidna da bi mogla biti proizvod zdravog uma.“ (Literari njuz)

Nasuprot uštirkanim viktorijancima, prodorno pronicljivi Lavkraft je Makena bespogovorno hvalio u svom znamenitom eseju „Natprirodna strava u književnosti“, gde je pored ostalog rekao: „Među živim stvaraocima kosmičke strave i kosmičkog straha uzdignutih do najčistijih umetničkih visina malo je onih – ako ih uopšte i ima – koji bi mogli da se uporede sa mnogostrano obdarenim Arturom Makenom, tvorcem dvanaestak dugačkih i kratkih pripovesti u kojima elementi potajnih užasa i nepojamne strave dosežu do najdublje suštine i istinske realističnosti.“

Ako je „Veliki bog Pan“ Makenova najslavnija i najuticajnija priča, „Beli ljudi“ su nesumnjivo njegova najbolja. Za Lavkrafta je ona bila druga najbolja horor priča ikada napisana, odmah iza Blekvudovih „Vrba“: „Makenovo pripovedanje, koje je pravi trijumf veštog izbora i izuzetne odmerenosti, odiše ogromnom, postepeno nagomilanom, snagom dok teče u bujici bezazlenog dečjeg čavrljanja u kojem se naziru aluzije na čudne 'nimfe'.“ Njemu je bilo jasno: „svaki će pronicljiv kritičar morati da prepozna remek-delo fantastične književnosti koje ima gotovo bezgraničnu snagu u nagoveštavanju nadmoćne groze i kosmičkog ludila.“

Pored toga, Lavkraft je kazao u jednom pismu:

„Postoji kod Makena ekstaza straha kakvu su svi drugi živi ljudi previše tupi ili bojažljivi da uhvate i kakvu čak ni Po nije uspeo da pojmi u svoj njenoj najogoljenijoj nenormalnosti.“

            Zanimljivo je da je i Stiven King veliki poštovalac ove novele i u svojoj studiji Danse Macabre svrstava je u sam samcit vrh horor proze kada, pišući o Ukletoj kući na brdu, kaže: „zapravo, čini mi se da su ona i Džejmsov Okretaj zavrtnja jedina dva velika romana natprirodnog u poslednjih sto godina (mada bismo mogli dodati dve dugačke novele: „Makenovog 'Velikog boga Pana' i Lavkraftovu 'U planinama ludila').“ King je otvoreno priznavao njen uticaj na sopstvenu priču pod naslovom „N“. 

Na svom sajtu on povodom nje, a na pitanje da li je inspirisana Lavkraftom, piše:

Ne Lavkraftom; ona je nadahnuta 'Velikim bogom Panom' Artura Makena, koji je jedna od najboljih priča strave ikada napisanih. Možda i najbolja na engleskom jeziku. Moja nije ni izbliza toliko dobra, ali sviđala mi se prilika da spojim neurotično ponašanje –opsesivno-kompulzivni poremećaj– sa idejom makroverzuma ispunjenog čudovištima. To je bila dobra kombinacija. Što se tiče odnosa Lavkraft vs. Maken: da, Lavkraft je u krajnjem zbiru svakako bolji jer je uradio više sa tim konceptima, ali 'Veliki bog Pan' je čitaocima pristupačniji. I Maken je tu bio prvi. Napisao je 'Pana' 1895. kada je HPL (sic) imao pet godina.

            U komentarima na kraju zbirke Odmah posle sutona King je za istu tu priču napisao:

Na nju je snažno uticao 'Veliki bog Pan' Artura Makena, priča koja (poput Drakule Brema Stokera) prevladava svoju prilično trapavu prozu i besomučno se uvlači u čitaočevu zonu strave. Koliko besanih noći je izazvala? Bog bi ga znao, ali neke od njih bile su i moje. Mislim da je 'Pan' najpribližnije što je horor žanr prišao velikom belom kitu, i da pre ili kasnije svaki pisac koji ovu formu ozbiljno shvata mora da se okuša sa njenom temom: da je stvarnost tanak sloj, a da je prava stvarnost s druge strane beskrajni ambis ispunjen čudovištima.

Ono što ne pamtim da sam negde pročitao jeste priznanje da je njegova rana, kratka priča „Siva masa“ prilično besraman plagijat (i trivijalizacija) Makenove priče „Beli prah“, gde se umesto apotekarskog praška kao agens preobražaja nađe – pokvareno pivo!

H. L. Borhes je izabrao Makenove priče za svoju „Vavilonsku biblioteku fantastične književnosti“, a u predgovoru je napisao da „poseduju žestinu i samoću što su svojstvene pesništvu“, da „osećamo da ih je nadahnuo izvorni osećaj“ i da „čitalac neće lako zaboraviti te dobro zasnovane more koje, uz malo mašte i nesreće, mogu preplaviti i njegove noći.“

Veliki poznavalac i proučavalac horor proze, S. T. Džoši, s pravom je priču „Beli ljudi“ izabrao kao njegovu najbolju u tematu magazina Ru Morg posvećenom 150. godišnjici Makenovog rođenja:

Dok neke od Makenovih ranijih priča vire iza velova bajki i narodnih predanja, središnji tekst 'Belih ljudi' često i sam ima formu nalik njima. Ponekad on uzima ritam balade, i dobar deo te priče mogao bi se nazvati poezijom, dok posmatrana kao celina ova začarana pripovest, kao u transu, skoro da prejudicira postignuća Džejmsa Džojsa i Virdžinije Vulf. Ne pada mi na um nijedna druga priča strave koja koristi glas naivnog pripovedača tako vešto i radi tako dubokog efekta.

A veliki pisac strave, T.E.D. Klajn pisao je za priču „Beli ljudi“:

...ona ostaje najčistiji i najsnažniji izraz onoga što je Džek Salivan nazvao 'transcendentalnom' ili 'vizionarskom' tradicijom natprirodnog. Većina drugih priča iz te tradicije (Blackwood’s “The Wendigo”, E.F. Benson’s “The Man Who Went Too Far”, and Machen’s own “The Great God Pan”) samo opisuju susrete sa mračnim pradrevnim silama koje vladaju iza ivice civilizacije; „Beli ljudi“ kao da zapravo predstavljaju plod jednog takvog susreta, autentični paganski artefakt...

- The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural (1986)-

Posle svega rečenog, da li je uopšte potrebno još nešto dodavati?

Samo još ovo: PRETPLATA na knjigu VELIKI BOG PAN Artura Makena raspisuje se ovog časa. Šta treba da uradite?   

Novac (900 dinara) treba uplatiti na račun Orfelina (Kosovska 23, Novi Sad): ProCredit Bank 220-73108-85, a svrha uplate je: Pretplata na Pana. Potom treba poslati mejl na orfelinns@gmail.com sa podacima: ime i prezime, tačna adresa i broj mobilnog, kao što treba naznačiti i naslove knjiga za koje se kupac odlučio. Pretplata traje od 20. aprila pa do 20. maja, a isporuka knjiga je odmah posle toga. U knjižarama će ova knjiga koštati 1.210 din.

Napomena: najbolji način da podržite ovo što Orfelin radi, a pre svega da olakšate postojanje edicije „Poetika strave” jeste da u što većem broju kupite ovu knjigu u pretplati!

ALI TO NIJE SVE!

Orfelin u narednih mesec dana izdaje još dve druge knjige koje bi vas morale zanimati!

U štampi je

VIŠE OD ISTINE: KADIJEVIĆ O KADIJEVIĆU

            Moja knjiga iscrpnih i nadahnjujućih razgovora sa pionirom srpskog filma fantastike i strave, Đorđem Kadijevićem, bogato ilustrovana sa oko 225 (da – dve stotine dvadeset i pet!) ekskluzivnih, uglavnom nikad viđenih fotografija iz njegovih filmova i sa njihovih snimanja, na 495 strana B5 formata, u tvrdom povezu, sa srebrotiskom... Detaljnija najava ove knjige stiže za par dana, do tada evo samo njene zadnje korice. 

Pretplatna cena je 1.900 din, u knjižarama će biti oko 2.400. Ako se pretplaćujete samo na ovu knjigu, uz uplatu napišite Za Kadijevića.

            Takođe, uskoro izlazi i ovo:

Priče o čudnovatom – Ransom Rigs

Oni koji su čitali trilogiju Ransoma Rigsa o čudnovatoj deci gospođice Peregrin znaju da se nevidljivi dečak Milard Nalings često poziva na knjigu Priče o čudnovatom koja je neka vrsta tajne istorije Čudnovatih. Ta knjiga se sada pojavljuje u Orfelinovom izdanju.

Tvrdo ukoričena, ušivena, sa koricama u zlatotisku, na 200 strana, sa fantastičnim ilustracijama Endrjua Dejvidsona i u maestralnom prevodu Save Kuzmanovića.

Pretplatna cena je 900 din a u knjižarama će biti 1.210.

Evo jedne od ilustracija iz knjige.

Za one koji odluče da kupe sve tri knjige – poseban popust. Umesto 3.700, sve tri knjige možete dobiti za 3.500 (poštarina je uračunata u cenu). Ako se odlučite za ovu opciju, sve je isto kao gore u uputstvima, samo što uplaćujete 3.500 i naznačite Za majske knjige.

Sve tri knjige izlaze iz štampe u prvoj polovini maja i biće isporučivane pretplatnicima čim se budu pojavile iz štampe.

THE WAILING CONFUSION

Odavno sam na blogu pisao o filmu THE WAILING. Šta sam pre skoro godinu dana o njemu napisao, možete se podsetiti ako kliknete na plavi link.

Ovaj film je izazvao brojne polemike, tumačenja, rasprave, egzegeze, filozofijade, maratone i ostala natjecanja u rasplitanju Kolariću-Panića koji nam je ponuđen u ova dva i po sata smućkanog triler-horora, okultnog horora, horor komendije, policijskog procedurala, serijskog ubice, zaraze, zombija, filma demonske opsednutosti i svega osim kuhinjskog slivnika ubačenog u ovu korejsku klin-čorbu.

            Do sada sam ga pogledao četiri puta – od toga, poslednji put je bilo na nedavnom FEST-u, kada sam, zbog ovog filma (tj. njegovog kasnog termina za novinarsku projekciju), bio voljan da debelo iza ponoći peške pređem nekoliko kilometara po ne baš toplom vazduhu; pazi, ne zbog premijernog gledanja (premijerno sam ga gledao na skrineru dobijenom preko RUE MORGUE-a), nego zbog četvrtog gledanja!

            Da li sam posle gledanja na VELIKOM PLATNU nešto pametniji? Da li sam bliži rešenju enigme ko ovde koga i zašto baš tada i baš tako i baš njega/nju – pogledajte u ovoj zanimljivoj raspravi koju sam pre neki dan imao na Fejsbuku. Da, upravo tako – na onom mestu koje većina ljudi koristi za cat videos & cat pictures, za širenje meme-a i jućub spotova, za slike svoje dece i svojih obroka i svojih srećnih života ja sam se upustio u dijalog sa jednim pokušajem tumačenja ovog filma, a sada, zato što je to šteta da to čami samo tamo, daleko od očiju mnogih koje bi to moglo zanimati, rešio am da tu diskusiju podelim sa vama. Možda se nećete složiti ni sa mnom ni sa mojim drugim diskutantom, ali će vas valjda naša diskusija i ponuđeni argumenti i PITANJA podstaći na neka vaša nova promišljanja i tumačenja ovog filma!

            Ako se to desi, ne budite sebični, ne čuvajte to za sebe – podelite svoje teorije sa nama, ovde, u komentarima! Do tada, evo kako je to izgledalo. Pošto su moji sagovornici (uglavnom) Ameri, diskusija je bila vođena na američanskom. Inače, svi involvirani su profesionalci iz sveta filma: programski direktori festivala, kritičari, selektori, novinari...

Travis Crawford: It's funny -- a lot of people *hate* the final section of THE WAILING, primarily because it's not exactly the most coherent resolution in the world, but I kind of liked it simply because it does opt to go off in a unique direction.

Dejan Ognjanovic: "not exactly the most coherent resolution in the world"! Ha ha ha! Not exactly among the top 100.000 most coherent resolutions in the world, more likely!

I like it against my better judgment. but after 4 viewings I'm still not sure there is any reason (or sense) that stuff happened the way it did. many actions and reactions throughout the film make no coherent sense whatsoever.

Dag Sødtholt: I thought it was a terrifically thrilling ride, but I agree, any film should still make sense. Do you have one example? (If I decide to see it again in the near future.)

Dejan Ognjanovic: The main thing is - the Jap. The film seems to accuse prejudice, including racial prejudice against him, but the films shows that in this instance he IS the devil (or at least something evil, an evil spirit or what not). But is he, really? Or does the film show him from THEIR eyes? But how do we know whose perspective is assumed in any specific scene? Let's not forget that we see him 'objectively' in the very first scene, setting up a trap - i.e. fishing... Coincidence? I think not. ALSO - what is the sin that the bumbling policeman is accused of and punished for by having his daughter possessed? Prejudice! He went against the Jap with no evidence. BUT, again, he had every reason to suspect him. And the film proves that he was right in that. Or was he?

And if the shaman was in cahoots with the Jap - what WAS the masterplan between the two of them? What were they aiming for? What's the shaman's motivation? What's the purpose of the 'exorcism'? Why is the Jap so much hurt, almost killed by it, if they're in it together?

Not to mention who/what is the Woman? What's her role in the plot, is she of this or the other world? She seems to protect the village, but again, is not very efficient in it, and demands some strange sacrifices... and we have no clue as to the limits of her powers (if any, except making shamans vomit profusely).

In short, my hunch is that the writer/director is not playing fair, that he's omitting info that should not be omitted and that he's adding confusing details, and that the purpose of it all is mystification instead of a mystery.

Paul Kazee (to Dejan Ognjanovic): - Shamans, like Mediums, invite the spirits of the dead inside them. One occupational risk of being is Shaman is becoming possessed by an evil spirit. With that in mind, note that the Japanese man is a Monk who has become possessed by an evil spirt, but - thanks to a botched exorcism - the spirit leaves him and enters the Shaman instead. As such, the two are not so much in cahoots, as both independently taking turns serving an evil master. And yes, the woman is a guardian of sorts. What follows is a much too long and messy attempt to make some sense of the film, largely based on...

1) the following video posted to youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxjp2YIk798), 

2) a reddit post that disagrees with the video on several points (https://www.reddit.com/user/Michiwitch), and

3) responses to both of these by several other people.

One of the stated themes of the film appears to be that people see what they expect to see - or are conditioned to see - thus the Catholic Priest seeing HIS understanding of "The Devil" in the possessed Japanese Monk. No doubt, this conceit is also meant to encompass an audience's understanding of the film, but - even so - it is worth reviewing some elements of the film that viewers are being asked to interpret.
First, I suppose it needs to be noted that characters and concepts throughout the film relate to an assortment of spiritual beliefs. Second, in keeping with the theme of seeing what one is conditioned to see, a central idea in the film is that there are Demons among us who can change their appearance, or who seem to change appearance depending on who is doing the looking. Or maybe we merely see them as demons.

In any case, a key character is "The Japanese Stranger." He appears to be a Buddhist Monk who has become possessed by an evil Crow Spirit/Demon. When the police ask him why is came to Korea, he says "Youko", which I've read is an archaic term for a Fox Spirit. In Japanese mythology, a Fox Spirit is often a beloved guardian or protector (though a Fox Spirit is often alternately presented as a seductress who - often unintentionally - leads men to their demise), so presuming he was possessed by evil before arrival (as opposed to becoming possessed after arrival), it would seem he wishes to destroy this guardian Fox Spirit.
This leads us to the ghostly female character, who some critics have referred to as a "Guardian Angel," which fits rather nicely with the guardian Fox Spirit theory. It should be noted, that this character is not given a name in the films Korean credits. Instead, the written Korean characters that were translated as "Mu Myeong" in the subtitles, actually mean "nameless" or "no name" (or so I've read). In any case, she appears to have good intentions, and - though seen by the Monk as a Buddhist Fox Spirit - at various points in the film, she is also seems to be associated with Christianity. One early indication of this could be that she is introduced throwing stones, possibly a reference to the Biblical quote, "Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone." Then, later, she oversees the "cock crowing three times" scenario, a Biblical reference relating to Peter's denial of his Faith, while here relating to the policeman's need to have Faith in her. In any case, whatever she is (and maybe it depends on whether it's the Buddhist Monk or the Christian policeman who is doing the looking), her interest seems more in defeating the Demon than in saving the family, though - if she can do the later by accomplishing the former, she will.

Confused yet? Here's a rough summary of the sequence of events, starting from the point that the Policeman's daughter is stricken:

1. Under influence of an evil Crow Spirit, the Monk infects the Policeman's daughter.

2. The cop destroys the Monk's ritual room, kills his black dog and threatens to kill him if he does not leave in 3 days.

3. In response, the Monk hangs a dead black goat at his door to curse the policeman's family further (father is paralyzed momentarily; the daughter goes rabid and kills a neighbor). Via a ritual, he also revives a zombie to serve him as protection against the angry villagers.

4. A good Shaman is brought into the village by a policeman's mother. His goat and other animals, one might note, are white.

5. The Shaman removes a hidden black crow curse from a barrel and performs a risky out-of-body hex to kill the Monk. For the hex to be successful, the Shaman warns the policeman that there should be no drinking, no visitors and no interruption.

6. Although the hex is directed at the Demon who is inside the Monk, the daughter - who is under partial control of the Demon - also suffers in pain, and thus, pleads for her father to stop the hex.

7. The Monk almost dies from the Shaman's hex, but the interruption in the hex allows the Crow Demon to leave the weakened Monk in order to inhabit the Shaman instead.

8. The Monk, now good, returns to his room to recuperate, but remembering that he has revived a dangerous zombie, panics and goes out in search of it.

9. Meanwhile, fearing for his daughter's life, the policeman goes to the Monk's house with friends intent upon killing the Monk.

10. The Monk tries to escape the angry villagers but falls down a short cliff. He cries at the thought of his past sins and at the irony of his circumstance.

11. The Monk then sees the Ghostly Woman/Guardian Angel/Fox Spirit and chases after her. She runs from him, causing him to fall into the path of the policeman's car.

12. The policemen presumably kill the Monk by throwing him over a cliff.

13. The Shaman (now bad) laughs, recognizing that the Crow Demon has succeeded in making murderers out of the villagers. The Crow Demon can now also afford to loosen his grip on The Shaman, as he can easily re-enter and reanimate the dead and/or critically injured Monk.

14. The Shaman tries to collect souls for the Crow Demon (via picture taking), but he is confronted by The Ghostly Woman.

15. Fearing for his life, he abandons his mission and flees home seeking the protection of Buddha via candle lighting. The Crow Demon, however, reminds the Shaman that he is not done with him, first by blowing out his candles, and then by delivering a dead crow unto him as a death omen.

16. The Shaman still tries to flee, but the Crow Demon rains moths upon him to further instill in him a fear for the consequences in abandoning his task.

17. The Shaman rushes back toward the village to resume his final task, which is to collect the souls of the policeman's family. In order to accomplish this, he attempts to trick the policeman into believing that the "The Ghostly Woman" is an evil Demon, and that the Monk was just an innocent victim.

18. The Ghostly Woman sets up a trap for the Crow Demon. For the trap to be successful, however, the policeman must show Faith in her, and - of course - he has no reason to do so. Medicine has failed him. Catholicism has failed him. Why put his faith in her over the Shaman?

19. Ultimately, he denies her and finds that his daughter has killed his entire family. His daughter then kills him, and finally, she dies as well.

20. The Shaman arrives to take photos and collect their souls.

Dejan Ognjanovic (to Paul Kazee) - Thank you, Paul! Are you the author of all this, or is it copied from somewhere else? In either case, please don’t be mad that I’m NOT BUYING ANY OF IT – for reasons shown below.

„the Japanese man is a Monk who has become possessed by an evil spirt” – How do we know this, based on the film? Was it shown? Were we told? By whom?

“When the police ask him why is came to Korea, he says "Youko" – Damn, I wonder what the translation said at this point. I don’t recall him mentioning spirits of any kind!

“she is introduced throwing stones, possibly a reference to the Biblical quote, "Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone." 

– This is one of the most nonsensical ‘arguments’ I’ve ever read! Acting like a semi-retarded person, or a very small child, randomly and aimlessly throwing small stones at people, just so as to allude to a random verse from the bible? So, since she’s throwing stones, it should imply that SHE is without sins? Well, for a Guardian spirit I’d say it’s a pretty big sin when they’re not doing their job! Who did she GUARD? She let the Jap come into the village and kill dozens of people, preventing nothing, guarding no one! Her greatest ‘HELP’ comes at the end, when she demands that a man sits and waits for the 3rd crow of a cock while he has every reason to believe that his family is in mortal danger while they speak! WOW, what a great test. A random stranger who REFUSES TO TEL WHO/WHAT SHE IS (WHY?) orders you to wait while your kid and wife may be DYING, and when you fail to do that, somehow YOU’re the one to blame, not the ‘guardian’ spirit! NONSENSE!

“She oversees the "cock crowing three times" scenario, a Biblical reference relating to Peter's denial of his Faith, while here relating to the policeman's need to have Faith in her.”
This is incredibly shallow and senseless ‘explanation’ because it joins the events which ARE NOT SIMILAR IN ANY WAY (except very superficially).

In the Biblical reference, Peter denies Jesus although he was his FOLLOWER and was in a privileged position to SEE and HEAR firsthand who/what HE was. So, it is a conscious and cowardly denial of his faith (for fear of Roman consequences) and betrayal of Jesus.

In the film, the cop HAS ABSOLUTELY NO KNOWLEDGE WHATSOEVER ABOUT THE ‘GUARDIAN’ WOMAN and has NO REASON WHATSOEVER TO HAVE ‘FAITH’ IN HER. He does not betray anyone, he does not deny anything but a random unknown person making random demands!

Is the film promoting BLIND FAITH as a virtue?

Even if so, even for a BLIND FAITH, one needs a tiniest vestige of a shadow of a reason or proof that some ONE/THING deserves faith – not just ANY RANDOM STRANGER who comes and demands faith ‘because I told you so’!

“Under influence of an evil Crow Spirit, the Monk infects the Policeman's daughter.” So, this evil spirit is not inseparable one, like say Pazuzu in The Exorcist, who can possess only one person at a time and has to jump from person to person (say, from Raegan to Demian, unable to be in both of them at the same time)? Is this concept of POSSESSION AS INFECTION based on some Eastern folklore, or is it invented for the film? It seems very much ANYTHING GOES to me! 

“Via a ritual, he also revives a zombie to serve him as protection against the angry villagers.” Is there ANY LIMIT to shaman’s powers? He can possess whomever he wants, he can raise the dead… On the other hand, his opponent, the Foxy Lady, can DO WHAT, EXACTLY? Go around throwing stones at people? And he’s so worried about her that he had to come all the way from Japan to deal with her? Btw. How effective ‘weapon’ is it, really, to have one mindless tottering zombie protect you against the MOB OF RIGHTFULLY ANGRY PEOPLE? Quite RANDOM & POINTLESS, not to mention attention-drawing. 

“allows the Crow Demon to leave the weakened Monk in order to inhabit the Shaman instead.“ Why isn’t this signaled in any small way in the film? How do we know this is what happened?

“The Monk, now good, returns to his room to recuperate, but remembering that he has revived a dangerous zombie” – So, the possessed have a memory of what they did under the influence of the evil spirit? Interesting. Usually it’s not like that.

“He cries at the thought of his past sins and at the irony of his circumstance.” – Well, this is quite clumsily done, if THAT’S the meaning behind this scene. I’d say the director is to blame for the confusion, for failing to be even remotely clear as to WHO’S POSSESSED (OR NOT) WHEN BY WHO/WHAT!

“She runs from him, causing him to fall into the path of the policeman's car.” HOLY MOLLY! How do you make someone do something while RUNNING AWAY FROM THEM?! 1) If the “Monk” is GOOD at this point, why should he be chasing the “good” Foxy Lady? 2) Even an animal would fail to be lead into such a clumsy trap as the one described above for the Jap (not to mention, if the evil spirit is not in him at that time, if he’s just an empty vessel, why should the Foxy bother killing him? HE’S GOOD NOW, FOR CHRIST SAKES!) 3) The film does not show the Jap chasing the Foxy when he falls onto the car. She’s nowhere to be seen in front of him. So, how/why is he ‘lead’ in front of the car if we’re not shown his ‘lure’?!

“Fearing for his life, he abandons his mission and flees home seeking the protection of Buddha “ – So, a person possessed by an evil spirit goes and actively asks protection from his opponent? Sorry, but that makes no sense. 

“The Shaman rushes back toward the village to resume his final task, which is to collect the souls of the policeman's family” So, one moment he’s possessed and evil, next he’s doing the goody Buddha rituals, then again he’s collecting souls, then repenting, then running AWAY, then running TOWARDS, - THIS WHOLE BACK-AND-FORTH is silly and clumsy and utterly CONFUSING. Not a good thing in ANY plot, and quite RUINOUS in a horror film!

“For the trap to be successful, however, the policeman must show Faith in her, and - of course - he has no reason to do so. Medicine has failed him. Catholicism has failed him. Why put his faith in her over the Shaman?” This rule, for the trap to be successful, seems utterly RANDOM! Why should it work just that way? Why does the Foxy Lady need HIS F*CKING FAITH in anything? And WHY should he have it in her? NO REASON WHATSOEVER! SHE GAVE HIM NO REASON TO HAVE FAITH IN HER. She even refused his very reasonable questions, she failed to say anything about who/what she was… and therefore SHE’s the one who’s to be blamed for the ensuing tragedy, not the cop’s “lack of faith”! SOME GUARDIAN!

And what about the final scene? This ‘explanation’ fails to account for the last scene, with the priest in the Jap’s lair, where he assumes the full demonic shape. What about THAT?

Paul Kazee (to Dejan Ognjanovic) - Wow! You REALLY have it in for this flick. As noted, most of what I wrote comes from a youtube video and a reddit thread. The film fascinated me and - for that reason - I wanted to try to make some sense of it. The video and the reddit helped me to do that.

Dejan Ognjanovic (to Paul Kazee) I'm glad for you if what you quoted/retold above made sense to you; sadly, it did not clarify anything to me other than strengthening my hunch that the film is just confusing and inconsistent for its own sake, without any point or coherence to it. Tere's good kind of ambiguity, which I welcome ('The Turn of the Screw', THE SHINING, etc), but this is a bad kind, based on gaps, inconsistencies, random stuff and too wild expectations from the viewers' willingness to fill in the all-too-numerous blanks with whatever associations come to their minds from whatever branch of religion, mysticism or folklore belief comes handy at any given point (but with no overall coherence).

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Tu smo negde, otprilike, (o)stali. Ako imate šta da dodate, samo izvol'te!

GHOUL’s FAVOURITE MUSIC

            Nedavno se neko ovde čudio što me je video na koncertu SWANS-a u Beogradu. Prvo mi je bilo čudno što se neko tome čudi, a onda sam shvatio da stvar, iako za mene logična, može nekome i biti čudna, jer se na blogu do sada nisam obimnije osvrtao na muziku koju slušam. Jesam uzgred, ovlaš, usput, ali ne naročito supstancijalno.

Ghoul @ SWANS (Bg, 25.03.2017)

Istina, nije da ovde nije bilo priloga o popularnoj muzici (a ne samo o horor saundtrekovima). Kačio sam ovde, recimo, intervju sa domaćom elektro-pop grupom MARGITA je MRTVA i promovisao druge domaće, a srodnog profila (elektro-indastrijal-dark ambijent). Na primer: hvalio sam ALONE – Novi album, nove pobede! i ALONE: FOSSILIZED IN CONCRETE, reklamirao opskurne mračne projekte kao što je KH'LULU - Putridity, nudio za skidanje THIRD I albume, pisao rivju dokumentarca o niškoj muzičkoj sceni MI PLAČEMO IZA TAMNIH NAOČARA (2012), hvalio sam na sva usta Horror Bishke: MASOVNA SARANA i neprevaziđeni Pero Defformero - UNDERGRAND, pa sam čak priznao i svoja grešna domaća pop zadovoljstva (Ghoul's Guilty Pleasures: DOMAĆI POP ROK)!

            I ne samo domaća!

Priznao sam vam još i GHOUL'S GUILTY PLEASURES (1) - 80s METAL i GHOUL'S GUILTY PLEASURES (2) - 80s POP, a kad sam već kod stranjske muzike, priznao sam da mi je omiljena pesma svih vremena PAINT IT BLACK (i još vam ponudio za skidanje moj mega-izbor njenih više desetina obrada). Povrh toga u par nastavaka sam se bavio crnim metalom, u tekstovima UNTIL THE LIGHT TAKES US (2008) i  CRNI METAL – BELO SRCE. Dakle, nije baš da se o muzici ovde nije pisalo, ali ipak, kucnuo je čas da se sada malo suštastvenije osvrnem na muziku koju volim.

Odmah nekoliko disklejmera.

Pre svega, ne smatram se dovoljno stručnim da pišem muzičku kritiku, čak ni neobaveznu, blogersku; uostalom, kao što ste možda primetili, ja i blogovanje ozbiljno shvatam i neću tu da pišem baš koješta, o stvarima koje nedovoljno dobro poznajem, samo zato što sam tako u mogućnosti. Ja znam šta znam, i o čemu sa koliko-toliko poznavanja mogu da pišem, a znam i šta ne znam i o čemu prepuštam drugima da pišu i sude. Muzika nije oblast za koju sam stručan i ovim putem se javno proglašavam nenadležnim da o njoj nešto mnogo pametujem.

Budući da nisam u stanju da obrazlažem svoj muzički ukus onako kako to mogu npr. književni ili filmski (ili stripovski), u suštini se stvar svodi na moj krajnji subjektivizam, ili još prostije rečeno – sviđizam. Volim muziku koju volim – zato što je volim, tj. zato što mi prija. The proof is in the pudding. Zašto baš nju volim a ne neku drugu? Jer me gađa tamo gde treba i budi mi želju za još, za razliku od neke druge koja ne pogađa moj Ghoul-spot, ne dotiče me, ma koliko bila značajna, važna, uticajna, mnogoobožavana... Možda neko drugi i uspe da (psiho)analizira moj muzički (ne)ukus, ali ja se ne usuđujem da u to ulazim.

            Zbog toga što muziku ne pratim sa onom dubinom i posvećenošću koje sam rezervisao za književnost i film, nisam naročiti poznavalac faktografije čak ni kod mojih omiljenih bendova i pesama. Kod mnogih se nisam udubljivao ni u tekstove pesama (koje, u popularnoj muzici ma kog žanra, smatram više nego sekundarnim), itd.

            Ukratko rečeno, ako me pitate koju muziku najradije slušam, žanrovski ona potpada pod sledeće kategorije:

- EBM (Electronic Body Music, sa svim podžanrovima toga koje me smara da uopšte proučavam a kamoli da cinculiram koja grupa u koju tačno fioku spada),

- INDUSTRIAL (u najširem smislu, od metala do čiste elektronike i nojza),

- MILITARY i NEO-FOLK (koji su često braća od tetke, a ponekad i rođena, sa vrlo tankim granicama razdavajanja, if any),

- DARK AMBIENT (širok termin koji pokriva raznu, uglavnom ali ne nužno melodičnu, sporu, sumornu muziku),

- GOTHIC (klasični mekani pop-goth, ništa emo i sl. savremene dekadencije),

- METAL (naročito death, black i folk, uz ponešto zimzelene thrash klasike)

- a na kraju tu je i nedefinisana, teško odrediva grupacija koju sam, ne znajući bolji naziv, krstio MRAČNO-VESELA ELEKTRONIKA (to su uglavnom neki nesvrstani i teški za definisanje bendovi, unikatni, opičeni, samosvojni).

            Biće sve to jasnije kad, u narednim nedeljama, svaka od ovih grupacija (pod/žanrova) dobije svoj zaseban post, sa primerima, i sa daleko više ilustrativnih bendova koje imam na umu. A do tada, da vam pružim neki najopštiji uvid, napravio sam listu od 50 najdražih mi bendova i projekata i umjetnika. Dakle, crtam: ovo dole nije nikakav kvazi-objektivan izbor najbolje muzike ikada, nego samo meni lično i privatno draga muzika bez koje se ne bih zaputio na pusto ostrvo, odnosno koju često i rado vrtim u pozadini, dok pišem.

            Žanrovsko razvrstavanje – uz još mnogo više bendova, i uz primer-pjesme, i moje kraće osvrte – sve to sledi u narednim nastavcima, a sad, kao privju sa hajlajtima i hedlajnerima, sledi moja lista. Redosled je, grubo, po žanrovima, a ne po redu lične preferencije, jer top-listu mi je, u muzici, nemoguće napraviti iz više složenih razloga. Npr. od nekih grupa volim samo određene faze a ne celokupan opus, i onda je teško to kvantifikovati na listi. 

Recimo, NE MOGU da na listu ne metnem METALIKU, iako je ona tu samo (!) zbog svoja 3 albuma (Ride the Lightning + Master of Puppets + And Justice for All) – sve ostalo od njih može sutra da obriše velika magnetna sunčeva oluja i ja bih samo slegnuo ramenima; Metalika je za mene mrtva kao bend još od početka 1990-ih, a kamoli danas; a opet, ne mogu da zanemarim a) koliko mi je mnogo značila u najbitnijem periodu mog života (kada bejah mlađan momak ja...) i b) činjenicu da i dan-danas otkidam na većinu stvari sa pomenuta tri albuma iako, en generale, to više nije vrsta muzike koju danas pretežno slušam.

            Pa onda dileme: kako i gde na top-listu metnuti ljude koji imaju jedan ili dva odlična albuma sa onima koji ih imaju po 5-6 ili više, preko 10? Da i ne govorim da je ovo što ja volim toliko širok i raznolik muzički spektar žanrova da mi je zaista nemoguće da uopšte rangiram sve te babe i žabe, od skoro pa gilti pležera do sasvim respektabilnih i uvaženih grupa.

Zato, bez daljeg tupljenja, evo šta je

GHOUL’s FAVOURITE MUSIC

THE BEST 50

IN SLAUGHTER NATIVES

RUNES ORDER

Rukkanor

Lustmord

APOPTOSE

Swans

KLAUS SCHULTZE

DEAD CAN DANCE

ORDO ROSARIUS EQUILIBRIO

COIL

HAUJOBB

Mentallo and the Fixer

mulphia

Vomito Negro

Forma Tadre

empusae

Klinik

LIMBO

Theatre Of Tragedy

MINISTRY

WHITE /ROB/ ZOMBIE

MEGADETH

DIMMU BORGIR

CRADLE OF FILTH

MORBID ANGEL

MY DYING BRIDE

THERION

Metallica

SLAYER

AL-NAMROOD

king diamond

SEPULTURA

Nightfall

THE KLINIK

PLASTIC NOISE EXPERIENCE

ClockDVA

FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY

Headscan

Wumpscut

Decoded Feedback

Leather Strip

Suicide Commando

Velvet Acid Christ

Hocico

Infact

Calva Y Nada

SKINNY PUPPY

Siouxie And The Banshees

THE CURE

THE SISTERS OF MERCY (+ SISTERHOOD)

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THE RING (2002)

  

            Nedavno sam uredno preskočio po svemu sudeći traljav pokušaj da se oživi brzo umrtvljeni serijal američkih KRUGOVA pod nazivom RINGS kojeg su naši distributeri uredno doveli u bioskope. A onda, pišući nedavno o američkoj adaptaciji japanskog GHOST IN THE SHELL uporedio sam domete tog poduhvata sa izvornim amerimejkom ultimativnog J-horora i shvatio da na blog nisam okačio svoju kritiku tog poludupastog (mada, masovno obožavanog) proizvoda. Ova kritika je donekle ponovo aktuelna i zbog toga što reditelj američkog KRUGA, Gor Verbinski, ima po svemu sudeći odličan novi horor, A CURE FOR WELLNESS, koji jedva čekam da pogledam, iako su ga naši distributeri uredno preskočili.

Ova kritika izvorno je izašla u magazinu OК (Agencija n.g.n press, Beograd), br. 24, 2003, a sada se ekskluzivno obznanjuje u kiberprostoru.

 THE RING, 2002 

režija Gor Verbinski

KRUG

 

Uloge: Naomi Vots, Martin Henderson, Brajan Koks, Dejvid Dorfman

Ocena: 

*** 

(3)

Kako smo se nadali, dobro smo se udali: režiser MEKSIKANCA uspeo je da ne oskrnavi remek delo čijeg rimejka se poduhvatio i da, čak, napravi gledljiv i ne preterano uvredljiv visokobudžetni film. Svakako da njegova dostignuća ne prilaze igde blizu suptilnosti, višeznačnosti i filmofilskom bogatstvu koje nudi originalni KRUG (režija Hideo Nakata, 1998), u šta su čak i naši gledaoci mogli da se uvere, a zahvaljujući neverovatnoj i ničim zasluženoj dobroti RTS-a. Savršeni tajming omogućio nam je da se na vreme upoznamo sa trilogijom japanskih horora koja je dovela do revolucije žanra u tom delu Azije i čiji talasi uticaja već stižu i do zapadnjačkih obala. Odlična prođa na box office-u ovog rimejka već je dovela do planirane amerikanizacije još najmanje pet uspešnih japanskih horora iz prethodnih godina (jer, za slučaj da niste u toku, Japan je trenutno vodeća velesila u pogledu visokokvalitetnih, originalnih i istinski zastrašujućih horora). Stoga je i logično da krug američkih rimejka kreće upravo od naslova koji je započeo trend – Nakatinog KRUGA.

            Scenario Ehrena Krugera (VRISAK 3) prilično verno prati zaplet originala: mlada i ambiciozna novinarka (prelepa i mega-talentovana Naomi Vots) istražuje misterioznu smrt svoje rođake i tako dolazi do video snimka koji je, kako izgleda, odveo u smrt devojku i još dvoje njenih drugova koji su ga zajedno gledali. Urbana legenda tvrdi da svako ko pogleda taj video umire za tačno 7 dana: skeptična i radoznala Rejčel to ipak učini, samo da bi u narednim danima dobila sve više razloga da veruje kako u toj priči ima mnogo istine, i da joj natprirodna kletva visi nad glavom. Počinje trka sa časovnikom, pojačana činjenicom da je i njen sinčić slučajno odgledao nesrećnu traku...

            Za pohvalu je napor režisera da postigne atmosferu zlokobnosti i pretnje kroz ceo film, ali taj napor se prečesto ogleda i u nepotrebnim preterivanjima i dodacima koji ekspliciraju, konvencionalizuju ili čak i banalizuju japansku verziju, pravljenu sa većim poštovanjem prema gledaocu. Takođe, scenario menja neke suštinske detalje iz Nakatinog filma, i daje potpuno drugačije poreklo devojčice Samare (tj. u japanskoj verziji – Sadako) čiji duh stoji iza kletve, čineći ga nedorečenim i nimalo jezivim (pa čak i nezanimljivim).  

I drugi bitni likovi, poput Rejčelinog bivšeg muža ili Samarinog očuha, pretvoreni su u jednodimenzionalne skice daleko kompleksnijih likova iz japanskog filma. Verbinski svojom režijom uspeva tek da dotakne stravu i užas koji natapaju originalni KRUG, ali čak i to je, valjda, nekakav uspeh u sve ispraznijem i nenadahnutijem Holivudu, prinuđenom da uvozi i prežvakava tuđe ideje i originalnost koju je šićardžijstvom na svom terenu uspeo da uguši. U kontekstu modernog američkog horora, jadnog kakav jeste, KRUG se može smatrati blago natprosečnim ostvarenjem. Tek u poređenju sa japanskim KRUGOM njegova sirovost i usiljenost postaju napadno očigledni.

* * *

Detaljnije sam o ovoj problematici – i o japanskim KRUGOVIMA i o rimejku i njegovim nedostacima u odnosu na original  – pisao u eseju „Japanske priče o duhovima“ koji ste sigurno odavno čitali u mojoj zbirci eseja STUDIJA STRAVE.