Week Two: Writing Assignment

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist is both my favorite book and my favorite movie, so it was great to be able to review both of these amazing pieces of media. Let the Right One In is a story about a young boy who is ostracized by his peers. He finds solace in a girl who moves in next door. Their relationship grows quickly and unhealthily. The two become uncomfortably close and use each other to get what they both desire. Oskar, the boy, uses Eli, the girl, to displace the hatred for his classmate aggressors and find a friend. Eli, on the other hand, uses Oskar to escape from her caregiver Håkan. Their relationship buds from intense, but base necessity. Their relationship grows from this point. Eli helps Oskar stand up for himself against the bullies at his school and Oskar eventually begins to care for Eli after the death of Håkan.

The fact that Eli is a vampire is a huge component of her relationship with Oskar. From just the beginning, Oskar is constantly questioning Eli about the difference and alienness he can sense about her. Eli's being quickly becomes apparent as time continues. In the book, when Oskar and Eli kiss she transfers her life memories to him with their touch. In the movie, the two share a piece of candy and Eli becomes violently ill. This added with Oskar's deductions from earlier (her cold skin and the smell of rotting meat surrounding her) adds up to something not quite human. Oskar slowly discovers that Eli is truly a centuries old boy who was castrated and turned into a vampire. After he learns the truth, Oskar battles with what to do with his relationship with Eli. The fact that she was born as a male and a vampire takes him a while to adjust. After questioning her, he slowly begins to accept her again and after Håkan's death in the movie and semi-death in the book, he begins to help and take care of her. The fact that she is a vampire is the base of their relationship in the second half of the book and movie. He protects her, especially in the book where he distracts a man who intends to kill Eli and subsequently allows Eli time to kill him. In the end, it is Eli's vampiric nature that saves Oskar and forces them to run off together. The fact that Eli is a vampire frames the whole story and ultimately decided how her relationship with Oskar developed.

Week One: Writing Assignment

There are many instances where the gothic has pervaded our popular culture. In fashion, film, literature, and music, the gothic has it's niche. In this particular instance, I will be talking about Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow. 

This film is an adaptation of Washington Irving's famous gothic story of the same name. Tim Burton has a very distinct style of filmmaking. All of his films have a pervasive gothic tone. His use of color, or lack thereof I should say, focus, lighting, and subject matter all combine to create very gothic films. And Sleepy Hollow is a perfect example of Burton's gothic imagery. 

To begin with, Sleepy Hollow opens as a mystery. The character Ichabod Crane moves to the town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a string of strange murders. The town itself and the nature of the investigator's visit immediately create a gothic atmosphere. The foggy weather and creepy forest only assist in setting this tone. As Crane begins his investigation, he is warned about the strange myth surrounding the town involving the 'Headless Horsemen'. Omens, curses, and myths are huge components of gothic literature and film. It only helps that the myth that is conveyed to the character is incredibly supernatural. The ghoulish imagery of a headless rider galloping through a dark and stormy night immediately creates a surreal and gothic experience for the audience. The same imagery terrifies the residents of the town. At one point, one of the important townsmen hangs himself in fear of the mysterious rider. As the film continues the characters radiate feelings of the gothic: loneliness, sorrow, tragedy, and distress. Crane is an outsider in a town where his probing investigation is unwelcome. 

To continue, partway through the movie the romantic interest, Katrina, has her mother and father tragically killed by the hands of the horseman, leaving her alone. In the end, it is reveled that Katrina's mother is truly the one that is controlling the horseman and causing the deaths of the townsfolk. This villainous act forces the cunning Crane to confront the horseman and break the curse. The movie ends with the Horseman ushering the villain into the depths of hell. All of these elements and events create a new piece of classic gothic horror. Burton's has a keen eye for the gothic, which allows him to make traditional gothic stories. No modern director can do gothic like Tim Burton.