The Social Window Of Horror

The Social Window of Horror Masaki Kobayashi’s 1964 film, Kwaidan, is an example of visual storytelling that challenges conventional cinematic framing techniques. The film explores a series of supernatural tales from Japanese folklore, demonstrating an aesthetic approach that diverges from the Western concept of the “window into the social world” that is prevalent in many cinematic films. Kobayashi instead chooses to employ a distinctively Japanese method of framing that relies heavily on color, voice-over narration, camera angles, and the interplay of light and shadows to better narrate his stories. The framing techniques in Kwaidan effectively create a unique visual experience that is deeply rooted in Japanese culture and traditions which

By weaving the influences of Japanese visual storytelling, traditional aesthetics, and folkloric tales, Kwaidan brings the tales to life and highlights the cultural significance. The inclusion of traditional Japanese biwa music in “Hoichi the Earless” serves as a way to enhance auditory experience but also intertwine historical and cultural context of the time, further connecting the audience to the story’s origins. The use of melancholic strumming and “reality-based sounds, including…the snapping sounds of the fan” as seen in Kobayashi’s other film Harakiri all play a part in how the audience can be better immersed into the film’s world (Haoglund 391). These diegetic sounds originate in the atmosphere of Japan including the sounds of rustling leaves, footsteps, and traditional Japanese music. On the other hand, the placement of sounds and music are not placed simultaneously to the images. The effect of it is “terribly palpable” where the audience is expecting the sound to arrive, and by shifting the sound and music timing, “he’ll heighten the effect…[so] that the audience is certainly caught off-guard” (Haoglund 390-391)”. Unlike contemporary Western framing techniques, Kobayashi’s framing inspiration comes from demonstrating how cinema can transcend beyond cultural and linguistic boundaries to resonate with audiences worldwide. Another way in which Kobayashi employs traditional Japanese framing devices is through the use of visual ghost imagery specifically in both “The Black Hair” and “The Woman of the Snow”. One main aspect to ghost imagery in Kwaidan relates to how “long dark hair symbolizes a cessation of the woman’s natural life cycle, not her sexuality” which is evident in that both of these tales feature prominent