Week 4- THE OLD WEIRD AND THE NEW WEIRD

I think what separates "weird" purely from fiction or fantasy is the base setting of a real world that it does not let go of. In fantasy books the reader is either dropped into a completely different world (Tolkein) or perhaps starts out in the normal world and then quickly escapes into a wild fantasy world (Harry Potter, Narnia). I feel that what keeps the weird, weird is that it is based in the real world and no matter how many fantastical, supernatural, or scary elements it brings it it still keeps a tight hold on reality or at least the every day realities that take place within the story, nothing is glossed over and the nothing is glamorized. This, I feel, keeps the reader/viewer grounded in the story and allows the fantastical elements to become more believable and can sometimes make them seem almost commonplace.

In Troll Hunter- yes the students find out that trolls exist and that they can be killed by sunlight (fantastical!) they also discover that there is not only a man who's sole job is to hunt dangerous trolls but that there is also an entire government  department dedicated to keeping the troll population in check. This includes the bureaucracy, paperwork, forms, low pay and some of the dirty work involved in regular everyday, regular jobs. This, accompanied by the fact that the troll hunter must routinely cover himself in troll excrement in order to mask his scent to the trolls, makes for an unappealing job description. Not to mention the dark ending including a government cover up of students discovering trolls exist.

While Cabin in the Woods takes the fantastical and horror elements to a higher level, it still keeps the film grounded in the monotony and heirarchy of a large multinational business. The ancient rituals meant to keep these monsters at bay gave rise to a business meant to keep humanity safe by sacrificing 5 youths every year (whore, athlete, scholar, fool, virgin)- the archetype thing I found interesting and weird at the same time but again, making the sort of every day archetypes we see and making them supernatural.