AmaiStina
09-24-2005, 02:39 AM
there's an interesting interview with Koji Suzuki in the newest issue (38) of Giant Robot magazine.
im typing it out parts of it verbatim.
words: Anne Ishii
illustration: Martin Cendreda
Dark Entries
Suzuki Method
'To really scare someone, you have to inspire fear, not force it. You have to allude to the horror, not show it.'
: Five years ago, four teenagers watched a haunted videotape in a rented cabin and made permanent horror-film industry. Since the little wet Japanese girl with long black hair in a white nightgown first stepped out of the hidden well to avenge her death, there have been no less than six films made, and at least two more film projects in the pipeline based on the works of Sadako/Samarra creator, Koji Suzuki. But don't ask him what he thinks about those movies. Don't ask him about Hideo Nakata's version or Naomi Watts' acting ability. Definitely don't ask him about Ju-on, The Eye, or The Ring 2 ("My Ring has created a lot of bastard children). And don't ask him about Japanese horror or tell him he's just like Stephen King (I'm not a horror writer!"). Koji Suzuki is in fact more like Mickey Rourke or Hemingway. :
:GR: I'm sorry to ask about movies, but I have to ask: American horror vs. Japanese horror. Any thoughts?
KS: God, you've heard me say this over and over, but it's the difference between physical violence and physical gore, and imagined fear and imagined violence. But you know, I don't know anything about Japanese horror, really. It doesn't interest me. I'll tell you one thing. I don't write monsters like Freddie or Jason or even some little doll like Chucky. What's that all about, right? To really scare someone, you have to inspire fear, not force it. You have to allude to the horror, not show it. You could call that the Koji Suzuki Method. :
:GR: Okay, last question. I know you consider yourself to be pretty logical and anti-occult, but there are ghosts in most of your novels. So I have to ask, do you believe in life after death?
KS: No. You die, and as soon as the brain becomes ash, your consciousness is totally gone. That's it. Nothing more...but! And I'm about to say what I'm about to say based on scientific reasoning, are you listening?
GR: Yeah.
KS: Scientific reasoning, got it?
GR: Yeah.
KS: Scientific reasoning is about being able to prove or disprove something absolutely. One hundred percent. I only believe that the human consciousness dies with the physical body, 99 percent. There is a 1 percent chance of post-death life, because we don't scientifically know what actually happens after death. For example, people used to believe the Earth was the center of the universe. You were stupid if you believed otherwise. That belief was forced by religion. Life after death is the same thing, but we just dont scientifically know.
GR: Well, thanks for doing this interview with me. I could ask a lot more questions, but they'd all be things you've been asked before.
KS: Yeah, we can just leave the boring interview about movies to NPR.:
im typing it out parts of it verbatim.
words: Anne Ishii
illustration: Martin Cendreda
Dark Entries
Suzuki Method
'To really scare someone, you have to inspire fear, not force it. You have to allude to the horror, not show it.'
: Five years ago, four teenagers watched a haunted videotape in a rented cabin and made permanent horror-film industry. Since the little wet Japanese girl with long black hair in a white nightgown first stepped out of the hidden well to avenge her death, there have been no less than six films made, and at least two more film projects in the pipeline based on the works of Sadako/Samarra creator, Koji Suzuki. But don't ask him what he thinks about those movies. Don't ask him about Hideo Nakata's version or Naomi Watts' acting ability. Definitely don't ask him about Ju-on, The Eye, or The Ring 2 ("My Ring has created a lot of bastard children). And don't ask him about Japanese horror or tell him he's just like Stephen King (I'm not a horror writer!"). Koji Suzuki is in fact more like Mickey Rourke or Hemingway. :
:GR: I'm sorry to ask about movies, but I have to ask: American horror vs. Japanese horror. Any thoughts?
KS: God, you've heard me say this over and over, but it's the difference between physical violence and physical gore, and imagined fear and imagined violence. But you know, I don't know anything about Japanese horror, really. It doesn't interest me. I'll tell you one thing. I don't write monsters like Freddie or Jason or even some little doll like Chucky. What's that all about, right? To really scare someone, you have to inspire fear, not force it. You have to allude to the horror, not show it. You could call that the Koji Suzuki Method. :
:GR: Okay, last question. I know you consider yourself to be pretty logical and anti-occult, but there are ghosts in most of your novels. So I have to ask, do you believe in life after death?
KS: No. You die, and as soon as the brain becomes ash, your consciousness is totally gone. That's it. Nothing more...but! And I'm about to say what I'm about to say based on scientific reasoning, are you listening?
GR: Yeah.
KS: Scientific reasoning, got it?
GR: Yeah.
KS: Scientific reasoning is about being able to prove or disprove something absolutely. One hundred percent. I only believe that the human consciousness dies with the physical body, 99 percent. There is a 1 percent chance of post-death life, because we don't scientifically know what actually happens after death. For example, people used to believe the Earth was the center of the universe. You were stupid if you believed otherwise. That belief was forced by religion. Life after death is the same thing, but we just dont scientifically know.
GR: Well, thanks for doing this interview with me. I could ask a lot more questions, but they'd all be things you've been asked before.
KS: Yeah, we can just leave the boring interview about movies to NPR.: