The Horror Manga of Junji Ito

[Silver Nemesis]

With this being the month of October, and Halloween just around the corner, I figured a horror comic thread was seasonally appropriate. It's difficult for comics to be scary, and even the classic EC titles are more funny and gruesome than frightening. But if there's one comic creator whose work comes closest to being genuinely unsettling, it's Japanese mangaka Junji Ito. I wouldn't say I was a fan of Ito, as his signature brand of horror isn't really to my personal tastes. But I do find his comics effective and interesting, in the same way as I find Clive Barker or H. R. Giger's work effective and interesting (I wouldn't call myself a fan of Barker or Giger either, though I have read/seen a lot of their work through sheer morbid fascination).

Ito's brand of horror ranges from subtle psychological scares to nasty Human Centipede-level body horror that makes you feel physically sick. His disturbing art work perfectly complements his simple writing style, and the weirdness of his tales reflects a creative tendency to shun logical storytelling in favour of blunt visceral or psychological effect. Whereas western horror comics typically contain a moralistic element, whereby the protagonist's unhappy fate is a direct consequence of his or her moral failings, the horrific misfortunes that befall Ito's characters are usually no fault of their own. Horrible things just randomly happen to people that don't deserve them, and not even children, cute animals or babies are spared. Some of it's really messed up.

His most famous work is Uzumaki (Spiral), a twenty-chapter epic about a small seaside town that's rapidly transforming into a hellish netherworld themed around a ubiquitous spiral motif. Many regard Uzumaki as Ito's magnum opus, and a live action feature film adaptation was released in 2000. I haven't actually watched this yet, but I'm planning to sometime in the next week.

There's also a new animated TV series which is scheduled for release next year. Based on the teaser, the animation style looks very promising and accurately reflects Ito's art.

Ito's also written and drawn countless short stories over the years. I'm surprised more of them haven't been adapted into films. A few stories that I would recommend as being particularly frightening or unsettling, and which offer newcomers a good place to get acquainted with Ito's style, would be:

•   The Hanging Balloons
•   The Enigma of Amigara Fault (this one's particularly bad if you're claustrophobic)
•   The Human Chair

Normally I'd write a little about each of these to explain why they're good, but when it comes to Ito's stories I think the less you know about them in advance the more you'll enjoy them. His best tales really get under your skin.

If anyone does decide to check out his comics, then post your thoughts about them here. Or if anyone is already familiar with Ito, what's your verdict? Good? Bad? Scary? Gross? Do you have a favourite story of his?