News

Paranormal Games: Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai

Published

4 years ago

March 30, 2020

It’s Monday, and you know what that means! It’s time for another Paranormal Game at iHorror. This week’s game is called Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai, and unlike some of our previous games, it has quite a history!

While people now often call the game The 100 Candles or some variation, it is more accurately translated as A Gathering of 100 Weird Tales, and one of its earliest recorded mentions is found in a kaidan-shu (a collection of strange tales) titled Tonoigusa by Ogita Ansei in 1660.

The idea behind the game is relatively simple. When it begins, there are 100 candles lit in a room. As each story is told, one candle is extinguished so that the room slowly descends into darkness. As the final candle’s flame is snuffed out, the combined spiritual energy raised during the game is released fully into the room.

We don’t know for certain when the game was first conceived, but it seems to have originated as a test of bravery for young samurai. After a time, it trickled out into the lower classes and soon everyone was playing the game in small gatherings telling stories to frighten their friends and family and testing their own bravery in the face of the unknown.

What is most fascinating about this–to me anyway, and I’ll admit I’m a pretty big nerd–is that the demand for creepy tales or kaidan, grew out of the popularity of the Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai game, itself. After all, people could not continue telling the same stories over and over or the rush of fear would soon dissipate.

Soon more books were printed, each featuring 100 tales specifically for the playing of the game.

So you see, in some ways, Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai opened the door for scholars and writers to search out and assemble stories from Japanese and Chinese folklore in ways that they had simply never considered before, and many of those stories still influence Asian culture, filmmaking, and storytelling to this day.

Below, you’ll find the rules and a little more history for playing Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai, but I would add one final note before proceeding.

The kaidan used from the beginning in playing this particular game were all believed to be true. You weren’t supposed to share false stories or fake stories, so if you decide to play, remember that true creepy stories are preferred. Personally, I think this points toward the tenacity of those who play. Anyone can make something up, but can you face something true and terrifying?

Supplies and Rules for Playing Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai

Image by Peter H from Pixabay

Supplies and Setup:

As far as setups go, this is one of the easiest we’ve featured, though set up may be a bit time-consuming. You will need 100 candles, something to light them–traditionally matches, but hey, if you’ve got a BIC then flick it–and finally a mirror.

In the beginning, so far as we could tell, the game was played in three rooms.

The first room was for telling the stories. The second room, which was not illuminated in any way, was used as a passageway and the third room was where the candles were placed and lit. You would also place a small mirror on a table in the room with the candles.

As this may not be feasible for everyone, you can play the game all in one room, but in explaining the game play, I will work on the assumption that you’re playing in three.

Playing the Game

Image by Jarkko Mänty from Pixabay

The game must be played at night when the sun has already set.

Gather as many of your friends together who would like to play, but understand that if they are present, they must participate at least in the beginning. No one should just observe.

Whoever wants to go first will begin by telling their first story. Upon its completion, they must walk through the darkness of the second room and enter the third room where the candles are burning. They can snuff out any candle they choose, but then they must turn and look into the mirror. There is no specific time limit on this but give it a couple of seconds, anyway, rather than just a quick glance.

When they have completed this, they can return to the room with their friends. Participants can wait for their friend to return or they can proceed with the next story while they complete their task.

This continues until all of the candles have been snuffed out and your house has become ground zero for concentrated spiritual energy.

If someone becomes too frightened and does not wish to proceed, they can leave the game, but they must stay until either everyone else chickens out or the game itself is completed.

What is really fascinating to me is that they do not say what to do after you’ve unleashed all this spiritual energy into your home in any of the references I could find. Perhaps they felt it would dissipate? Or possibly, they would cleanse the home after the ritual? Or maybe, they didn’t expect anyone to complete it and so it was never a problem.

Have you ever played Hyakumonogatari Kaidankai? Let us know in the comments!

Want to check out more Paranormal Games? Try The Three Kings Ritual.

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News

Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

Published

6 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

Published

8 hours ago

April 19, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film

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Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

Published

1 day ago

April 18, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

^Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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