What makes a monster? New UBC course delves into the rise of cinematic beasts

Godzilla will feature on the curriculum as part of new UBC course Cinematic Monsters of Asia. (Courtesy: UBC)

As people prepare to curl up with movies centred around monsters, goblins and beasts this Halloween weekend, one B.C. professor is encouraging viewers to look beyond the jump scares and consider the powerful cultural metaphors that could lie within.

Next semester, Asian studies professor Dr. Ji-yoon An will introduce Cinematic Monsters of Asia, a course that examines our collective fascination with the monstrous, to the University of British Columbia.

The course was born out of her own personal love of monsters, especially those that provoke empathy, and thus looks into the stories that incite more feeling from the viewer than just fear, she says.

In recent years she has watched the monster movie genre gain popularity as the beasts that were once depicted as diabolical creatures hellbent on inciting terror transformed into something more complex and emotional.

“Recent monster films are almost wanting sympathy from the viewers,” she says.

“If you look at early classic films like Godzilla or King Kong, these films often focus on the human reactions to these monster figures, but today’s stories often follow the monster’s perspective that then invites empathy and understanding.”

She notes the villain origin stories that are having their moment, films like Maleficent and Wicked that transform one-dimensional monsters into complex and sympathetic characters.

Historically, she says, these “monsters” have reflected the public’s own prejudice—often depicting their differences as something to be fearful of.

“These monster stories then act as these powerful tools for self-reflection and cultural critique, they help us figure out what disturbs our society, and why.”

The course will begin by examining key theories—like the abject theory, which describes a state of horror or disgust triggered by something that threatens a person’s sense of self—so students can understand the psychology of why audiences are drawn to monsters.

The second half will then apply those ideas to films centred around classic monster tropes like vampires and zombies. Focusing specifically on Asian cinema, An will look at a range of Korean, Japanese, and Thai films.

She plans to begin with the classics, like the original 1954 Godzilla, before moving onto more modern films like Exhuma, a Korean horror film that introduces a completely new kind of monster rooted in shamanism.

“My aim is for students to really rethink what the monster means and what that reveals about ourselves,” she says.

“At the end of the course, if students can question the legitimacy of our own current social boundaries, I would consider that enough of a success.”