Post #5: The Symbolic Convergence of Bloody Mary

Throughout childhood and even deep into adulthood things that go bump in the night not only captivate and terrify but they have their own language and mythology that surround them. An ancient ritual, a violent and malevolent spirit, and an entire body of language and communication that is used to spook and scare those foolish enough to wake the evil spirit of the bloody Queen. The ritual is as follows, someone in a dark or dimly lit room looks into a mirror and repeats her name three times. This conjures the spirit and now she haunts you for the rest of your, suddenly shortened, life.

The language and symbols that we surround ourselves with concerning bloody marry are usually all the same.  A young woman with a distorted face usually covered in blood appears behind you. In media, similar images are directly invoking that myth and other horror creatures and imagery tend to evoke similar aspects. The uncanny appearance that is usually associated with Bloody Mary has become a horror mainstay. This myth has changed the public discourse and understanding of ghosts and spirits over the years. The myth has evolved over the centuries that it has been around but the fundamentals have always been the same. In fact, the most recent iteration has seen the bloody mary myth evolve to include modern technology with films like “Unfriended”. These similar themes continue to develop how we as people talk about horror and being scared.

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4 Responses to Post #5: The Symbolic Convergence of Bloody Mary

  1. Amber Thomas says:

    This is a great example of something that has chained-out, as our book describes it. I think if you were to write your next essay on this that using images or videos would help unfamiliar readers imagine what you are describing. You may also want to delve deeper into the historical background of the ritual and why it became so popular.

  2. John Ward says:

    I like your topic on Bloody Mary and the urban legends that surround her. The historic origins of the myth are interesting and not only does this affect this myth, but almost all myths. Horror comes from our own survival instincts and myths or legends were created to spread warnings to protect us from harm. I agree with your observation of the symbolism behind the myth. That the premise does not change, and it resonates with a timeless theme of fear of the unknown.

    However, I disagree with your example of “Unfriended” being a Bloody Mary like film. Unfriended, does not have the monster being summoned. It instead joins the chat as a user, for revenge. The deaths are caused by a spirit seeking revenge. Bloody Mary kills anyone who summons her in the mirror.

    A better example would be “The Ring” since the main premise is closer to the myth. It is a bit outdated, but it does follow the myth closer. For example, there is a tape, that has the monster and if you watch it, the phone calls you and a voice will tell you to have 7 days to live. This is like the mirror and if you say her name 3 times you or in some versions spin around three times and say her name, she appears. Samara like Bloody Mary comes out of an object that was summoned from. In Samara’s case, it is the tv and Bloody Mary a mirror. While later films do make Samara seeking revenge, I am talking about the earlier iterations of Samara.

    Source: Unfriended: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3713166/

    The Ring: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ring

  3. James Conner says:

    I remember being terrified by this and I agree that the language and symbols are now unviseral for people. Saying her name three times is now this fantasy type for horror movies now. In the new Candyman trailer they used the same method for summoning him. It has this callback for people that know about the myth.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TSMulpd3Bc here the link for the Trailer.

  4. Remini Uygulaması says:

    Hey good work. Thanks for the update

    Remini Uygulaması ile Eski Fotoğrafları Netleştirmek remini uygulaması ile eski fotoğrafları netleştirmek

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