Kiss and Don't Tell

     The Kwaidan is a collection of many strange and beautiful stories, proving itself to be one of the definitive compendiums of Japanese mythology, plus some cool stuff about bugs because...bugs are cool. Amongst this collection is the story of the Yuki-onna. Yuki-onna is an ice spirit who posesses an inhuman beauty. She comes upon two woodcutters stranded in the forest, one whom she resigns to death, and another whom she spares if he promises to keep silence regarding the secret of her existence. When spared, he meets a beautiful young woman who becomes his wife and mother of his children. Lo, and behold, he spills the beans to her about the spirit only for her to be revealed as the spirit herself. Despite the threat from before, she does spare his life so that he may take care of the children they have borne.
     This, being one of the more famous fables from the collection, was eventually re-adapted for american audiences in Tales From The Darkside: The Movie, an anthology horror film based on the cult TV series. The setting is modern-day america wherein the woodcutter has become an artist, and the ghostly creature now a demonic gargoyle. The story plays out nearly the same until the very end in which the Gargoyle murders her husband while she and the children are resigned to a perpetual state of stone.
     Studying the two presents some interesting contrasts and comparisons. This is most apparent in the ending of the two. The Japanese version suggests that the spirit is not without compassion. Having already borne life into the world, she returns to her spiritual state and mournfully leaves her husband. Here the tragedy seems to be heightened since the father must raise the children on his own while loosing the woman whom he has loved. The spirit too, for reasons never fully explained, is forced to return to her spiritual form having lost the life she had become accustomed to, never again to revel in the pleasures of humanity. It is a saddening tale that unconsciously pulls the curtain back upon what is traditionally played upon in american stories and culture as something of pure malice.
     The American version treats its tragedy far more differently. Rather than the father and mother experiencing tragedy, the entire family unit is punished. What lessens the blow of this finale is that the shock of his death and the creature effects seem to outdo the characters. It feels more like a "Gotcha" twist rather than a study of a tragic monster.
      Im starting to notice a pattern here.