Horror Host Authenticity and Fandom: Learning from Japanese Idols and Found Footage - Article Review

I chose to read this article because I’ve been thinking a lot about the types of celebrity that are most similar to the horror host – ones that have a level of fiction or inauthenticity that may appeal to audiences rather than alienating them. I thought first about theme park mascots, and how they perform as characters in public and interact with fans, but then I settled on the more relevant example of manufactured forms of celebrity such as boy/girl bands. The ways that authenticity is negotiated in celebrity is interesting to me. Authenticity is generally an important quality in both celebrity and fandom that is often stated as a reason for interest and participation in the subculture. However, in the context of manufactured groups, this differs, as inauthenticity is accepted by fans. I was interested to see how this could be similar to the ways that the horror host functions as a fictional character who is nonetheless perceived as real and authentic to the viewer. I was also interested in the author’s analysis of found footage horror as a space of negotiated fiction and authenticity, especially in the context of real celebrities playing themselves as the protagonists.

In “Choosing illusion: mediated reality and the spectacle of the Idol in Kōji Shiraishi’s Shirome” (2016) author Lindsay Rebecca Nelson discusses the ways that ideas of authenticity, fiction and identity are negotiated between Japanese pop stars and their audiences. Nelson argues that J-Pop stars are appealing because they represent the ‘spectacle of the real’, presenting an opportunity to watch ‘ordinary’ people and engage with them (p. 142). As an industry, music in Japan relies on heavily manufactured ‘idols’ who are pressured to adhere to certain standards and rules that foster a strong connection with their fans (p. 141). These standards are understood amongst J-Pop fans, meaning that there is a level of accepted inauthenticity that is tied to the genre (p. 143). Nelson argues that the fans-idol relationship necessitates a mutual agreement “that the pop idols will work hard to maintain certain illusions of availability, purity, and femininity, and that fans will buy into the illusion” (p. 143). This illusion, or ‘spectacle of the real’, is established using the ‘trappings of reality’ such as emotion, social media and interactivity, to allow audiences to partially suspend their disbelief and participate in the fandom while experiencing feelings of intimacy and community (p.141). Nelson connects these qualities of Japanese idol culture to the genre of found-footage horror, which similarly uses the trappings of reality and a mutual agreement to partially suspend disbelief and create its intended effects (p.146). Nelson describes the audience’s response as ‘doublethink’ on the part of the fans, “who are aware that what they are watching is fiction, but derive pleasure from it by supporting the illusion of its realness” (p.146). The two topics are connected in the author’s example of Shirome, a found-footage horror film which starred a real-life J-Pop girl group. Nelson points out that J-Pop fans often appreciate when idols display emotion, because of the authenticity that it lends, but also because they can identify with the emotion and experience it alongside them, creating a sense of intimacy (p.149). In the context of horror, a similar effect applies when the audience puts themselves in the shoes of the main character, who acts as a ‘stand-in’ for them, allowing for the experience of negative emotions in a safe environment (p.149). The accepted authenticity of found-footage horror provides a particularly poignant setting for the audience to experience negative emotions alongside the idols of Shirome, creating a sense of fan-idol intimacy and a sense of satisfaction on the part of the fans when they get through the experience together (p.149).

This article is useful to me because it provides an example of a type of celebrity that exists somewhere in between reality and fantasy, embodying characteristics of both fictional characters and ordinary people. As Nelson mentions, the ideal for J-Pop idols is a ‘bland’ idol who appeals to a large audience (p. 144). This differs greatly from the construction of the horror host, who is generally intentionally designed to be unusual, creepy and fantastical. But aside from that, I can see some similarities between the J-Pop idol and the horror host. To cite Nelson’s ideas, both occupy a space of fantasy that is experienced as authentic by the audience due to a ‘mutual agreement’ to maintain illusion. Both also embody a character designed to engage with their audiences and create feelings of intimacy. Both use the ‘trappings of reality’ such as engagement with audiences, social media, and public appearances to maintain this relationship. Finally, audiences of both engage in doublethink to acknowledge the media as fiction but participate in it as fantasy play. These ideas that Nelson proposes: mutual agreement, trappings of reality, doublethink, and intimacy, are very helpful in understanding the horror host as a type of celebrity that is not designed with authenticity in mind. This differs from many author’s (Stevenson, 2018; Xu, 2023) characterizations of celebrities as being modeled on personas that are designed to emulate authenticity as a means of creating intimacy. Nelson’s work shows that celebrities don’t have to be authentic to have dedicated fanbases, and this authenticity is not required for feelings of intimacy. Additionally, Nelson’s connection of fan-idol relationships to the horror genre definitely applies to my topic. It is the first time I’ve found writing about how the conventions of horror impact the relationship between the ‘host’ figure (in this case, the real idol group that stars in Shirome) and the audience. Nelson argues that the shared experiences of fear that the characters and audiences experience in horror create a sense of intimacy, since the characters identify with the characters as ‘stand-ins’ for themselves (Nelson, 2016, p. 147). I can apply this to my topic to analyze whether horror hosts are particularly effective in creating feelings of intimacy with their audiences due to their shared experiences of horror. I was inspired by the way that Nelson applied famous theories about horror (Carol Clover’s Men, Women and Chainsaws in particular, which I'm a huge fan of!) to her topic. I will definitely follow her lead and review some texts about horror audiences to see if they can help me understand why the content that horror hosts present could be particularly effective in creating fandom and community.

I’m starting to make my way through the documentary-specific training modules that I chose, including this one and this one. I’ve been so deep into the research stage of my project that I haven’t been thinking as much about the production side, so it’s been good to take a break and shift towards those skills/plan those aspects. I’ve met with half of my committee members so far, and gotten some great ideas for how I can produce my documentary in a way that is unique but manageable in my time frame, as well as some super fun suggestions about what to do with it when it’s complete. Next week I plan to meet with my other two committee members as well as Kristina DeVoe to make sure I’m on the right track with researching and writing about my topic.

References

Clover, C. J. (1992). Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. Princeton University Press. 

Nelson, L. R. (2016). Choosing illusion: Mediated reality and the spectacle of the idol in Kōji Shiraishi’s Shirome. Journal of Japanese and Korean Cinema, 8(2), 140–155. https://doi.org/10.1080/17564905.2016.1222149 

Stevenson, N. (2018). Celebrity, fans and fandom. In A. Elliott (Ed.), Routledge Handbook of Celebrity Studies (1st ed., pp. 141–156). essay, Routledge. 

Xu, J. (2023). The transformation of celebrity public image— the role of Interactive Media in shaping celebrity personas and comparing with traditional media. Communications in Humanities Research, 19(1), 270–278. https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7064/19/20231257