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The ‘Ancestral Destroyer’ in Japanese horror stories: more terrifying than elders?
In Japanese horror works, the protagonists often fall into danger due to unintentionally violating taboos in the countryside, and the traditional story mode usually involves a village elder coming forward to warn the protagonist.
However, recently Japanese netizens have discussed a new horror character setting – if it’s not an elder, but a messy middle-aged man calmly telling the protagonist “you’re dead”, it will actually bring a stronger sense of horror.
The Birth of the ‘Ancestral Destruction Uncle’
Japanese writer and screenwriter “Fumicho” shared his new idea for horror stories on X platform. He believes that compared to traditional horror stories where warnings are issued by elderly people, if it were a disheveled middle-aged man holding a cigarette and calmly saying, ‘Did you destroy that temple? That’s hopeless. You should be dead’, it would be even more chilling.
This interesting idea quickly sparked heated discussions and creative frenzy among netizens. Many netizens have started drawing their own “ruined ancestral uncle”, showing a cold and casual sense of terror.
The creative frenzy of netizens
Netizens have used their imagination to create various versions of ‘Uncle Who Destroyed the Temple’. These images all share some common features – a scruffy appearance, unkempt beard, long hair, smoking, and a cold but ominous tone. Here are some wonderful creations by netizens:
Ah – did you destroy that temple? That’s hopeless. You should be dead
In many works, the uncle speaks this sentence with a cold attitude, seemingly indifferent to the fate of the protagonist, but this indifferent attitude only adds to the terrifying atmosphere.
A variant work of girl twins
Another group of netizens created twin girls similar to the classic ones in horror movies, who warned the protagonist with innocent and naive tones. This combination of innocence and death is chilling.
Female Warning Officer
In some works, female characters come forward to issue warnings, such as gloomy maids or smiling women expressing gratitude in sweet tones, creating a eerie atmosphere.
Old man: “Just… did you destroy that temple
Uncle: “Ah – did you destroy that temple? It’s hopeless
Girl A: “Did you destroy… that temple
Girl B: “Is it ruined
Female: “Hehehe… You actually destroyed that temple… You’ve been a big help
The protagonist said, “Wow, everyone is here
What is the charm of a scruffy uncle?
Compared to traditional elderly characters, the calm, casual, and unkempt image of the scruffy uncle breaks the audience’s inherent impression of a “warning person”.
It is precisely this unusual way of expression that makes people feel even more unpredictable and therefore even more terrifying.
The uncle’s indifferent attitude seems to imply that he has become accustomed to the consequences of these taboos, and this indifference actually makes the audience feel even more uneasy.
The setting of ‘Uncle Who Destroyed the Temple’ not only breaks the traditional routine of warning elders in horror stories, but also gives the horror story a new eerie atmosphere through his indifferent attitude and casual dialogue.
These creations by Japanese netizens showcase the potential of different character settings in horror stories, whether it’s a scruffy uncle, twin girls, or gloomy female characters, they all bring different feelings of horror and enrich the expression of horror stories.