Freud offers several options for why men are so afraid. Castration is a big one. Lacan then posits a bit nervously that "there is no such thing as Woman" – since her existence is encompassed by mankind, isn't it? But the philosophy of Silent Hill f scriptwriter and When They Cry manga creator Ryukishi07 is more simple. To the horror legend, men are scared, women are scary, and that's just a beautiful thing.
"These are my personal opinions, so allow me to apologize in advance if my answers seem off," Ryukishi07 tells GamesRadar+ when I ask him, "What is the importance of female characters in Japanese horror?"
We can take the shortcut. "My understanding is that the horror fanbase tends to skew towards men, and in the eyes of men, the opposite sex can be something that conjures in them a variety of contrasting emotions, from endearing to terrifying," says Ryukishi07. "I feel that women are often featured in Japanese horror as characters or themes because the emotions that surface as a result of their existence becomes the sources of intricate drama."
But the way Ryukishi07 himself feels is labyrinthine. Silent Hill f is a good example of that – set in strict '60s Japan, the psychological horror game sees disturbing expectations for good girls and good wives as legitimate cosmic horrors. The game's enemies include pregnant tumors that burp out murderous babies, a bride in white who spreads fog like disease, and the most helpful thing Ryukishi07's sweet protagonist Hinako can do is kill everyone. With a pipe.
"For me personally, the opposite sex (women) is something that I respect, revere, befriend, and fear – something that I am enamored with, forever scared of, yet fascinated by," Ryukishi07 explains. "To this day, I have penned severed stories that fall under the horror umbrella, but not one would I have been able to complete without the existence of women."
That said, telling stories hasn't necessarily helped Ryukishi07 demystify women – who are kind of lovely cosmic beings to him, too. The horror he writes for them is like a prayer. He tells me, "None of us will ever truly understand the opposite sex. Claiming to do so would be direly presumptuous. We must properly revere, respect, love, and understand that we will mutually misunderstand one another."
"Working on themes based around women is, to me, the greatest act of respect that I can dedicate to them," Ryukishi07 concludes.
