Urban legend

"Urban legend" was the the third theme of Autumn 2015 Photography Scavenger Hunt. The photo album was released online yesterday. You can see all interpretations on g+ here.

When I tried to think of any urban legend for the Hunt, obviously I have checked web. And it gave me one answer - urban legends in most cases are some horror stories. The image I have used for this theme is my favorite from all hunts. The photograph itself was not staged at all. I can even say, it was just a random shot in a forest. It is not obvious by far, and the horror is very subtle there, more like suggestion of future menace. So what is it about?

In 1998 one japanese mangaka Junji Ito released his written and illustrated seinen horror manga series Uzumaki (うずまき?, "Spiral"). The series tells the story of the citizens of Kurôzu-cho, a fictional city which is plagued by a supernatural curse involving spirals where people at some point start to turn into snails.

The manga was adapted into two video games for the WonderSwan and a Japanese live-action film directed by Higunchinsky. It was nominated for an Eisner Award in 2003, and placed in the Young Adult Library Services Association's list of the "Top 10 Graphic Novels for Teens" in 2009.

Wikipedia

I was hugely impressed by this manga, and it is definitely on the top of the list of all horror mangas I've read. So, when I realized that I have two kids and one snail in a picture, the horror story immediately came to my mind. I just added few sparkles around the snail to show the curse spreading.

Anyway, I love the final image. Everytime I look at it, there is a small shiver going down my spine.

p.s. If you need more horror in your life, you can read manga here,