The Science of Monsters

Olivia Koski: “I believe that astronauts check in with doctors regularly. Or maybe I just saw that in a movie. I don’t think so, though. I think they have checkups with doctors via video on the International Space Station (ISS).”

Meg:“Yeah, they do show that in movies! There have been instances of violence due to isolation at Antarctic research stations. Do you know if there has ever been a documented mental break where someone became violent toward others in space?”

Olivia Koski: “I think that you will be hard-pressed to find official documentation or anything on the record. I think there have been cases of sexual harassment of sorts. I wouldn’t be surprised if there had been fights or even minor violence, but it probably would have been covered up. Again, I don’t have any direct knowledge or official sources/documentation. Somehow the International Space Station doesn’t seem that far away (it’s only two hundred and fifty miles!), so it’s almost less isolated than Antarctica. It would be interesting to compare the accounts (how isolated astronauts on ISS feel compared to Antarctic explorers). It seems like the environment on the ISS is more controlled and comfortable. And you’re in constant communication with ground control. People are watching you constantly so if there hasn’t been any violence, I would guess that is why. You’re not all that isolated on the ISS versus on a longer term mission where communication is delayed and you don’t have as much immediate contact with people on Earth.”

After speaking with Olivia Koski, we got the impression that if there were violent dustups in space they would probably not be documented or spoken about! Ghosts, alcoholism, and other demons are explored in The Shining, but none as fascinating or iconic as the film’s conveyance of extreme isolation. It doesn’t take place in Antarctica or space, rather in a place normally busy and full of life. Perhaps that is why the Overlook Hotel, empty except for its dark past, is the true villain of The Shining.

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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

THE RING

Year of Release: 2002

Director: Gore Verbinski

Writer: Ehren Kruger

Starring: Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson

Budget: $48 million

Box Office: $249.3 million

In 1991 the Japanese novel Ringu was published and became a phenomenon that inspired numerous films, video games, and a television series. The story focuses on Sadako, a girl who has been missing for decades, and a mysterious videotape that kills anyone who watches it. The 2002 adaptation changes the character name to Samara but the plot is very similar.

Ringu was based on the story of Okiku,¹ who died in a well outside of a castle in Japan. She was the servant to a samurai named Tessan Aoyama, and Aoyama took a particular liking to her. He fell in love with her but his feelings weren’t reciprocated. In one version of the story, Okiku ended her own life by throwing herself down the castle’s well, believing she had no other way out. In another version, Aoyama threw her down the well after she refused to be with him. In the wake of Okiku’s death, she was said to crawl out of the well and appear to Aoyama on a nightly basis. Aoyama was driven insane by the vengeful ghost’s screams in the night. Drawings of Okiku depict her as looking very similar to Sadako/Samara, with flowing black hair and a long white dress. This is the general depiction of a person who has died under unnatural circumstances in Japan: these ghosts are referred to as Yūrei, translating to either “faint soul” or “dim spirit.” These tragic women are buried in white dresses, with their hair let down.

It is revealed in The Ring that you could survive in a well with only water for seven days, hence the phone call revealing when you will die after watching the cursed videotape. Is this scientifically accurate? According to an article in Scientific American an otherwise healthy individual has been known to live up to forty days without food.² There are cases though of overhydrated people dying within ten days.