The article mainly talks about the identities of ghosts in films. Before, I thought ghosts were included in films just to scare audiences without any real meaning, but this article completely changed my mind.
Ghosts can mean different things in different films and cultural realms. Firstly, they can be used to discuss the relationship between the living and the dead, which is most common in culturally Chinese territories, especially Hong Kong. Secondly, they can display the loneliness of humans as they share a lot of similar characteristics. Thirdly, they can represent the failure of an economy when a great number of residents move to urban areas.
The second identity impresses me the most. It is true that nowadays people living in the cities are far away from each other psychologically. The apartments even block us from connecting with the world physically to some extent, which makes us seem more like ghosts.
Liu Kexin 3036098182
I appreciate your critical discussion of the ghost culture in China, which opens triple dimensions of understanding why and how ghost exists as a mirror of culture, psychological trauma, and socio-economy. I would suggest digging deeper into how ghost serves as various metaphors to demonstrate social, spatial, and urban issues. More importantly, the bloom of ghost-themed film in the 20th century has something to do with its complex social background. This can navigate your further analysis of the specific circumstance in Hong Kong. Similarly, the 1950s-1990s is the “golden age” of monster-genre film in Japan, which is a medium to emphasize the destruction and reconstruction of the city. It might be insightful to discuss by comparing these 2 filmic genres.