City ghosts remind us that the strange is born out of the familiar.
From the reading, the settings of ghost films are closely related to the local economic situation and cultural background. The hidden themes of ghost films are usually circumstances or things that people are facing or fear of. Ghost films are separated into three types in the reading. For those produced in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan, the theme of films is living with ghosts. For Japan and South Korea, the theme is loneliness and urban isolation. For Bangkok, the theme is ghosts who are pursuing dreams. Take Hong Kong as an example, a dark side to Hong Kong’s financial success is revealed in ghost films. In the films, wandering ghosts are created. However, the fact that dead people may not get a place in a columbarium and get a “home” due to long waiting times or high prices. For the poor, they may live in small units or even ‘coffin homes’ , just like “living ghosts”.
Perhaps the scariest thing is not ghosts, we cannot comprehend or reflect on what problems we are facing from ghost films and people pay more attention to ghosts instead of living people.
Wong Pui Fan, 3036076990
You have included your personal reflection in your writing and making the statement that ‘the strange is born out of the familiar’, which is inspiring. You have also summarized the key concepts that ghost-themed films in different places would like to discuss. Your thinking process is clear and developed. But some language expression hinders readers to fully comprehend your ideas.