Ghosts are used to personify the presence of the past, the unknown and the unseen. It gives insight to the audience on what the character feels towards housing in Hong Kong. Loneliness and isolation are heightened in the context of a horror film, which may explain why Hong Kong filmmakers often gravitate towards this genre when exploring the city’s urban environment. The anxieties and fears that arise from living in this densely populated and rapidly changing city are not only physically represented through being haunted by a ghost but also by the setting that the genre prompts: dark, ominous lighting; narrow hallways with twists and nooks to hide. The dim claustrophobic setting within these films reflects the unsettling and discomforting feeling of residing in such housing. Loneliness is intensified by the many boundaries that separate the already cramped space, residences become anonymous and alienated when these walls are erected. All of these complex feelings thrive in the horror genre.
Yanisha Chung Yan Yu 3035977733
Your analysis on the horror genre and the urban setting is well explained and connects with the ideas of Ancuta. I appreciate your descriptions of architectural features that convey a ghostly sense and how density and constant change further propogate a sense of fear and anxiety. Your identification of boundaries as a manifestation of isolation is interesting, and it will be insightful to hear about whether these boundaries only physical in walls and fences, or are there implied boundaries as well from a sociological perspective.