Ancuta’s reading focuses on the role “ghost” plays in city, especially in the context of Asian cultures. City life in Asian countries have a set of unique characteristics, including tight and limited living spaces, unfamiliarity between neighbors and busy working and communal life in general. These characteristics are reflected in ghost films, according to Ancuta, in a very special way. Ancuta names it as “Asian apartment horror,” as most of the ghost films take place in apartment buildings. Hong Kong ghost films are excellent examples of “Living with Ghosts.” Along with the complicated Chinese afterlife beliefs, Hong Kong becomes one of the first modern cities where the line between the living and the dead becomes blurred. This is also the reason why Asian ghosts often appear in apartments; where living people exists, yet not much lively atmosphere exists. Hong Kong’s city life is often illustrated in tight, bounding living spaces, and the protagonists of ghost films are often therefore forced to share the apartment with the ghosts. This trend also exists in other Asian metropolitan cities, such as Seoul.
The concept of megacity and ghosts, Ancuta mentions, is tightly tied to the history of rapid developmental pattern of Asian cities. The cities are “particularly vulnerable to teh challenges faced by the country’s economy,” which is also reflected in the ghost films. Asian ghost films produced in the period of economic struggle captures the existing mindset of the falling cities such as Bangkok. They are portrayed by unfinished construction projects, high skyscrapers being titled as suicide spots and also reflected in Thai horror films, pointing out irresponsible actions of government and failed economic policies. Therefore, Ancuta points out that “ghosts” in ghost films are often embodiments of society’s dark sides.
Ancoda concludes by commentating on the uncanniness that has foundations on the familiarity. Apartments with ghosts are special in a sense that it is too generalizable. Nothing separates one apartment from other apartments, which is why Asian ghosts films are so successful; connecting to the issues of the contemporary society, ghosts bound in apartments are what the audience also may experience.
Park Junseo
UID: 3035859929
It is awesome that you have got a critical way of understanding ghost-themed films and their relations with society, culture, politics, religion, economy, etc. from Lecture 6 and Ancuta’s writing. Besides, Abbas’ essay might shed light on your analysis in terms of contextuality. More importantly, the bloom of Hong Kong’s ghost-themed films in the 20th century has something to do with its 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 two film genres.