It is worth discussing that horror films and what ghosts represent in them are different according to region. Western films often take the strong visual impact of plasma and corpses as the main selling point, while most Asian ghost films focus on the creation of suspense and horror atmosphere, with a focus on psychological horror.
The reason why ghosts stay in the human world in Asianstories is mainly resentment and unfulfillment when they are still alive. Following that feeling, the common feature in haunting plots in East Asia is set in a prosperous capital society, with a large population of lower-income class. For example, in Hong Kong horror films, the low-income class cannot afford a grave due to the scarcity of land, and so ghosts exist when denied a proper burial due to Chinese culture. With nowhere to rest, the dead are likely to stay apartment-bound. In Japanese and Korean films, rapid urbanisation contributes to unstable and competitive societies. Human presence in rented apartments tends to be transient, dissolute human bonds between neighbours, friends and families. Cities serve the interests of the global capital rather than its people,causing the feeling of loneliness, isolation and temporariness in both ghosts in films and humans in real life.
In conclusion, we can discover that ghosts are tended to reveal the dark side of the economic success of capitalism. They are a reflection of living people themselves – many films illustrate ghosts who are afraid of loneliness and resentful to evilness, which is actually people’s own true fear.
Tan Qianxu (UID: 3036097750)
I appreciate your excellent comparative study of Asian and Western horror films, especially, you further subdivide the horror films of East Asia. I would suggest digging deeper into how ghost serves as various metaphors to demonstrate social, spatial, and urban issues. Noticeably, 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 filmic genres.