This essay illustrates the influence of architectural features, economics, society and culture on ghost films in different Asian countries. Apart from the creepy atmosphere that Hong Kong’s dense, depressing houses can give, there is also how people are distorted and how they choose to be under the repression of Chinese rituals, superstition, kinship and so on.
At the heart of Chinese horror is a sense of repression, a sense of oppression, a manifestation of powerlessness and one’s own denial of oneself. Unlike Western ghost films, where the fear of demons, monsters or ghosts, etc., Asian ghost films often have no specific object, but are creepy through ritual, atmosphere, or setting. Much of the architecture of Chinese ghost films is associated with superstition and feng shui, with strange courtyards or windows that see no light dominating the entire set. Some ghost films will use a happy event as a backdrop, such as a wedding house, to contrast with a sad or unjust spirit. The ghosts in Chinese films are always obscured or have no facial features compared to the gory and horrific images in European and American films, whichcan increase the viewer’s imagination and fear of the unknown.
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I appreciate your detailed spatial analysis of the settings in ghost films, as well as the comparison between Asian and Western horror films. 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.