This reading chooses the difference between Eastern and Western ghosts as an entry point. Western ghosts focus more on horror itself. In contrast, in Asian films, ghosts are often used to mirror the socio-cultural background, and this reading specifically focuses on ghosts in Asian cities.
What impressed me was that the reading illustrated the slight difference in ghosts in the different regions of Asia. Chinese ghost stories depict the cohabitation of humans and ghosts, and the haunted scenes in these movies often appear in apartments, which are an inevitable compromise to rapid urbanization. Though the Confucian Value System highlights the importance of burial, the metropolitan city cannot satisfy the need for land to bury, and wandering ghosts represent the conflicts between them.
Korean and Japanese ghost stories often appear in apartments, too, but they are more focused on urban citizens’ feelings of isolation and loneliness. Apartments destroy the bond between residents, and they are disconnected from each other. The wandering, lonely ghosts in the city act as mirrors of this phenomenon.
Meanwhile, ghosts in primate cities like Bangkok are more about the collapse of the dreams of lower-class people. Boum, in the introduced film, turned into a “living ghost” at last, and that is a complete tragedy, which I think is the most grief-stricken part of the reading. I began to reflect on whether there is a similar situation in my life, probably because the shattering of dreams and the tremendous pressure of survival made me feel empathetic.
Liu Yuhan 3036126654