October 09, 2007

Hong Kong horror For someone raised on Western horror traditions, horror stories from the East can seem very strange. Doubtless the reverse is true as well. For comparison's sake for all of us Western Monkeys, A Chinese Ghost Story, parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 and 10 (all links YouTube).

Interested in more Hong Kong horror? Try A Chinese Ghost Story II, parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 and 10. (Again with the YouTube.) If you're more in the mood for bloodsuckers, Mr. Vampire has them, and apparently at least some vampires hop instead of walk in Hong Kong cinema traditions. 1 2 3 4 5 (part 6 appears to be missing) 7 8 9 and 10. (YouTube)

posted by Christophine 17 years ago
  • Did Chinese Ghost Story get made into a cartoon? Because I swear I've seen this before in animated form.
  • Yes, yes they did. And that was 14 kinds of crazy there, that was.
  • I'm more interested in the fact that more than one culture has a concept of a "ghost".
  • I think most cultures have a concept of "ghost", Hank. At least, most of the Asian and Western cultures I am familiar with do.
  • One of China's most famous classics is a collection of ghost stories 聊斋志异 (usually "Strange Tales From A Chinese Studio" in English). I bought a nice edition a while back, read one or two but now only have it sitting pretentiously on my shelf in a vain attempt to impress visitors.
  • No, no, all cultures have a concept of "ghost".
  • Asian horror movies are far scarier than the American variety, IMO.
  • I concur.
  • Funny, I've had Chinese Ghost Story and Chinese Ghost Story II on my amazon wish list for several years. Thanks Christophine!
  • Chinese Ghost Story 1 was my first introduction to Hong Kong cinema. I read something about this film in the LA Weekly and on a trip to Vancouver, Canada I was able to see it. It changed all my expectations about action films. It's still one of my favorites.
  • And in watching this on youtube, it most suffers in the action sequences, even in full screen mode. The cuts are so quick that you need full resolution to see what the hell is going on.
  • Well, since I don't really have time to watch 100 minutes of video right now, could someone perhaps sum up the difference between Eastern and Western ghosts?