Why is it that only China is not allowed to make ghost films?

Answer 1

It wasn't that horror films were completely banned in China, but there were many factors that limited the creation of horror films.

In terms of cultural background, traditional China culture had a different understanding of ghosts than the West. It was deeply influenced by Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Confucianism emphasized human relations and moral education. The description of ghosts and monsters had the meaning of education to persuade good and punish evil. Buddhism believed that ghosts were part of karma and needed to be released. Taoism believed that ghosts were the result of imbalance between yin and yang and could be resolved through Taoist techniques. Therefore, the description of ghosts in traditional China culture paid more attention to moral meaning and religious detachment, rather than pure horror and excitement.

In terms of policy, China's film and television censoring system strictly restricted the creation of ghost films. According to the relevant regulations, ghosts and gods, supernatural phenomena, and other content in film and television works must conform to the core values of society and must not promote feudal superstition, religious fanaticism, or terrorist violence. Many horror films with horror as their selling point could not pass the review. Even if the director created something new, he would often have to cut or modify it, and it was easy to lose the original horror effect.

Considering the audience's factors, some of the audience's psychological quality and endurance were relatively low. Modern society had a fast pace of life, high pressure, and lack of mental health education. Many people lacked understanding of their own psychological endurance. Some audience members were easy to scare themselves, and works with a little horror element could cause them to overreact.

From a historical perspective, some important events in modern China also affected the development of ghost films.

In addition, there was no film rating system in China. If a horror film was made, younger audiences might also come into contact with it, which might cause psychological trauma to them. However, as cultural policies became more open, some films with horror elements were also introduced.