Chinese Ghost Month Archives | Otaku No Culture

Ghost Month 2025: Chinese Horror Picks & New Teasers

Although no films were made specifically for Ghost Month 2025, there’s plenty of support from releases earlier this year and following!

The second half of August is shaping up to be very spooky and Fringey. Ghost Month 2025 starts on Aug. 23 and runs until Sept. 21. As for Hungry Ghost Festival, that will be on Sept 6!

Although there’s no mandate about releasing films during this time–that’s reserved for Chinese New Year–some fans of horror always like to look at what’s on the cinematic slate to be reminded about what the Hungry Ghost Festival will entail. Some years have seen releases made specifically for this celebration as it’s a time not to be afraid of, but honour!

But for those who want to know what’s happening this year, we got a guide!

Fresh Releases, Teasers & Trailers
Plus Where to Watch

The Dark Mysteries (China, 2025) — A new horror/sci-fi teaser has dropped, hinting at eerie supernatural disturbances and a mystery to unravel. A late-summer digital or theatrical drop feels likely—stay tuned!

Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio:
Curious Tales of a Temple (China, July 2025) — Just when this film will manifest in other countries is still in question, but for those fans of Chinese Ghost Story, and Pu Songling’s classic collection “Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio,” this animated take will please! Technically, Ghost Month 2025 can’t be complete with this film. There are six stories, and our coverage can be found by searching our archives with this link.
Ghost Killer — Available on Digital via WELL GO USA — Geared toward Asian horror fans, this trailer teases a ghostly revenge story packed with atmosphere and tension.

Continue reading “Ghost Month 2025: Chinese Horror Picks & New Teasers”

Honouring the Dead with Top 5 Picks During South Asia’s Ghost Month

Hungry Ghosts (TV Mini Series 2020– ) - IMDb Ghost Month is now upon us, and people in South Asia are honouring their ancestors lest they become hungry. The lore about making them happy in this afterlife is just one of at least three traditions that we practise throughout the year. And for those who are looking for a good spooky tale, trying to find something recent isn’t always there. That is, the output has not been the same as those movies set in or close to Chinese New Year.

The classics include Chinese Ghost Story, the Eye, Ju-on and so forth, but they’re too time-honoured to be cool anymore. When going through my collection and scouring the Internet, I offer my top five picks with the tough criteria in what to love from each country. Also, this list is not restricted to just film:

Topping my list is:

Hungry Ghosts (2020)

Australia
TV Drama 4x50min
Available on SBSOnDemand

When a powerful amulet is broken on the eve of the Hungry Ghost Festival in Melbourne, a vengeful spirit is unleashed, bringing the dead with him. As they wreak havoc across the Vietnamese Australian community, reclaiming lost loves and repaying old grudges, a young woman who’s never taken responsibility for who she could be, must finally step up and accept her destiny.

Continue reading “Honouring the Dead with Top 5 Picks During South Asia’s Ghost Month”

How to Celebrate Hungry Ghost Festival Aug 15th

Superstitions aside, some fans of horror cinema may opt to get into the mood with a few films to celebrate Hungry Ghost Festival.

A Chinese Ghost Story (Animated) — Buy the Animated Movie on Amazon USA.

Ghost Month will reach its perigee on August 15th. At the Hungry Ghost Festival (盂兰盆节), these once human souls are permitted to visit the living world and some may visit their descendents to see how they are doing. On this day, we venerate them with happiness and acknowledge their existence. We save the first row in any performance venue for them to sit there. Anyone who tries may well feel a chill!

This time of the year is a different sort of Halloween. As for what believers can do in preparation is to beware of certain practices lest the spirit attaches itself. This can range from avoiding wearing clothing that is red or black to not killing insects crawling around–they may be someone’s grandparents reincarnated. The best thing to do with the latter is to catch and release the critter outside.

Superstitions aside, some fans of horror cinema may opt to get into the mood. Instead of scaring ourselves silly, we may opt to look at supernatural comedies. My choices have to fit the criteria of how the spirit world interacts with reality. Instead of a top five, I have six on my list. In my culture, we consider this number lucky. Amongst my favourites that are distinctly Asian and PG-13 in tone are:

Continue reading “How to Celebrate Hungry Ghost Festival Aug 15th”