3.

Exploring Characters, Visuals, and Motivations

The spirits or ghosts have distinct and overlapping natures, attributes, and motivations which are
grounded heavily on cultural beliefs. The spirits, or ghosts, are different from each other
depending on the culture and if they have something to solve, or souls to disturb.

Additional info:

A comparison among the ghosts in the three films:

- Generally, as mentioned earlier, the dead have unfinished businesses.

- The nature of their business manifest in their motivations as characters–either they were
vengeful, suffering, or at peace.
- They will not rest in peace until what is disturbing them is done:
o In The Eye, the spirits will suffer in a loop until their problem is done and they will
rest in peace if they, and their loved ones, have no more remorse in their
conscience. Also, their culture indicates that family members must confront or
deal with what caused the death of their loved one for their souls to be liberated
and be free from torment.
o In Adam Knee’s Essay of “The Pan-Asian Outlook of The Eye,” the fact that Mun
continued to see ghosts after seemingly resolving Ling’s troubled past may have
something to do with Taoist cyclicality or Buddhist karmic inevitability—that the
past deeds cannot be erased, but rather always make them return which would
explain Ling’s bad karma.
o In A Tale of Two Sisters, particularly the ghost that appears at the end to haunt the
stepmother, is assumed to take vengeance against to the person who was the root
cause of suffering to the family—a suffering which will only end when she is dead.
Hence, the ghost is vengeful in nature.
o In Ringu, Sadako’s motivation may be interpreted as also vengeful for the crimes
committed against her and her mother. It may also be taken that her motivation
goes beyond our understanding because her very psychic nature in that her
intrinsic nature may have to do with a disdain towards human life, which is why
the curse never stops even if her case was already solved. Even more, her
motivation goes beyond our understanding, probably because she wants to finish
with humanity since that is her nature, being evil.

- It is important to note, however, that not all representations of ghosts were of vengeful
nature as seen with other spirits who accepted their fate, as mostly seen in The Eye.
- Moving to their visualization, the physical appearance of ghostly apparitions also had
overlaps and distinctions as well:
o Japanese (Ringu): Pale skin, long black hair, white dresses.
o Korean (A Tale of Two Sisters): Pale skin/burnt skin, long black dark hair, dark or
colorful dresses, mostly of feminine qualities.
 o Hong Kong & Singapore (The Eye): Adorned in the clothing they wore before their
death, pale skin, missing body parts (eyes, head, leg, etc.). There is also a
representation of some type of grim reaper.

(Probably a common aspect between these three are culture, or if they have anything to solve or
died in a horrible way)

A Tale of Two Sisters on Psychological Horror

The most complex among the three. You might think this film is about ghosts and evil stepmothers
with a first look, but it goes beyond that. Is a film about how traumatic experiences can shape a
brain and reality (probably split personality or schizophrenia).

- Proceed to talk about what was the perfect ending for this film.
- Proceed to talk about semiotics (CALLING A NAME, THE CLOCK, A CALLING,
MENSTRUATION, THE BIRDS, CLOTHES IN THE SISTERS, THE PILLS, CLOSET).
- Proceed to talk about the ghost and the dreams.
- Coldness and paranormal activity.
- Special connections to the ghost (Smiling after the stepmother death)