China bans horror movies

BEIJING, March 25 (Xinhua)-- Chinese scary movie fans are really scared this time when the state censor -- the General Administration of Press and Publications (GAPP) -- banned last month all horror or supernatural films from sale.

"It's sort of like The Mummy Returns (2001)," says a fan.

Last year, when the GAPP banned the popular Death Note books and films, the moviegoers were reminded of "The Mummy," the 1999 film about the awakening of a being from a bygone age who sets out to wreak havoc.

Just like the zombies in "Dawn of the Dead" (1978), the ban will only make more illegal horror movies keep on coming, whatever the GAPP can throw at them, says Yang Yang, the creator and editor of the Horror Paradise fan website.

The 21-year-old student at Beijing City University says he and millions of his Chinese peers find the thrill of a good fright just too much fun to let the censors spoil it.

"The ban won't make much difference," says Yang. "We'll just download out movies from the Internet."

Yang thinks of the ban as irrational. "Don't they remember that they're supposed to be promoting the concept of letting one hundred flowers bloom in the garden? " he says rhetorically.

Quick release

He still remembers the film adapted from Liao Zhai Zhi Yi, or Strange Tales from a Scholar's Studio, a collection of ghost stories written by Chinese literary master Pu Songling in the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911).

"As a three-year-old, I was scared out of my wits, but that thrill still excites me as an adult."

In the 1990s, he trawled video shops looking for the latest films from Hongkong. "Some of them were pretty coarse, but I enjoyed them."

In middle school, his passion for horror developed and in the past ten years, he has collected and watched more than 1,000 horror movies, mostly from the US, Europe, South Korea and Japan.

Initially, he enjoyed brutality and gore, but he has come to appreciate the psychological element of horror moves. "Watching them is an effective release from outside pressure, in an instant way. It's a fantastic feeling that nothing else can offer."

Since starting in 2006, Yang's Horror Paradise website has attracted almost 1,000 members nationwide, making it a most popular site on douban.com, a Chinese website dedicated to the sharing of books, DVDs, music and films.

The Horror Paradise members often debate the content, techniques and art of horror movies.

"Contrary to the stereotype impression of horror movies as superficial or violent, they reflect deep and insightful themes."

He cites "The Descent" (2005), which depicts the experience of six women who are hunted by strange subterranean beings when they get lost while exploring in a cave in the mountains.

"It's a great film about our susceptibility to the evil side of human nature when our survival is at stake."

Du Jian, a senior student at the Chinese Youth University for Political Sciences in Beijing, agrees. "Classical horror movies are a vivid description of human nature."

Du's favorite is "Dead Silence" (2007), in which a puppet seeks revenge on the descendants of townspeople who brutally murdered its long dead ventriloquist owner. "I've learned through the movie that even lifeless things deserve our care, especially those that have accompanied us for a long time, because we develop a sense of intimacy with them."

Murky standards

But both Yang and Du admit that some horror films are downright unpleasant and nasty. "I don't like the movies that are full of just graphic scenarios," says Du.

Their reasoned defense of the genre has highlighted what is perceived to be a huge generational divide, into which the GAPP drove a giant wedge with its ban.

In its public announcement early last month, the GAPP claimed that it had received many complaints from parents and experts voicing their concern over the prevalence of horror or supernatural videos. An all-out ban was necessary "to keep the negative impact at bay and protect the mental and physical health of adolescents."

This echoed its earlier crackdown on the Death Note books and films, when it said the Japanese series "poisons young minds." During a two-month whirlwind campaign, the GAPP confiscated 5,912 books and 1,364 DVDs.

When asked to elaborate on the so-called "negative impact", the GAPP refused to comment, nor would it discuss its decision-making process or crackdowns.

Professor Li Daoxin, of Peking University, defends the GAPP's decision as understandable. "The cultural administration cannot turn a blind eye to the influx of horror films, which have gone beyond the common acceptance of the public."

Li, who started to research the genre in the 1990s, argues the impact of such movies on adolescent minds should not be underestimated.

Wang Lirong, a psychology teacher at Beijing's Jili University, shares Li's view, saying horror movies can harm young people's perceptions of the world.

"Many horror movies describe supernatural matters that are basically out of human control. However, it is very important for the young to foster a sense of control before they develop their steady ego. Too much exposure to horror movies may make them feel doubtful about their lives and make them question their ability to cope," she explains.

Even scary movie fan Du recalls what happened after his cousin watched the movie "Mysterious Mirror" when she was in primary school." She didn't dare to stay home alone in the evening or look into the mirror. Her mother had to accompany her to the toilet. She was like that for a fortnight before she got over it."

Yang also admits that horror movies have a "more or less" negative impact on young minds, but not so bad as the negative impacts of real life. "We're not living in vacuum, and the evil side our social environment is much more terrible than horror movies, right?"

In spite of the ban's seemingly clear target, it is difficult to define exactly what is to be prohibited.

"Harry Potter and Strange Tales from A Scholar's Studio are not on the list, but the standards remain murky," says a shop assistant who identifies himself as Mr. Xuan at Big World Audio-video Product Shop in downtown Beijing. "It's hard to judge whether a movie has the sole purpose of seeking to arouse terror and horror."

Adult audiences have also expressed their dissatisfaction. A survey conducted by the portal site Sina.com suggests that only 15 percent of the 2000-plus people interviewed online supported the ban, while four out of five disapproved on the grounds that their right to watch horror movies was totally disregarded.

The rating debate

Professor Shi Chuan, of Shanghai University's film studies department, says the blanket ban is a makeshift policy of "treating the symptoms rather than curing the disease".

"The GAPP means well, but it acted in an abrupt administrative method, which will surely damage the market, and even the gloomy horror-movie industry in China."

An effective approach, in Shi's opinion, is to introduce a film-rating system. "In this way, adults have the right to choose their favorite films, and minors are guaranteed the necessary protection."

The issue of film rating in China has been an issue since the 1980s and was heatedly discussed in the media around 2003. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television maintains a decades-old stance that "Films unsuitable for children are unsuitable for adults too." The authorities have given no clear indication of how they stand on the issue, and the inaction could be self-defeating in the battle against piracy, warns Shi.

"I question the actual function of the ban. I'm afraid that Chinese audiences will simply buy pirate videos."