10 Perfect Horror Movies You've Never Heard Of
3. A Chinese Ghost Story
Because China's folklore dates back millennia, it's no surprise their ancient tales are filled with countless monsters, demons, and hopping vampires. Even though A Chinese Ghost Story is relatively short, it explores many spooky myths in a way that's beautiful, enchanting, and haunting.
Our story focuses on a ghostly maiden called Nip, who's forced to lead unsuspecting passers-by to a mystical temple, where their spirits are consumed by The Tree Demoness. When Nip falls for tax collector Ning, she vows to break free from her master's tyranny. When the Demoness banishes Nip's soul to the underworld, Ning takes it upon herself to save her.
As A Chinese Ghost Story can be fantastical and goofy, you'd assume it wouldn't be that scary. But some of the imagery is nightmare-inducing. Watching civilians being attacked by floating heads, tentacled beasts, and 10ft-long tongues will give anyone the heebie-jeebies. You have to tip your hat to the filmmakers, since they utilised many techniques to bring these mystical creatures to life, including puppets, stop-motion, elaborate costumes, optical effects, and animatronics.
Despite spawning two sequels, an animated adaption, and a remake, A Chinese Ghost Story never got the global recognition it irrefutably deserves.