Image Source: Wikipedia. Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, The Heavy Basket, 1892. From the Thirty-six Ghosts series. 9.25" x 14.25". The print depicts a number of monsters attacking an old woman.
Yūrei, or figures in Japanese folklore analogous to
Western ghosts. After death, the soul, or reikon, leaves the body and enters
purgatory while the proper funeral rites are observed. If all goes well, the
reikon becomes a protector of the living and returns each August to receive
thanks at the Obon Festival.
If the person
dies in a sudden or violent way such as murder or suicide, the reikon can
transform into a yūrei, which will return to the physical world. (Wikipedia)
Successful horror films
based on yūrei include Ju-On (The Grudge), Ringu (The
Ring), Pulse, and Dark Water.
I’ve only seen
The Ring. How about you?
