The Culture of Fear: Ghost, Knowledge and Recognition in Thai Ghost Films

Abstract

This article aims to study the culture of fear, with a central focus on the fear of ghosts, in the two selected Thai films, NangNak (1999) and Baan Phee Pob: Reformation (2011). The study was conducted with the Sara Ahmed’s main concept of the cultural politics of emotion and cultural histories and memories. The selected of 2 movies have shown that fear of ghosts is relational, the characters can shift between fear and fearlessness by re-apprehending. Due to the ghosts have difference style to haunt people relate on their behavior. Furthermore, some groups of people can use fear to establish their power and eliminate the sources of fear. Therefore, fear of ghosts is shaped by cultural and historical construction which involves the apprehension of circulated knowledge of the ghosts in society.