Hungry Ghosts in Pop Culture Horror: Drag Me to hell
What does hunger mean to you and is it simply relegated to the kind that makes you wanna pick up a fork and smack someone with it until you’ve been fed? What if our cravings manifest in other ways and our desire to be filled cannot only be met with food? The Chinese have an answer to that question and entire festival that surrounds it. However today I want to pull in some of the easier to, digest, ideas about how ghosts in popular lore all seem to have en emptiness that must be filled by devouring, us.
No meal is complete without an appetizer so let’s do a quick overview of what you’ll find when you look up ‘Hungry Ghost’ as it stands now in culture and anthropology.
Hungry ghosts are supernatural beings that are part of Buddhist and Taoist cosmology. They are often depicted as spirits or souls of deceased individuals who are condemned to a state of insatiable craving and suffering due to their past actions and attachments. The concept of hungry ghosts is most commonly associated with East Asian cultures, but variations of it can be found in other belief systems as well which is what I’ll be discussing in this piece.
What is a hungry ghost?
Suffering and Desires: Hungry ghosts are believed to be tormented by intense and unfulfilled desires. These desires often revolve around food, drink, wealth, or other material pleasures. Despite their ceaseless striving to satisfy their cravings, they are unable to find satisfaction.
Karma and Rebirth: In Buddhist belief, the existence of hungry ghosts is a result of negative karma accumulated in past lives. This negative karma causes them to be reborn in this unfortunate realm, where they are unable to find the fulfillment they seek.
Appearance: Hungry ghosts are commonly described as having emaciated, withered bodies, with tiny throats and large, bloated stomachs. This physical appearance symbolizes their inability to consume the nourishment they desperately desire.
Suffering and Compassion: The existence of hungry ghosts is seen as a representation of the impermanence and suffering that is inherent in all existence. Buddhists view the realm of hungry ghosts as a reminder of the importance of practicing compassion and working to eliminate attachment and negative karma.
Hungry Ghost Festival: In many East Asian cultures, there is an annual festival dedicated to honoring and appeasing the hungry ghosts. During this festival, offerings of food, incense, and other items are made to provide relief to these suffering beings and seek their forgiveness for any unintentional harm caused to them.
It's important to note that the concept of hungry ghosts is primarily a religious and cultural belief, and it is not universally accepted or shared by all Buddhists or Taoists. It serves as a metaphorical teaching about the nature of desire, suffering, and the consequences of one's actions in the cycle of reincarnation.
Drag me to Hell
Drag Me to Hell is a 2009 horror film directed by Sam Raimi. The movie combines elements of horror and dark comedy and is known for its over-the-top and campy style. The story follows Christine Brownwho works at a bank and is trying to prove herself to her boss. She denies a loan extension to an elderly woman named Mrs. Ganush which leads to a curse being placed on her. As a result, Christine is haunted by a malevolent and vengeful spirit, and she has only a few days to break the curse before she is "dragged to hell."
Christine as a hungry ghost
In the film, Christine initially denies a loan extension to the elderly woman, Mrs. Ganush, in order to impress her boss and move up in her career. While I think there is a lot to unpack here, like the fact that women are constantly forced to prove themselves in a way that men are seldom asked to do, we will for the sake of this narrative say that Christine’s act is ultimately motivated by selfishness and a lack of empathy. I do not think it’s an accident that we see that her partner is realtively well off, and extraordinarily kind and that had she talked about the situation with him, he would have gladly supported her while she looked for another job. Accepting her bosses decree that she must man-up and make tough decisions essentially makes her complicit and shows that she willingly chose to be cruel. Horror is, in many ways a modern fairy tale and our characters serve as lessons that can be comically exaggerated for the purpose of storytelling so that the viewer understands why these actions are wrong and why our character will suffer for this. Also old school fairy tales are absolutely horror stories, but I digress. Like in a fairytale Christine was giving several chances from the archetypal beggar, but she continues to willfully refuse offering charity in exchange for her own well being. From a karmic perspective, Christine’s decision reflects negative actions and intentions, which could have consequences in future lives or in her current life.
Consequences of Her Actions: After denying the loan extension, Christine becomes the target of Mrs. Ganush's vengeful curse. This curse results in her being haunted and tormented by a malevolent spirit, which eventually threatens to drag her to hell. This can be seen as a karmic consequence of her past actions, illustrating the idea that one's past deeds can come back to haunt them.
Unable to Break Free: Christine desperately tries to avoid her fate and break the curse. She engages in various actions, including attempting to pass the curse to others. However, her efforts are largely driven by self-preservation and fear rather than genuine remorse or understanding of the consequences of her past actions. This reflects the insatiable desires and cravings of a hungry ghost, who cannot find fulfillment despite their efforts.
Earthly Attachments: The idea of Christine being an example of a metaphorical hungry ghost is reinforced by her relentless attachment to the material world, including her career and social status. She is unwilling to let go of these attachments, even when confronted with supernatural consequences.
Karmic Cycle: Throughout the film, Christine is caught in a karmic cycle, where her actions and choices perpetuate her suffering. This cycle is reflective of the concept of samsara in Buddhist and Hindu traditions, in which individuals are trapped in the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth until they break free by learning from their actions and achieving spiritual growth.
In essence, Christine's character in Drag Me to Hell can be seen as a representation of the karmic cycle and the concept of a hungry ghost. Her selfish actions and inability to break free from her material desires result in a state of suffering and torment, much like the hungry ghosts in Buddhist cosmology. The film serves as a cautionary tale about the consequences of one's actions and the importance of understanding and breaking free from the cycle of negative karma.
In honor of decadence and desire I thought that a truffle recipe would be both fitting and actually kinda easy to make for this film. So check out these cute little mummy truffles from Veggie World Recipes which can easily be modified into little ghosties!
Ingredients
1 cup oat flour
½ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup peanut butter
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon salt
Topping Ingredients
dark chocolate
vegan white chocolate
candy eyeballs
Directions
Combine all of the truffle ingredients to a large bowl and mix them well.
Refrigerate the truffle filling for about 20-30 minutes so it firms up and is easier to roll into balls.
Next, roll the truffles into balls about 1 inch in diameter.
In a new bowl, melt the dark chocolate.
Dip each pumpkin truffle in the dark chocolate to cover it fully. Refrigerate the truffles, until the chocolate hardens.
Melt the white chocolate and transfer it into a ziplock baggie and snip off the end of the baggie.
Drizzle the white chocolate over the hardened dark chocolate. It's totally okay and encouraged if you make it messy!
Now add the eyes and refrigerate once more until the white chocolate hardens.
Enjoy!