# Are there any western horror legends in eastern culture?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 21, 2003, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337 "2003-12-21T17:51:47Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Anaclaidiabhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaclaidiabhal)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2003, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/1 "2003-12-21T17:51:47Z")
I was reading 'Salem’s Lot last night (going over it again to get myself ready for Wolves of the Calla come Christmas), and, it being about vampires, they had their usual “light” or “good” imagery: crucifixes, prayers, etc. The thought crossed my mind that a vampire could have a field day in non-Christian lands, which led to my question: Do eastern cultures have horror stories about this kind of myth, or are they simply a western (European)invention?
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### Author:  [@Headcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headcoat)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/2 "2003-12-21T18:37:18Z")
Japan, China and Korea (as do many other cultures) have their own versions of vampires, ghosts, zombies, etc. So I guess certain kinds of monsters are universal. However, the superstitions surrounding them would be completely unique, ie garlic and holy water is meaningless to an Asian vampire.
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### Author:  [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/3 "2003-12-21T18:41:03Z")
India has various supernatural uglies that could, in some sense, correspond to vampires, and they’ve released a variety of movies about them. In addition, there are a variety of rituals one must perform to deal with these supernatural uglies, both religious and secular. In particular, every Bollywood horror movie where the Fearless Monster Hunters are preparing to deal death has a scene where they take a drive out to the country.
Not sure why, and neither is Bollywood. The country is clean, pastoral, and innocent in ways that the cities cannot be, and therefore is a “cleansing” kind of thing. Sometimes they go there to see a priest, other times to obtain certain materials, but they HAVE to go there, if only to drive around awhile, apparently. Same reason a wooden stake works on Dracula, but not a metal or formica one. It’s Just That Way.
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### Author:  [@Akatsukami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akatsukami)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2003, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/4 "2003-12-21T18:51:03Z")
There is a rich supernatural and horror imagery among Chinese and Chinese-influenced cultures.
One of the most widespead legends is that of the fox spirit. Foxes are generally considered incarnations of evil spirits in East Asian countries. The fox generally turns into a beautiful young woman (in some versions, it kills a beautiful young woman and assumes her identity) and wreak evil on unsuspecting people (seduces and murders young men, kills the family’s breeding animals, etc.) Variations on the basic theme are legion.
Vampires (_kuei_ or _chiang-shi_) are common in Chinese legend. The _chiang-shi_ has some characteristics in common with the Western conception of the vampire, but differs in others; _e.g._, sunlight is often considered to _strength_ a _chiang-shi_ (the sunlight provides the _yang_ which balances the _yin_ remaining in the corpse). A vampire is instantly recognizable by its green hair (although lustful young men besotted by the erotic wiles of a vampire often overlook this 😉 ). Ringing a copper bell will keep a vampire at bay and, of course, it can be burned. In Chinese lore, a vampire does not transmit vampirism to its victims.
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### Author:  [@WillSantini](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillSantini)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2003, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/5 "2003-12-21T22:46:39Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Akatsukami \*
> \*\*In Chinese lore, a vampire does not transmit vampirism to its victims. \*\*
Then how does one become a Chinese vampire?
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### Author:  [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/6 "2003-12-21T23:06:49Z")
Here is a movie version of the chiang-shi;
[http://www.vampiremovies.co.uk/reviews/mrvampiregal.htm](http://www.vampiremovies.co.uk/reviews/mrvampiregal.htm)
apparently after a period in the grave the chinese vampire has very stiff joints, so has to _hop_ everywhere…
some people say they are additionally hindered by bound feet.
Chiang-shi are created from a violent death, or sometimes (appparently) if a cat jumps over the dead body…
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### Author:  [@Akatsukami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akatsukami)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2003, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/7 "2003-12-21T23:17:11Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by WillSantini \*
> \*\*Then how does one become a Chinese vampire? \*\*
Well, a prerequisite is being Chinese… 😉
More seriously, the belief is that a person has two souls, the _kun_ and _po]/i], corresponding to yang and yin energies. On death, the kun leaves the body; the_po\*, however, can remain behind, particularly if the person had unfinished business. If the _po_ is sufficiently strong, it can re-animate the corpse as a vampire, although it may only be able to re-animate a portion of the corpse, usually the skull. A ritual burial will usually defeat the _po_, but if, for whatever reason, burial is _not_ given, the corpse can become a _chiang-shi_.
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### Author:  [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)
#### Post date: [December 21, 2003, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/8 "2003-12-21T23:19:32Z")
I’ve heard about those for years, but every movie I’ve ever seen has played it for laughs.
Are there serious horror movies about chiang-shi?
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### Author:  [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2003, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/9 "2003-12-22T02:32:27Z")
Horror movies are serious?
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### Author:  [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/10 "2003-12-22T17:04:13Z")
Do _borrowed_ western horror legends count? (snicker!) He said “count”!
A middle-aged Japanese woman once asked me which state I was from, and when I told her “Pennslvania”, she said,
“Oh, yes! Pennsylvania! The hometown of Wolfguy!”
:smack:
I said,
“Ummm, I think you may be thinking of _Transylvania_, and that would be _Dracula_.
Pennsylvania did have wolves at one time, but I never heard any werewolf stories from Pennsylvania.”
She argued,
“No, no… Pennsylvania is the hometown of Wolfguy.”
I patiently explained,
“First of all, Pennsylvania is a _state_, not a town, and you’re confusing _Penn_sylvania with _Tran_slvania.”
She insisted,
“No, I’m sure I’m right… I saw it in a movie… Pennsylvania is the hometown of Wolfguy.”
:rolleyes:
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### Author:  [@gluteus\_maximus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gluteus_maximus)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/11 "2003-12-22T17:12:53Z")
Crap! Well, I _still_ managed to type “Pennsylvania” correctly the other seven times… ☹
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### Author:  [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2003, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/12 "2003-12-22T17:22:42Z")
[Vaguely relevant aside] **gluteus maximus** , when I was in Kagoshima, a woman asked my girlfriend where she was from. She replied “Ireland”. “Ah,” said the woman, “very cold there. You wear big coats and live in igloos.” [/Vaguely relevant aside] We now return you to your east-Asian vampires.
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### Author:  [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/13 "2003-12-22T17:44:11Z")
There are the Indian _Naag_ which are snakes (generally cobras) which can take human form. Should you cross one, the consequences are dire - generally the Naag or the Naag’s partner (should you kill one) will wreak death and disaster on you and your kin.
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### Author:  [@noname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noname)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/14 "2003-12-22T20:39:22Z")
**Master Wang** , the Indian uglies that you talk about are not entirely Indian!! They are mostly borrowed from hollywood, like the werewolf, vampires etc. The Indian touch comes when the ugly has to be killed, which involves a priest and a whole lot of mantras by the priest, and even more moaning by the possessed body (an evil orgasm, IMHO). Right now, on tv, we have a supposed horror series about a ghost chaser dressed like Wesley Snipes in Blade right down to the shades and the bow and arrow!! He started off by killing vampires much like Blade, then graduated t ofighting Dracula himself, partnered with an Indiana Jones -type charactered and searched for a unicorn’s hair (unicorn is definitely not Indian), and if I am not mistaken, has a new partner who looks suspiciously like Elektra. What can I say, the Indian TV scene is seriously lacking in the creativity dept!!
The reason the Frealess Monster Hunters drive into the country is because the cities are supposed to be educated, where people don’t believe in ghosts. Also, like you said, priests are in abundance in the countryside.
Speaking of uglies away from bollywood, there are witches, called _Chudail/s_, who take over unsuspecting or pure persons bodies. They have some unfinished business, and if they are not in someone’s bodies, they hang upside down on a neem tree. Also, they wail, like the banshees Thats why in the countryside, people are advised not to go under a neem tree (or any tree for that matter) at night.
In recent times, there were uglies the [Muhnochwa](http://www.ufoindia.org/news_muhnochwa.htm) , and the [Monkey Man](http://www.strangemag.com/monkeyman.html) , but these wer later thought to be urban legends.
And **Angua** the Indian _Naag_ is not a monster in the same league of the dracula. The _Ikcha-Dhari Naag_ is a snake, which is entrusted with guarding the _Naag-Mani_ (the snake stone) after meditating for a long time. They mean no harm, and attack only when provoked.
Hope this helps 🙂
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### Author:  [@noname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noname)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/15 "2003-12-22T20:44:32Z")
**Master Wang** , the Indian uglies that you talk about are not entirely Indian!! They are mostly borrowed from hollywood, like the werewolf, vampires etc. The Indian touch comes when the ugly has to be killed, which involves a priest and a whole lot of mantras by the priest, and even more moaning by the possessed body (an evil orgasm, IMHO). Right now, on tv, we have a supposed horror series about a ghost chaser dressed like Wesley Snipes in Blade right down to the shades and the bow and arrow!! He started off by killing vampires much like Blade, then graduated t ofighting Dracula himself, partnered with an Indiana Jones -type charactered and searched for a unicorn’s hair (unicorn is definitely not Indian), and if I am not mistaken, has a new partner who looks suspiciously like Elektra. What can I say, the Indian TV scene is seriously lacking in the creativity dept!!
The reason the Frealess Monster Hunters drive into the country is because the cities are supposed to be educated, where people don’t believe in ghosts. Also, like you said, priests are in abundance in the countryside.
Speaking of uglies away from bollywood, there are witches, called _Chudail/s_, who take over unsuspecting or pure persons bodies. They have some unfinished business, and if they are not in someone’s bodies, they hang upside down on a neem tree. Also, they wail, like the banshees Thats why in the countryside, people are advised not to go under a neem tree (or any tree for that matter) at night.
In recent times, there were uglies the [Muhnochwa](http://www.ufoindia.org/news_muhnochwa.htm) , and the [Monkey Man](http://www.strangemag.com/monkeyman.html) , but these wer later thought to be urban legends.
And **Angua** the Indian _Naag_ is not a monster in the same league of the dracula. The _Ikcha-Dhari Naag_ is a snake, which is entrusted with guarding the _Naag-Mani_ (the snake stone) after meditating for a long time. They mean no harm, and attack only when provoked.
Hope this helps 🙂
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### Author:  [@noname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/noname)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2003, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/16 "2003-12-22T20:49:13Z")
whoops!! sorry about he double post.
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2003, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/17 "2003-12-22T21:41:12Z")
There are several creatures in Indian legend that are comparable to vampires – Vetala/Betal/Baital, Rakshasa, etc.
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### Author:  [@gubernator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gubernator)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2003, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/18 "2003-12-23T00:40:21Z")
The “chinese vampire”, or chiang-shi, is really more like a zombie. The version that I heard of is vulnerable to sun light, what with the yang in the light destroying it’s uncleaned spirit. Now I’m chinese, and read a lot on this sorta stuff when I was a kid.
Basically there’s 2 types of zombies, the short lived ones, where the corpse is simply reacting to things in it’s environment, i.e, cat hopping over it, movement from nearby living things while being in a “bad” location with the sort of negative energies that’'ll trigger it to do some random killings. Usually merely knocking it down with a broom sticks takes care of these. Hell, if you leave them alone, they’ll eventually decay and do nothing.
The kind of zombies that can stick around, or even move nimblely while it’s body is very decayed are inhabited by evil spirits seeking to empower themselves with a corporeal body. These ones actively seek out blood and flesh to strengthen themselves.
Legend goes as time goes on, the corpse grows new flesh to replace to old, decayed ones, and also grows hair/fur on these new muscles. If time REALLY goes on, and the zombies grows to be 1000+ years all the while taking in bits of blood and flesh every day, it grows wings, and the evil spirit living inside the body can start using sorcery/casting spells. Basically you end up with a huge, muscular, winged, nearly invincible thing that can kidnap your kid (that you hid in the cellar) by merely waving it’s hands around in the air and muttering a spell. Usually in stories zombies gets killed way before they reach this stage, but I remember in one I read where a zombie did manage to reach this stage, and it took a whole group of either monks or taoists, along side with the population of an entire town helping, to take down.
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### Author:  [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/19 "2003-12-23T01:23:12Z")
Wow, this all sounds like awesome fodder for a Dungeon Master…
[scribble, scribble]
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### Author:  [@slipster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slipster)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-western-horror-legends-in-eastern-culture/220337/20 "2003-12-23T01:58:38Z")
Monstrous or demonic figures modeled on humans, and which feed on human blood, are found in many cultures. In a book called The Big Brother Book of Lists there is a brief account of how the CIA once staged a hoax involving a blood-scuking demon in the Philippines.
Such figures are commonly refered to as vampires in English language accounts. For instance, Sir Richard Burton translated an Indian legend about a bat winged monster and called it a “vampire” throughout.
The vampire as usually imagined–a being which was once human and which is no longer truly alive, and which feasts on blood–is a European phenomenon, and of comparatively modern origin. The first vampire accounts are said to come from England in the eleventh century. No: I don’t have a cite handy. Much of conventional vampire lore–such as that sunlight is dangerous to them–comes from Hollywood. In Bram Stoker’s novel, for instance, Dracula walks around in the daytime without trouble and this fact excites no comment.
Cultures throughout the world have legends about people or monsters who are shape-shifters, able to adopt the appearance or identity of animals.
The wolfman of Hollywood films is said to have a parallel in some American Indian legends. Otherwise he has his origin in the mid-1930s film The Werewolf of London in which Warner Oland and Henry Hull sprout hair and fangs while otherwise appearing human. It may be remembered that in The Wolfman Lon Chaney Jr. undergoes such a transformation after being attacked by a werewolf who looks precisely like a wolf. This is how werewolves were traditionally described in Euorpean lore (although in his book **The Werewolf** Montague Summers does refer to legends about wolves that walk upright). In addition to werewolves, cultures around the world have legends about were-tigers, were-hyenas, were-bears, etc. In China and in Ireland there are legends of were-foxes.
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