Hoang Nam, a name that is no longer strange to the Vietnamese online community, especially those who love to explore mysterious and creepy things. With the Youtube channel "Challenge Me" with more than 4 million followers, Hoang Nam was once famous for his videos exploring mysterious and creepy places, attracting millions of views.
However, Hoang Nam is not just a Youtuber. He has made an impressive move, entering the film industry as a director. "Den Am Hon" is his first work, a spiritual film with a strong Vietnamese cultural imprint, inspired by the famous story "Nam Xuong Nu Tu Truyen" in the Vietnamese folk literature treasure.
Inspired by literary works
“The Ghost Lamp” is a film introducing dramatic yet mysterious stories revolving around the ghost lamp - the connecting thread between the underworld and the living world. The film was conceived by director Hoang Nam for three years, inspired by “The Tale of Nam Xuong”, recreating the image of Vu Nuong with a rather new approach. The diverse combination of actors from both the North and the South helps create authenticity and intimacy in each frame of the film.
The filming location in Cao Bang created a strong Vietnamese folk atmosphere with a cold, mysterious atmosphere, taking viewers from one surprise to another.
The Ghost Lamp takes place in a Northern village during the war. The young men in the village have joined the army. Among them is Dinh - Thuong's husband. Since then, the young woman has had to single-handedly take care of her mother-in-law, her young child, and grow vegetables to feed the whole family. The family is poor but has enough to eat.
Inspired by the folk tale "The Tale of Nam Xuong", Ghost Lamp is a spiritual film, scheduled to be released on the 10th day of the Lunar New Year, February 7, 2025.
When her mother-in-law passed away, Linh's son was already 4 or 5 years old, and he began to realize his father's absence. Not wanting him to feel sad, Thuong often played ball with him, saying that the shadow on the wall was his father. The life of mother and son passed peacefully like that. Thuong still waited for her husband.
Until one day, Linh picked up a strange lamp while visiting his grandmother. Having his own lamp, the boy lit it every night to see his father. At first, Thuong thought it was because her son missed his father so much, but then she realized the strange things happening around him.
At the same time, the village was haunted by a supernatural force. The possessions attracted the attention of Lieu and her shaman brother Huong. There could not be such a strange coincidence in life. Lieu realized that the boy had accidentally brought an evil spirit to the human world, allowing him to torment the living.
By skillfully combining traditional spiritual elements with advanced filmmaking techniques, director Hoang Nam and the production team hope to bring a new breeze to Vietnamese spiritual films.
"The Ghost Lamp" possesses an extremely rich and abundant source of material, creating a fertile ground for the creativity of filmmakers. Originally built on "The Tale of Nam Xuong", a famous literary work with strong elements of ghost stories, "The Ghost Lamp" has within itself great potential to develop into a terrifying horror film, while touching the hearts of the audience with the touching love story between Thuong and Dinh - two characters built on the model of Vu Nuong and Truong Sinh.
The film's setting was also invested in when filming at impressive locations in Cao Bang bearing the mark of vast, beautiful and mysterious nature.
The flexibility of the original literary work allows filmmakers to exploit a variety of aspects, from horror and spiritual elements to profound human values. "Ghost Lamp" not only promises to bring audiences moments of intense, suspenseful entertainment with creepy, ghostly scenes, but also touches viewers' hearts with the troubled, unfortunate love story between Thuong and Dinh.
"Ghost lights" do not only have spiritual elements.
Not only stopping at the setting of "sacred forest and poisonous water", "Ghost Lamp" also cleverly incorporates many traditional cultural elements, especially ancestor worship customs, into the story. These rituals and customs not only act as catalysts, creating a mysterious and creepy atmosphere for the film, but also serve as a bridge to help the audience understand more deeply the cultural values and good spirits of the Vietnamese people.
Ghost Lamp is a spiritual film with horror and mystery elements but not to scare the audience. Hatred, resentment and love connect two worlds together, the film creates a magical yet warm story.
The theme that "Ghost Lamp" exploits is not only the important bridge between generations, but also delves into traditional spiritual values, which are an indispensable part of the daily life of Vietnamese people. The film touches on profound aspects of the Vietnamese psyche, where the concepts of the afterlife, the connection between the living and the dead, and the belief in the supernatural still exist strongly.
The image of "Ghost Lamp" is not only a symbolic item, but also a connecting thread between the past and the present, between traditional values and modern life. The film helps the audience, especially the young generation, to better understand and appreciate the unique features of the nation's traditional culture. Through the image of "Ghost Lamp", the audience has the opportunity to learn about long-standing customs and practices, about mysterious folk tales, about good moral values passed down from generation to generation.
According to the crew, Ghost Lamp incorporates many spiritual and folk cultural elements: ancestor worship, exorcism ceremony, butterflies announcing the return of loved ones, fortune telling, dogs barking at ghosts...
"Ghost Lamp" is not only a simple horror film, but also a work of deep human values. The film deals with contemporary issues, such as family traditions, male chauvinism, or the difference in life ideals between Vietnamese women in the past and present. These issues are raised in a clever and subtle way, making viewers ponder moral values and the role of women in modern society.
The film realistically and deeply explores the contradictions and conflicts between generations, between tradition and modernity, between the old and the new. Through that, the film conveys meaningful messages about family affection, patriotism, and the will to rise of Vietnamese women. Through that, "The Ghost Lamp" promises to bring audiences unique and new cinematic experiences, while contributing to promoting traditional cultural values of Vietnam to international friends.
