Welcome to the Nightwalks…

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Back in 2023, there was a viral trend on TikTok concerning a horror movie named “Untold.” But how did it start and where did it originate from? Was it even a real film?

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Untold the horror movie was said to be on Netflix. Indie horror films have had an easier time gaining attention on the internet in recent years, and fans of the genre are often on the hunt for something that might have slipped under their radar when it was initially released.

The TikTok account “MR. MOVIE” first mentioned the movie Untold, uploading a video in which he explained everything he claimed to know about the film, with a poster for the film in the background. The poster had a ghost in the centre and text saying it was based on a true story, and on the bottom it gave a website for the film and the release date of March the 7th. Mr. Movie said Untold was added to Netflix in March 2023. He also said the film was so terrifying that, according to a “Netflix algorithm report” 96% of viewers of it stopped watching 9 minutes and 45 seconds into it. Mr. Movie said he was one of the people who actually managed to see it all the way through, and that it was the most frightening thing he’d ever seen.

Mr. Movie’s video about Untold went viral.

However, Mr. Movie is in fact a movie parody account, and it has posted many spoof videos. Untold isn’t a real film. There were various clues in the video that revealed this: the so-called “Netflix report” about the film was actually a bit of paperwork from a cat clinic, with the vet’s letterhead visible in the shot. The website for the film was defunct.

If you were to look at Mr. Movie’s other videos, you’d find other weird fake movie reviews including one for Joe’s Noodles supposedly starring Brad Pitt.

Commentators on the video either expressed their curiosity and frustration at not being able to find the film, or played along with the joke by saying they had seen it and adding other details. One comment said Untold was “about a movie that doesn’t really exist and everyone looking for it becomes crazy and murderous”.

Related to this viral phenomenon, there was a rumour going around on TikTok about Netflix having a mysterious “Schmunguss” category, that was believed to feature a collection of films that had the word Schmunguss in their titles. This rumour was also circulating in 2023, but was more obviously untrue (what the hell even is a “Schmunguss” anyway?)

The idea for Untold could have been inspired by horror films like The Ring (released in 2002, about a journalist who discovers a cursed video tape that causes anyone who views it to die seven days later).

Ironically enough, in 2025, a psychological horror film entitled “Untold” was released. One could argue that the film did exist, but was just chronologically challenged:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untold_(film)

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Sources

screenrant.com

decider.com

thecinemaholic.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untold_(film)

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Since the dawn of civilisation in Japan, there have been spirits and deities known as kami, which became part of the ancient Shinto religion. There are thousands of different types of kami, categorised in different ways.

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The Japanese kami (or kamigami in the plural) are not only gods, goddesses, and ghosts. They can be personifications of elements in the landscape (mountains, rivers, lakes) or forces of nature (e.g. earthquakes, typhoons, floods, volcanic eruptions) or the spirits of revered dead people – or even the spirits of family ancestors. Traditionally, leaders like the Emperor could become kami after they died.

Some kami are thought of as the ancient forebears of entire clans. Some kamigami can be yokai as well (for example, the tengu, which I did some research on a few weeks ago), though the yokai are something a little bit different to kami.

Hidden from human eyes in the world known as shinkai, kami possess both good and evil qualities. They are manifestations of musubi or the energy of the cosmos. They’re in charge of the awesome aspects of nature and are sequestered in sacred places, natural phenomena, or the people during rituals that ask for their blessing. Kami never stay in one place of worship, but are always moving from place to place. Like the gods of ancient Greece  or the Norse gods, kami have flaws and aren’t always omniscient or omnipotent. They are incapable of ignoble actions though.

The Shinto religion has no known founder, main doctrine, or religious texts. The Records of Ancient Matters, written in 712 AD, contains some of the earliest records of creation myth, and also describes kami.

Being capable of both extreme good and extreme evil, kami have two minds or two souls – a nurturing, loving mindset or nigi-mitama if respected and paid attention to, and a destructive mindset or ara-mitama if they are disrespected or ignored.

In Yamakage Shinto, kami have an extra two souls on top of the first couple – happy (saki-mitama) and mysterious (kushi-mitama).

The Records of Ancient Matters list 300 different classes of kami, all with different functions, e.g. the kami of winds, the kami of roads, and so on. This book and the Chronicles of Japan in 720 AD recorded ancient myths and laid out genealogies for the main kami, especially those thought to be related to the Imperial Family. These books also describe how the kami shaped the world and human society.

In return for humans keeping them content, the kami have a duty to enact the function of the place, object, or idea they reside in. The number of kami has grown throughout the centuries since the Record of Ancient Matters was written – in contemporary times, there are over 2,446000 kami enshrined in Tokyo’s Yasukuni Shrine alone.

Various kami have had their roles change over time as well. The kami originally in charge of smallpox became responsible for all contagious illnesses, and the kami of boils and growths became responsible for cancers and cancer treatments.

History

In the early Shinto or Koshinto animistic beliefs that occurred before Buddhism arrived (during the Jomon period, 10,000 BC – 300 BC) kami were earth spirits assisting the hunter-gatherers in daily life. They were gods of the mountains and sea, ghosts, the sun, waterfalls, boulders, animals, trees, grasses, thunder, echoes, foxes or fox spirits, or Asian dragons.

As the growing of rice became more widespread in Japan, the kami were held responsible for things needed for growing crops and sustenance, such as rain, rice, and earth. Ceremonies were conducted to persuade the kami to help grow and protect the harvest, and these rituals were a symbol of strength and power for the Emperors.

There is one early story of the first Emperor being the grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu. The goddess sent him down to Earth with five grains of rice from the fields of heaven, which he used to cultivate the wilderness.

The sacred spirit kami or Goryo came along a bit later, after social and political strife. The Goryo were angry spirits of the dead whose lives ended too soon, but the worship from followers of Shinto quelled them. Nowadays, they are believed to punish the people who disrespect the kami.

As time went on, the worship of Kami incorporated elements from Buddhism and other foreign religions. Dead heroes, emperors, and scholars became enshrined and expanded the roster of divine beings.

The ancestral spirits who are kami include ancestors of the Imperial House of Japan, ancestors of noble families, as well as the ancestors of all people. Other spirits who are kami are spirits of the land, skills, and occupations, spirits of heroes or of those who have done great deeds or shown great virtue, or who have helped human welfare, culture or civilisation in some way, those who have died for the community, and the “pitiable dead.” (Spirits that are weaker than humans are also considered kami, not just spirits superior to humans.)

There are three main types of kami: Amatsukami, (the heavenly deities), Kunitsukami (the earthly gods), and Magatsukami (the destructive or evil kami). Deceased humans who become kami are classified as Hitogami (human kami). These types aren’t rigidly set in stone because kami have flexible and constantly evolving natures.

Examples of Kami

• The sun goddess and chief goddess of Shinto, Amaterasu Omikami
• Ebisu (one of the seven gods of fortune)
• Fujin (god of the wind, half-human, half-demon. Brother of Raijin / Raiden)
• Hachiman (god of war, was originally god of fishing and agriculture)
• Inari Okami (goddess of agriculture and rice, business, fertility, and the protection of women. Associated with foxes or the kitsune, the many-tailed fox messenger)
• Izanagi-no-Mikoto (the first human male)
• Izanami-no-Mikoto (the first human female)
• Kotoamatsukami (the primary kami trinity, progenitors that appeared from nothing, created the world)
• Omoikane (god of wisdom)
• Raijin / Raiden (god of thunder, lightning, and storms)
• Ryujin (dragon god of the sea and storms, the ancestor of Jinmu, the first Emperor of Japan in the myths)
• Susanoo-no-Mikoto (god of the sea and storms, also a trickster god)
• Sarutahiko Okami (the kami of earth)
• Tenjin (god of poetry and scholarship)
• Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto (the moon god)
• Suijin (kami of water. Associated with dragons, snakes, and Kappa)

More major and minor kami are listed here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Japanese_deities

Appearances and Powers

Kami don’t have fixed anthropomorphic forms like the gods of Western religions. Unseen, they are perceived through their effects or symbolised by objects or places.

For example, the sun goddess Amaterasu is symbolised by mirrors or the red circle on the Japanese flag. Hachiman is symbolised by a pigeon. Tenjin is represented by an ox.

The huge cedars on Yakushima Island are treated as living kami, embodying the spirit of the Earth. They are an example of yorishiro, temporary vessels kami are called to descend into to worship them. Other such vessels can be mirrors, stones, mountains…

However, in art and myth, some kami are shown with humanoid shapes or animal traits like the fox messengers of Inari.

As well as controlling events in nature, kami are believed to give good luck, health, protection, or inspire creativity or bravery.

Kami have been included in animes like Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke. They have inspired mangas, video games, and traditional art.

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Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kami

What Is Kami? Shinto Gods & Sacred Spirits in Japan Explained

https://www.kanpai-japan.com/religion-and-spirituality-in-japan/the-main-shinto-gods

https://japaneserituals.com/kami/

https://japan-avenue.com/blogs/japan/kami

Kami

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From August the 12th / 13th until September the 10th this year, it’s Ghost Month or Hungry Ghost Month in China, with the Hungry Ghost Festival on August the 26th / 27th. But what does this all involve, and what led to its customs and traditions?

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Since ancient times, China has worshipped the dead in the seventh lunar month of the year. It is said that on the first day of that month, the gate to the underworld opens wide and for 28 days after that, ghosts are out and about until the gate closes again. Sacrifices and prayers are made to the gods to ensure safety during this time, and certain amulets are carried to repel evil or bad luck.

According to ancient Chinese beliefs, those who died in a normal way could reincarnate, but anyone who died guilty or who died by accident would wander the mortal realm as ghosts. Evil spirits could take the chance to cause disasters and accidents that cause more living people to die. Anyone who unexpectedly dies during Ghost Month is said to have been “taken away by ghosts”.

The spirits of ancestors are also thought to pay a visit to their families. But it’s the ghosts who wander without living descendants who need appeasing.

On the first day of Ghost Month, households either put on a feast or prepare fruits and desserts to show respect. The idea behind this is that whatever accepts your food cannot bring you trouble. People light incense at their doorways and offer such things as rice and tea as well, and clean their homes.

On the second day, public places such as shops and offices offer a food sacrifice.

The Hungry Ghost Festival or Zhongyuan Festival falls on the fifteenth day, when there is a full moon. During the night and early hours of that morning, ghosts gather and evil spirits amass. During the Festival, individuals burn joss paper or paper money by the side of the road and invoke their ancestors or ghosts with sacrifice. On the sixteenth day, public places follow suit.

The sacrifices are put on altars that are on the ground and not raised above it, because it is thought that hungry ghosts are too restless to approach high-up spaces.

During the Festival, theatrical troupes would often be invited to perform for the gods and entertain the guests at outdoor banquets. These days, China encourages more frugality so the sacrifice event is usually simpler, though Chinese opera and puppet shows are still held for the entertainment of the living and the dead.

Later on, some communities float lanterns on rivers to help guide the spirits. This happens at the start of the final week.

On the final day of Ghost Month, the ghosts return to the underworld and the gate is closed. People give sacrifices on this day to ask for safety during the rest of the year, and clean their homes again.

Some people distribute rice and other foods to the poor during the month.

There are various rules for Ghost Month to ensure good luck and to avoid being attacked or “taken by the ghosts.”

Children, the elderly, and other sensitive people avoid going outside at night during that month.

People avoid going into the sea or other bodies of water. It is thought that spirits in the water are looking for bodies to reincarnate in and will try to drown those who go swimming.

People avoid playing any sort of supernatural game.

Understandably, people avoid having elective surgeries during Ghost Month as well.

Other things avoided include moving house, launching businesses, holding any weddings, crying or shedding tears at midnight (crying in daylight is fine, but tears shed at midnight can call the ghosts to you), and tapping someone on the shoulder.

There is a Chinese belief that the human body has three fires – one on the head and one on each shoulder. Tapping someone on the shoulder is thought to briefly extinguish the fire there and create a weakness towards the ghosts, especially if the person tapped is in bad health.

Other taboos during Ghost Month:

• Calling someone by their name (ghosts can take three souls and the six senses of those you call by name)
• Glancing behind you when out walking in the countryside or somewhere sparsely populated, especially if you think someone is calling after you
• Talking about ghosts outside during the night. Speaking positive words doesn’t matter, but if you say anything criticising ghosts or the dead, watch out. Something unfortunate could happen to you!
• Hanging clothes outside at night. Ghosts like living people’s clothes and will touch them or borrow them, which is not good for you.
• Sitting in the front row of the audience during the performances. The seats at the front are reserved for the ghosts. Something bad may happen to you if you take one of their seats.
• Opening umbrellas inside the house. This may attract evil spirits because they don’t like exposure to the light.
• Taking the last bus or the last train. These are thought to be used by the ghosts, so if you board the last one you’re basically sitting surrounded by spirits.
• Whistling. Ghosts hear whistling as a call for attention from them.
• Hammering at midnight.
• Picking up money from the side of the road. This is seen as money belonging to the dead, or might have been used in a marriage ceremony for people already dead. Take it and risk being haunted. (This also applies to picking up random objects from the roadside.)
• Leaning against walls. Spirits travel along walls, and you could be blocking their path.
• Renovating or otherwise disturbing the ground. This would annoy earth spirits.
• Staying up late at night. This gets you haunted.
• Plunging chopsticks into a plate of food. This is like putting incense into a burner and is seen by the ghosts as you inviting them to eat with you.
• Eating sacrifices. Do this and you will be competing with the ghosts for food, bringing yourself bad luck.
• Celebrating your birthday at night (during the day is fine).
• Leaving slippers pointing towards the bed. This encourages ghosts to get in the bed with you.
• Having a banyan tree outside your gate. Ghosts like to gather around these trees and it can lead to having a haunted house.
• Hanging a windchime near the bed. This invites ghosts to haunt your sleep.
• Taking photos at night. The ghosts might appear in the resulting pictures.
• Shining a torch over a tree. This could wake up any spirits inside the tree.

Amulets and good-luck talismans are carried around, which include prayer beads, coarse salt, glutinous rice, crosses, and lodestones.

Actions encouraged during Ghost Month include honouring your ancestors, doing charitable work, meditating or self-reflecting, deep cleaning and decluttering, planning and preparing for new ventures (but not starting anything new), and practicing gratitude.

Ghost Month is observed not just in mainland China but in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Origins & History

The Ghost Month combines practices from both Daoist and Buddhist traditions.

In Daoism, the 15th of the 7th lunar month is the birthday of the Earth Official (Di Guan) who is one of three officials believed to judge humanity’s actions. On this day the balance between yin and yang changes, making the boundary between realms weaker.

In Buddhism, this time was Ullambana Sutra, when the disciple Maudgalyayana attempted to rescue his mother from her suffering in the world of hungry ghosts. The Buddha advised him to make offerings to monks on the 15th of the seventh month, which gave rise to the idea of the Ghost Festival.

Over the centuries, these merged with local folk customs to create the Ghost Month as we know it today.

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Sources

https://www.yourchineseastrology.com/calendar/ghost-month.htm

https://www.yourchineseastrology.com/calendar/ghost-month-taboos.htm

https://www.fengshuiwithjackson.com/article-august-ghost-month.html

Chinese Ghost Month 2026: Traditions, Taboos, and Meaning