Laying ghosts to rest

The fantasy thriller Mo Jin－The Lost Legend is critically acclaimed for its spectacular depiction of the afterlife.[Photo provided to China Daily]

A film adaptation from the best-selling book series Gui Chui Deng has received critical acclaim for its spectacular depiction of tomb raiders and the afterlife.

The scenes depicting tomb raiders in an upcoming fantasy thriller could be an indication that the country's cinema regulators are loosening up on previously "forbidden" areas, say industry sources.

Mo Jin－The Lost Legend, adapted from the best-selling book series Gui Chui Deng (ghost blows out the light), has received critical acclaim for its spectacular depiction of the afterlife.

The eight-book series－widely regarded as one of China's most popular works of fantasy－contains detailed descriptions of ancient mausoleums and feng shui rules and has sold more than 10 million copies since the first book was published in 2006.

However, turning the work into a film script posed a massive challenge for the producers－China's industry giant Wanda, Huayi Brothers and Enlight Media.

This is because according to an unwritten rule in China's movie regulations, ghosts cannot be portrayed on the big screen, and raiding tombs is an illegal activity that should not be shown.

However these were the two key elements which had fascinated the books' fans.

Director Wuershan and his screenwriter Zhang Jialu seem to have risen to the challenge.

Coincidently, just three months ago, Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe－the first feature movie based on books from the series－was fiercely criticized by fans for excessive rewriting of the story.

In the Chronicles movie made by LeTV, ghosts are portrayed as alien creatures who came to earth thousands of years ago.