Question about death and dying in terms of horror genre

[fcgamer | 4,729]

So I was thinking about this the other day: If you die a bad death or are murdered, and then your soul is reincarnated, will the reincarnated version of yourself also be forced to suffer some sort of untimely / bad death unless something is done to break the cycle? Or isn't this a given, i.e. the next life can play out peacefully under normal conditions, as if it were just a completely brand new iteration, which has absolutely nothing to do with the previous life / death?

Then again, for that matter, are folks that end in dying in an untimely, bad way even able to reincarnate at all, or do they all become destined to haunt the area of their demise? Or does it depend on the sorts of rituals performed after one's death, i.e. purifying rituals and stuff like that?

I've been thinking about this recently in the scope of horror films and stories, as well as in folk beliefs. Let's discuss, and concrete examples would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[DefaultGen | 5,412]

Where do stumps fit into all this?

[fcgamer | 4,729]

1 hour ago, DefaultGen said:

Where do stumps fit into all this?

I never actually thought about stumps, aside from WW.

For the other questions/ponderings, it's because I'm preparing to write (and possibly film) a short horror piece. 

[Ankos | 442]

6 hours ago, fcgamer said:

So I was thinking about this the other day: If you die a bad death or are murdered, and then your soul is reincarnated, will the reincarnated version of yourself also be forced to suffer some sort of untimely / bad death unless something is done to break the cycle? Or isn't this a given, i.e. the next life can play out peacefully under normal conditions, as if it were just a completely brand new iteration, which has absolutely nothing to do with the previous life / death?

Then again, for that matter, are folks that end in dying in an untimely, bad way even able to reincarnate at all, or do they all become destined to haunt the area of their demise? Or does it depend on the sorts of rituals performed after one's death, i.e. purifying rituals and stuff like that?

I've been thinking about this recently in the scope of horror films and stories, as well as in folk beliefs. Let's discuss, and concrete examples would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

What I usually hear is that a person's final thoughts can be a big influence on how they reincarnate, not so much how they died. I'll see if I can dig up a source for that

[Tabonga | 2,323]

For such maunderings I really liked the way that Happy Death Day and The Butterfly Effect dealt with it.  Both presented repeated changes to fix a bad situation but the fixes each created new problems until things gotten straightened out as well as they ever would. I particularly like the resolution of The Butterfly Effect since the main character finally snapped to the reality that the only way not to hurt any of his friends in the end was to not get everything that he wanted.

[Strange | 1,700]

Caveat I don’t believe in anything. Religion, astrology, any of it. Sorry if that seems cynical but it’s just how I believe at the moment.

My mom just passed. It was a horrifying experience. Seriously, if you have to outlive someone you love then pray it isn’t cancer because watching that disease take her body in her final moments was more horrifying than anything any piece of media could have prepared me for.

That being said, if there is any justice in this universe then I hope she is, in some capacity, with her father now. He died 5 years ago of the exact same type of cancer. They were so alike. Despite me not believing in anything I do find comfort in imagining something like that.

My grandfather/her dad was a wildlife photographer in Germany and a very talented one at that. Birds were his favorite. Whenever a blue jay or red cardinal would visit my mom would say it was her dad. That’s another fun/comforting thought. So whenever I see a bird hanging around I try to think of them.

Edited November 8, 2023 by Strange

[Reed Rothchild | 9,547]

I also don't believe any human knows anything about the matter.  People who claim otherwise are charlatans for the most part, preying on human weakness. Hot edgy take, amirite?

But on a lighter note, if we're talking horror movies, let's go with It Follows rules.  When you die, death acts like a reverse STD 

[Tanooki | 4,936]

Time to contact John Edward

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

[Ankos | 442]

5 hours ago, Ankos said:

What I usually hear is that a person's final thoughts can be a big influence on how they reincarnate, not so much how they died. I'll see if I can dig up a source for that

Page 37 (51 of the PDF since there are some non-numbered pages) mentions the dying thoughts thing. "Realm" in this context refers to more of a state rather than a place. Like reincarnating into a human, or an animal, or a hungry ghost. This is a translation of an older source, so maybe it should be taken with a grain of salt

 

[cartman | 195]

A ghost by definition would be metaphysical so it wouldn't really make sense that it suffers the same fate as the physical body. 

Also it wouldn't benefit to an exciting plot very much. If you've come back with a vengance yet are powerless enough to get shot/stabbed again it kind of defeats the purpose of coming back. The ghost has to be overpowering whoever he's haunting, and when he's defeated it has to have taken some effort.

But maybe i'm missing the gist of your question.