Okay, here is an English summary for the movie "Death Records" (死亡档案), assuming it follows the typical genre conventions of a Chinese horror/thriller film with that title.
Movie Title: Death Records (死亡档案)
Logline: When a cynical and grieving detective is forced to investigate a series of baffling deaths linked to a mysterious old mortuary, he uncovers a horrifying truth about the past, present, and the unnatural connection between the living and the dead.
Plot Summary:
Detective Liu Chen (or a similar name), haunted by a personal tragedy and struggling with cynicism, is assigned to a seemingly straightforward case involving a series of unexplained deaths occurring around an abandoned or newly reopened mortuary in a desolate part of the city. Official reports are inconclusive, and the scene feels strangely off.
His investigation leads him back to the mortuary, a place shrouded in local superstition and rumour. As he delves deeper, following cryptic clues and interviewing reluctant witnesses (like a reclusive mortician, former employees, or grieving families), he begins to uncover inconsistencies and disturbing patterns.
Liu Chen discovers that the mortuary might be connected to a dark secret, possibly involving illegal activities during a specific historical period (like the Cultural Revolution or war), where records were falsified, and perhaps even unrecorded deaths were handled there. The "Death Records" could refer to both the official logs and the hidden, unspeakable truths buried within the place.
He starts experiencing unexplained phenomena – unsettling sounds, seeing fleeting shadows, finding objects moved, and feeling watched. He suspects the mortuary is haunted, not by simple ghosts, but by the lingering怨气 (yuànqì resentful spirits) of those whose deaths were not properly recorded or who were treated with disrespect or cruelty.
The investigation becomes increasingly dangerous. Liu Chen finds himself stalked by shadowy figures who seem to want the truth buried. He realizes the connection between the past crimes hidden in the mortuary and the current deaths might be literal – perhaps the spirits are seeking justice, or perhaps they are manifestations of the unresolved trauma, even possessing the living.
The climax involves Liu Chen confronting the source of the horror – perhaps the original perpetrator(s), a vengeful spirit, or the very architecture of the mortuary which holds the trapped energy. He must not only solve the present murders but also confront the historical sins that haunt the living and the dead, potentially risking his own life to close the loop and find peace.
The film likely ends ambiguously or terrifyingly, suggesting the horror might not be entirely over, or that the line between life and death, and the secrets held within "Death Records," is more blurred than he ever imagined.
Themes: Haunting, grief, justice, the consequences of past wrongdoings, the nature of the afterlife, the thin veil between reality and superstition, confronting the past.
This summary covers the common elements found in movies with titles like "Death Records" in the Chinese horror genre.
