I watched the above movie (Blood Ties) to gather points on popular misconceptions on what happens after death, for delivering this Dharma talk: https://moonpointer.com/new/2009/08/debunking-the-top-10-myths-of-the-7th-month As I kind of expected, there were many. Here they are –
[1] Guanyin Bodhisattva was not a Hindu god; s/he is Buddhist in origin.
[2] Vengeance is pointless and endless if all return as wandering spirits to kill one another; it can never be conclusive.
[3] Not all the deceased will return on the seventh night; they might have been reborn before that.
[4] There will not be ‘dissipation’ of the consciousness after the seventh night; there can be rebirth before or after.
[5] It is unhealthy for both the deceased and survivors to anticipate return on the seventh night, as it leads to attachment.
[6] Whether the last breath is caught before dying is unimportant; it is the quality of the last thought that determines the kind of rebirth.
[7] There are more realms than heaven and hell; there are the realms of hungry ghosts, animals, asuras and devas too.
[8] It is not so easy to possess or be possessed; if it is, there would be chaos all over.
[9] A good rebirth cannot be expected after unrepentant murder out of vengeance.
[10] Those with white hair can ‘send off’ those with black hair during funerals; in fact, it is a good reminder of how impermanence can strike suddenly.
During last year’s seventh lunar month season, there was another movie released (A Month of Hungry Ghosts), along the theme of ghosties too. From the Buddhist perspective, it has many misconceptions too. Here they are – http://moonpointer.com/index.php?itemid=2477