China Will Decide What Movies You Watch, Got It?

Oh China, what are we going to do with you? Mere hours after the first high-profile lawmaker called for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies, the Chinese government responded to concerns about its record on human rights the way that you thought it would: By banning scary movies. Yep, it's now illegal in Beijing to sell a copy of Hostel: Part II for the duration of the Games.

Producers have around three weeks to look through their tapes for "horror" and report it to authorities, the General Administration of Press and Publications said in a statement posted on the government Web site. Offending content included "wronged spirits and violent ghosts, monsters, demons, and other inhuman portrayals, strange and supernatural storytelling for the sole purpose of seeking terror and horror," the administration said.

So, the following are definitely banned:

• Halloween. • Friday the 13th • The Exorcist • Planet Terror

On the bubble:

• Ghost Dad • Addams Family Values • The Mummy II • King Kong

Although horrible and frightening, probably OK:

• Over Her Dead Body • Jumper • Any Given Sunday • Good Luck Chuck

Instant death penalty if caught with:

• Fool's Gold

But seriously; WTF, China? With all the genuine misery occurring on in the world that you could help stop, you have the police running around confiscating copies of Alien Vs. Predator? And I thought our priorities were messed up.

Regulators Now Spooked By Ghost Stories [Yahoo News]