Mr. Vampire

The most important film in the kyonsi (jiangshi) subgenre (hopping vampires who can suck blood through their long fingernails) of Hong Kong movies is Mr. Vampire produced by Sammo Hung's Bo Ho Films Company which would help bring out another important Hong Kong horror/comedy in "Spooky Encounters". This comedic/horror is a mixture of Cantonese comedy, Taoist priests, sticky rice, chicken blood and a dash of kung fu that has become a perennial viewing of mine during the Halloween season. Its success did not go unnoticed and spawned many sequels and imitators many directed by the same director as this movie Ricky Lau Koon-Wai and starring mono eye-browed Taoist priest (fat-si) Lam Ching Ying. It also had local critical success and would be nominated for several Hong Kong awards including Best Picture (which Police Story would win), Best Director, two best supporting actors (Lam Ching Ying and Ricky Hui). It would win for Best Original Film Score.

It is said that when someone dies in anger a breath is caught in the throat. Nothing can exasperate this more than burying the body in an area with bad Feng Shui. Mr. Yam (Huang Ha: Spooky Encounters) has been having inauspicious luck since the burial of his father and has hired Master Ko (Lam Ching Ying: Prodigal Son) to help move the body to sacred ground. Every great master must have bumbling protégés and Ko has two in Man Chor (Ricky Hui: Plain Jane to the Rescue) and Chow Chun (Chin Siu-Ho: The Tai-Chi Mater). Hui (brother to Sam and Michael Hui who are also famous HK comedians) plays his role quite well and is adroit with his comedic timing (watch him in the background in many scenes; always busy) while Chin is more of a face in this movie (though he has an extensive martial arts background). Guess who gets the romantic role in this movie?

Part of the problem of having blundering help mixed with caring for the undead is the possibility (probability) of letting a ravenous choleric blood-sucking corpse loose on the populous. Because of an improperly sealed casket, Grandpa Yam (Yuen Wah: Eastern Condors) escaped from his coffin and killed his son unbeknownst to inept police officer Wai (Billy Lau Nam-Kwong) who believes Master Ko is responsible and arrests him. However, younger Yam's corpse is slowly turning into a wandering cadaver (like father, like son) whose body is set in viewing distance of the jailed Ko. Later, Man Chor gets injured by the springy corpse's vampire-like nails while protecting Yam's daughter Ting Ting (Moon Lee Choi-Fung) and similar to the effects of European vampires bite wounds he will slowly turn into one unless prevented somehow. Meanwhile, Chow Chun is having problems of his own with a beautiful ghost named Jade (Pauline Wong) who has tricked him into falling in love with her. Some of this story does remind me of Kenji Mizoguchi's Ugetsu (the house of the spirit and the way Ko helps repel Jade by the characters drawn on Chow Chun), but there are many Chinese stories that have used these elements before Ugetsu.

If I was to nitpick about the deficiencies of this movie I would state the abrupt ending as the biggest one -- a bane of many Hong Kong films. Also, the chicken violence, which is real, might offend some (Harry Angel would like it) as well as the removal of a gallbladder from a snake - which is also real (though after watching Shaw Brothers release Killer Snakes I have become numb to small amounts of slithering serpent violence). I know some might not like the broad humor associated with Cantonese comedy, but I have come to appreciate much of it.

However, there is much to appreciate from the dancing and comedic aspects of Ricky Hui to the effective use of Kung Fu and stunts. The secondary plot of the ghost love story also worked well for me. The introduction of the female ghost brought into the story was one of the most beautiful shots in the film marred only by an annoying sound effect. And like a good comedy should it finished off with a laugh. During this scene and the end credits there is a wonderful song used named Gwai San Neung "Ghost Bride" performed by the Kit Yi Chorus. The main strength of this film is that it sticks well to its premise of a comedy and does unnecessarily mix dramatic elements.

There should not be a discussion about this film without mentioning the austere pillar performance of Lam Ching Ying. This performance is analogous to Vincent Price in which a career defining House of Wax (1953) set forth a years of horror for Vincent Price. Both actors had years of experience in various genres before their "breakout" horror roles, both had excellent roles before (Prodigal Son for Lam and Baron of Arizona for Price) and would later have lucrative but strongly typecast roles offered to them afterwards. Lam's rendition of this Taoist priest is so perfect in its entirety (his athletic skills certainly help) that he has become a cult icon in certain circles. Like all good Taoists, he knows the value of sticky rice and its many ubiquitous powers of healing.

Along with Spooky Encounters this is a must watch movie from the Hong Kong comedy/horror oeuvre and perfect for introducing kyonsi to your friends -- as long as they do not like chickens (or snakes) and you have friends of course.

The Fox/Fortune Star R1 release of Mr. Vampire is a good basic release. There are no dubtitles and the film is uncut. There is an English dub, a genuine Cantonese mono track and it is presented in a nice looking widescreen transfer. Unfortunately, like most of the Fox/Fortune Star releases you only get trailers as extras. Here is another example where the best release is the R2 Hong Kong Legends version (like so many of the Hong Kong martial art films on the Fox/Fortune releases). Though the Fox/Fortune Star R1 and Fortune Star R0 releases are the only ones I know of with the original mono (big plus for me).

My wife came across this video on Netflix and when I watched it at her suggestion I decided it was a "must have". I couldn't believe the slap stick Chinese "goofiness" I saw in this movie. You may have to put a few brain cells on hold but sit back and allow yourself to loosen up and laugh.

There was a time when I believed this to be a 5-star film, but I let my bias of the film influence my rating of "Mr. Vampire." This film brings back a lot of memories to me, therefore, I have deleted the original review, and given this newer review so that other amazon reviewers will have a truly honest depiction of this film. The only other time I have deleted a review was with "Boxer's Omen," which I initially gave a 3-star rating to, and changed to a 2-star rating. It is great to see parody in any genre. Moreover, it is necessary at times. Which brings us to this unique film, "Mr. Vampire." Having first seen the film many years ago, I originally owned the VHS tape which was pretty choppy and bad to say the least. The film has action, horror, and comedy. Those who are into action based films, however, will not find the martial arts as action based as you might like, but the film does serve as a parody of Martial Arts.

I don't wish to spoil the film for those of you who have not viewed the film, therefore, I will leave out the more funnier scenes. The film centers on one Master Ko (Ching-Ying Lam) and his two assistants, Chou (Siu-hou Chin) and Man Choi (Ricky Hui) Master Ko is in the business of controlling vampires. Both he and his assistants [bumbling ones at that] are in for one funny romp. They are trying to control the reawakened corpse of a man who has been dead for many years. However, things backfire, and the viewer is in for a somewhat funny romp, as the use of slapstick is employed in this eastern version of vampires. The film spoofs Kung Fu and gives a slightly comedic twist to the horror genre. Also, the Chinese bureaucracy and the police are lampooned in a funny way.

Yes, there are silly parts to the film, but it is done in a comedic way, and never tries to take itself seriously. Which is one of the reasons I initially liked this film a lot. Also, while garlic is the recipe in the West for controlling vampires: English and American films in particular, in China--it's sticky rice. Some will find this film entertaining. With Master Ko up to his elbows in trying to help his two assistant's Man Choi and Chou from falling prey to the vampire curse they now battle, he also finds himself up against one tough super powerful vampire. I recommend the film with caution. Upon recent viewing, I realized that the film was not as funny as I once though it was. It is for required tastes only, therefore, rent it first.

Don't let the title mislead you. The film title should have been translated as Mr. Zoombie instead of Mr. Vampire as these hopping ghosts are what we called zoombie. When the film was first released in the 80's, it was titled as Temporarily Stop Your Breathing. It was an enormous hit throughout Asia. 2 or 3 sequels were made afterwards. It also created a zoombie sensation in Japan. Among the Chinese zoombie movie, this one stood out the most as it succeeded in all three genres that it tried to achieve: action, comedy and horror.

Mr. Vampire, along with Chinese Ghost Story 1, is among my favorite films from the 80's.

Hop, hop and hop.

"Mr. Vampire" is a movie for people tired of angsty, gorgeous vampires with thick Transylvanian accents.

Instead, this hilarious supernatural comedy has a different kind of vampire -- the superstrong, zombielike "hopping vampire." And dealing with the hopping vampires are a long-suffering Taoist priest and his bumbling assistants, who add all sorts of wacky twists.

Master Gau (Ching-Ying Lam) agrees to help the wealthy Yam family move their patriarch's body -- until he sees the undecayed body. Turns out Grandpa is a vampire. And after his bumbling assistants fail to properly restrain the vampire, it gets loose, kills its son, and now the vampire hunters are facing TWO vampires instead of one.

To make matters worse, Man Choi (Ricky Hui) has been infected with vampire toxin, which will turn him into a vampire if they can't cure him with sticky rice, and Chou (Siu-hou Chin) is being seduced at night by a ghost. Master Gau must cure one, save the other, and somehow destroy a superpowerful vampire that invades the Yam household.

"Mr. Vampire" was such a success in China that it started a whole trend of "hopping vampire" movies. But as with most trends, the original is still the best and more entertaining example. And it incorporates traditional vampires and succubi from China, as well as little-known mythical trivia (such as sticky rice being the "garlic" for a Chinese vampire).

Expect lots of Peter Jacksonish twisted humor (Man Choi having his fangs filed down) alongside the more typical kind (Chou and Man Choi cast a spell to make their romantic rival strip in public). But when the vampires show up, there are plenty of wild, undignified action scenes. And lots of property damage -- they break every piece of furniture they come across.

The late Ching-Ying Lam became a star thanks to this movie, and his staid, unibrowed priest is a likable guy when you consider everything he has to deal with. Hui and Chin are hysterical as a pair of earnest but hormonal guys. They're kind of an annoyance when Gau isn't actually fighting vampires, but perhaps they're good for doing errands.

(Fortunately they also cleaned up the subtitling on this movie. The original subtitling was comically bad, but the new ones are are very well done)

"Mr Vampire" is one of China's better supernatural comedies, with weird vampires and lots of sticky rice. Hysterical and warped.