[KFCC] Mr. Vampire Review

Story: When a Taoist priest is called on for advice on how to re-bury a rich man’s father, bad omens suggest that something is terribly wrong. The dead man has become a Vampire, and before long, he attacks his son, leaving the Taoist and his incompetent assistants to do battle with the two Vampires. One of the assistants is feeling less than helpful because he is possessed by a beautiful female ghost who is slowly sapping his life away.

Review: In 1985, Sammo Hung struck upon the idea of a Kung Fu movie with vampires. Acting as producer, he employed Director Ricky Lau and an all-star cast to produce this classic horror-comedy which spawned many sequels and imitators, which can be traced up to the more recent ‘Blade’ movies with Wesley Snipes.

In the first few minutes we are given a crash course in how things work in the world of Mr. Vampire. This is a Chinese vampire, and the rules of battle are a little different from the comparatively fruity Western creatures. The opening struggle to sedate the undead is a defining moment in HK movie history, and a wonderful little set piece. Adamm’s Family style music plays as our heroes use martial arts to get the hopping vampires under control. There is an easy test for those new to HK Vampire films – If this scene entertains you, then you’re in for a wild ride, right through to the later movies in the series.

Things slow down a little for the next half an hour, as monsters give way to some character development and comedy, but don’t worry, it’s the kind of universal comedy that Westerners can still appreciate.

After a while things pick up again, and once they do, it’s a wild ride right through to the closing credits. There is an energy running through Mr. Vampire which is contagious, and the mix of palpable tension and comedy is always pitched just right. Imagine a combination of Evil Dead and The Keystone Cops, with beautifully energetic Kung Fu, and you have an idea of the kind of level we are on.

The cast are perfect. Lam Ching Ying is the main man, and became synonymous with the Taoist Priest role. He stars in most of the sequels, many similar horror movies, and even a couple of Chinese TV series based on the Mr. Vampire series (surely the West deserves to see the series on DVD). Chin Siu Ho is handsome enough to interest the ladies, and displays some fantastic martial arts for the men. Ricky Hui is also brilliant, and proves that there’s nothing funnier than an ugly guy. Even his spoken performance is animated enough to stop the language barrier from being a problem, the man is just inherently funny.

If you haven’t seen Mr. Vampire yet, then you really must get hold of a copy. Funny, scary, original, and by far the best of the series, it deserves it’s place amongst international horror-comedy classics such as ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘The Evil Dead’.