Review: The Kung Fu Horror genre is a unique area of HK cinema which has it’s roots in Chinese mythology and, during the 80’s in particular, created it’s own distinctive cinematic legends to rival the horror norms of western film. There are some genuine classics out there, such as ‘Encounters of the Spooky Kind’ and ‘Mr Vampire’, there are a great number of films which seem to survive on no more than an attention grabbing title. ‘Kung Fu From Beyond the Grave’ is not a total loss, but despite the inclusion of plenty of supernatural activity and plenty of genre staples, the result is an altogether forgettable experience.

The Kung Fu Horror checklist has been strictly adhered to. There are two wizards, one using black magic to protect the bad guy, and one to aid our protagonist. Magic involves pseudo-Taoist rituals involving dog’s blood, yellow incantation paper, incense and frantic chanting.. There is a family of Kyonsi chasing people around, and the spirits of murdered innocents haunt the local forest. It’s all pretty standard stuff, but lack of invention leaves this characterless film lacking somewhat. During one fight, Dracula himself takes on the family of ghouls, but the scene quickly descends into a lot of noisy, pointless running around the set.

The plot is wafer thin, the direction stilted and forced, and the compulsory dubbing is awful. ‘Kung Fu from Beyond the Grave’ may have studied the incantations carefully, but it lacks the magic to gain immortality.