Encounters of the Spooky Kind (Gui Da Gui) (1980)
Runtime: 102 minutes
Directed by: Sammo Hung
Starring: Hung, Fat Chung, Lung Chan, Ha Huang, Tai-Bo
From: Golden Harvest
In this movie’s world, tofu existed since the early 1900’s. Lest you think this movie deserves vegan points, however… a live chicken is beheaded.
Hong Kong humor doesn’t always jive with me. However, in this case this wuxia action/comedy/horror picture was rather effective. Sammo Hung-the star and director-is Bold Cheung, someone who claims to be fearless but naturally that’s an exaggeration. Simply, Cheung’s wife is unknowingly cheating on him with a rich guy that Cheung’s a rickshaw driver for. A sorcerer is hired as he attempts to kill Bold w/ such creatures as a Chinese hopping vampire (Jiangshi) but he receives help from an unexpected source.
It takes awhile but kung-fu eventually appears. It’s not particularly scary per se but it’s still a lot of fun. Besides the Jiangshi and the general witchcraft there’s also a random ghoul who has nothing to do w/ the main plot, a zombie, other creatures I won’t spoil and even a possessed body part at one point. It featured horror elements, action, laughs, and is always imbibed w/ creativity. The final 10 seconds doesn’t sit well w/ everyone; other than that, this was more fun than even I expected.
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