Review: In 1987, Tsui Hark continued his reinvention of Hong Kong cinema with this collaboration with Ching Siu-tung. A Chinese Ghost Story is a remake of Li Han-shiang’s Enchanting Shadow (itself an adaptation of writer Pu Song-ling's The Magic Sword); a story of a restless ‘fox spirit’ Nieh Hsiao-tsing (Joey Wong) who falls in love with her mortal victim Ning Tsai-shen (Leslie Cheung). This hapless tax collector wanders into town on collecting duty but as the rain has ruined his record book he is unable to collect anything. With no money he is forced to seek shelter at the Lan Yeuk temple unaware of the fact that it is haunted. Later that night Tsai-shen meets Hsiao-tsing, who instead of snaring him for her master/mistress, a transsexual Tree Demon (referred to as the “Old Dame” in the HKL subtitles), she falls for Tsai-shen and a romance ensues. Tsai-shen vows to save her from the Tree Demon, as well as free her from her obligation to marry the evil Lord of the Dark Mountain with help from the Taoist swordsman Yen (Wu Ma).

The film's choice of protagonist is very effective. The audience is encouraged to identify with Leslie Cheung as he, like the audience, discovers the spiritual underworld as the movie progresses. As a tax-collecting scholar, he comes from a world of tangible science, facts and figures, yet by quirk of fate soon finds himself stuck in the middle of two opposing worlds. This idea is encapsulated perfectly in the film by a shot of Cheung standing between the blades of two dueling swordsmen in a contest beyond his understanding. While Wu Ma plays the film's "action hero," the film subjects Cheung to the supernatural evil. While far from a horror film in the traditional sense (i.e. a film that tries to scare the audience as well as the characters), A Chinese Ghost Story teases the audiences with the prospect of a frightful confrontation between Cheung and the stop-motion ghouls that are slowly creeping up from the shadows under the floorboards. While this build up is ultimately anticlimactic, it is typical of the way that his character naively rebounds from one supernatural experience to another, for the most part ignorant of the danger around him. Cheung endears himself to the audience further with the humanity he brings to an underworld of evil. Despite the warnings from Wu Ma to leave, he refuses to forget Wong's character as he is determined to honor his vow to help her.

While the lines of division between producer Tsui Hark and director of credit Ching Siu-tung may be blurry, their respective influences are clearly visible. The film is a visual treat made up of dynamic cinematography, atmospheric scenery and timeless, physical visual effects including an impressively-agile giant tongue. Ching’s trademark styling cues are evident with hazy blue light shone through gaps and cracks, smoke filled voids and blustery forests. The heavy use of wind machines adds a kinetic energy to otherwise still scenes as leaves fly around as though they were spirits themselves. With Ching’s reputation as an innovative action choreographer, A Chinese Ghost Story does not disappoint in terms of delivering the high quality of fantasy action seasoned fans of the genre are accustomed to. However the film is relatively light on martial arts with the film's early sword fights lacking the level of complexity and imagination of some of Ching’s other choreography, prior or since. That said, as with many of his other films Ching does lend his gravity defying brand of wirework to the non-combative action elements. Wu Ma and Joey Wong move around the screen with elaborate ease as opposed to the shuffling, stumbling of Leslie Cheung.

Viewers expecting an out-and-out kung fu action comedy in the style of the classic Mr. Vampire will come away disappointed as A Chinese Ghost Story is every bit a love story as it is a fantasy action piece. For some this could prove to be problematic in terms of pacing as the film switches between two extremes. The action is very quick in terms of both onscreen physical movement often under-cranked and editing, while other scenes are shot much more patiently where images are allowed to linger, such as during the Ghost Festival procession featuring Joey Wong in dramatic slow motion. While this contrast in tempo is both effective and precise, the film becomes a little more challenging for it. This is not to say that the film is a chore to watch but even the filmmakers seemed aware that the balance of the film was a concern, as they insert a number of segments of comic relief to lighten the slower dramatic scenes. For example, Wu Ma (and his stuntman) performs an energetic rap of the reworked "Tao Te Ching," while later on cameos from David Wu and Wong Jing provide a spot of courtroom farce. Despite being quite dark in places, the overall tone of the film does include some mildly-fun gags without getting into Mr. Vampire levels of hilarity.

Economic sensibilities reflected in the film's structural framework ,combined with a quintessentially Chinese subject contribute to the overall charm of A Chinese Ghost Story, and subsequently the film's lasting appeal. While it can be argued that narrowly superior examples of the genre exist, such as King Hu’s celebrated A Touch of Zen, one cannot doubt Tsui’s ability to kickstart cinematic direction in an industry dominated by trends and formulas. Naturally, the recycled and relatively simplistic plot is far from original, making for a slightly less compelling story. However it can be argued that, ironically, the actual story plays a relatively minor role in a film of various attractions including superb cinematography, a haunting score and fantastic special effects that still hold up quite well today. With a solid cast and assistance from Tsui Hark himself, Ching Sui-tung channels Hark’s vision into a memorable film of diverse appeal, further raising his directorial profile beyond the limitations of martial arts cinema, as well as underlining both his and Tsui Hark’s credentials as trend-setting innovators.

Loosely based on a collection of traditional spooky tales (originally published in book format as The Magic Sword), this tells the story of tax collector Ling Choi-san (played by gay Canto-pop singer Leslie Cheung, who makes for a somewhat effeminate hero), who rather foolishly spends a night alone in haunted Lan Yuek temple - simply because it offers free shelter from a rainstorm - where he endures attacks by hungry corpses (more like the mobile stiffs of Raimi's Evil Dead than Romero's grisly zombies), and falls in love with the enchanting Siu Sihn (played by starlet Joey Wong, who later appeared in God Of Gamblers and City Hunter) a beautiful flying ghost being held captive by a hideous tree demon - who plans to marry her off to the 1,000-year-old Dark Lord of Black Mountain. A formidable Taoist swordsman and priest, Lau Yat Dou (Wu Ma), who is later revealed to be the retired Mandarin judge Yin, attempts to intervene in Siu Sihn's seduction of Ling, and save the young man from his own desires, but...

Unpredictable and dream-like, if not quite surrealistic, events lead to a descent into the very pits of hell, where Ling must save the tormented soul of his ladylove from the clutches of the Dark Lord. Hyperactive monk Yin delivers some amusing 'rap poetry'. Hong Kong directors Wong Jing and Ronny Yu guest star in a scene at the magistrate's courtroom. The naïve hero wanders into mortal danger in the smoke-filled woodlands lit by Chinese lanterns, while the heroine soars above the treetops, fighting the influence of a weird and wicked hermaphrodite antagonist. Sanskrit incantations and daylight are like weapons of mass destruction that may vanquish all evil. Nowhere else will you find a marriage of delirious slapstick and bizarre gender inversions such as this.

"The tongue is coming again!"

With immeasurable charm and style, A Chinese Ghost Story (aka: Qiannü Youhun) is a riot of colour and sound perfecting the crudely uncanny atmosphere of Hark's directorial debut The Butterfly Murders (1979), while redefining the non-stop action pace of his Zu Warriors (1981), into a seamless wall-to-wall extravaganza of mayhem and magic that dares to include such self-parodying visions of monstrous evil as a stretching yards-long tongue, which relentlessly pursues our much harassed hero through a night bewitched forest. The film is a peculiarly intoxicating brew of amazing swordplay and expertly crafted aerial ballet, imaginatively designed creature effects, eerie occult spells and delightfully witty romantic comedy scenes, with a particularly memorable and evocative score by Romeo Diaz and James Wong. Daringly derivative, with iconic and theatrical caricatures bordering on generic pantomime instead of truly authentic characters, this film is wildly entertaining nonetheless, and demonstrates how extraordinary and breathtaking pure fantasy cinema may become when black magic is allowed out of the shadows of horror.

The tremendous international success of A Chinese Ghost Story resulted in two sequels A Chinese Ghost Story II (aka: Qiannü Youhun zhi Renjian Dao, 1990), and A Chinese Ghost Story III (aka: Qiannü Youhun III Dao Dao Dao, 1991), reuniting the director and producer if not the main cast.

Review: Chinese Ghost Story is one film that has a special place in my heart, in fact this is the very first asian movie that I have ever seen. It was years and years ago, long before I knew anything of asian cinema or culture. I was surfing through the channels and came upon this weird movie where this samurai looking guy was shooting fireballs from his hands and slicing up undead and soon after followed by giant evil tongues and sexy Chinese ghost ladies. In a word I was in awe, I had never seen anything quite like it. This was a world apart from conventional north American cinema and perhaps that was the appeal, something completely different.

It would be only years later that I would have the chance to see this movie in its entirety and I enjoyed it as much as the very first time that I caught this movie in the middle. Being an older movie the special effects and the overall look of this film pretty much borders the cheesy factor and this may put off certain viewers who are more used to the modern day state of the art cinema but personally I believe it is that cheesy quality that gives this movie its charm. As I’ve long said it is not the overall visual aspect that will give a movie its soul but good characters, a good story and the resulting on screen chemistry is what give a movie soul.

Chinese Ghost Story manages to have a bit of everything in it, swordplay action with some horror-esque elements along with a love story and some Chinese humor that comes off a little strange; I still don’t get half the jokes. These story genres are well blended together and non really take the forefront, a mixture of a ghost story and love story that works well together. The development and the pace of the story is great, all elements simply fall into place and everything is easy to understand and enjoy.

The characters also play an important role in making this movie as good as it is. You have the young and naïve tax collector that gets involved in this crazy story by pure misfortune, he makes for an unusual central / hero character. Then you have the Taoist swordsmen which is by far the coolest character in this movie, his Taoist magic and swordplay steals the show, it’s a pleasure to watch him kick undead ass and get our lost hero out of trouble. Then there is the ghost, the love interest of our hero, she is the innocent girl stuck in a bad situation. She is not really evil but she is forced to commit terrible acts, unfortunately for her she falls for the hero and is unable to do what she must putting her in great danger. As for the villain it seems to be some sort of cross dressing monster, nothing exciting but it gets the job done for the bad guy role.

Another element of this movie that I really enjoyed was the stormy nighttime scenery; being a ghost story much of the film takes place at night of course. Many of those scenes have a stormy feel to it, leaves and stuff flying all about and trees shaking and what not. It may not look realistic but I find it really provides the proper ambience. I always liked the blue nighttime filming of these over fantasy swordplay movies of this time period, once again it’s the charm element or am I just being nostalgic.

Chinese Ghost Story should not put you off because it is an older film, it is very much of a classic. Be prepared to not see state of the art special effects and enjoy the movie for its good story elements but then you may just consider plastic stop motion undead and an evil giant tongue that attacks people as bonus. Seriously Chinese Ghost Story is worth a try and if your familiar with old HK fantasy swordplay movies like swordsman or bride with white hair I am sure Chinese Ghost Story will very much be your cup of tea.

REVIEW:
I'll be the first one to warn you that I'm probably not the best person to look to for a review on this if you are into this type of period "fantasy" movie. It's not really my bag. But, the love story with the "ghost" twist intrigued me, so I checked it out. This film blends a number of genres together, and creates and interesting and unique story in the process, but no one aspect is gripping enough to keep this film from feeling a little empty.

I honestly checked this movie out for it's love story. It sounded like an interesting love story premise and I'm all for a good romance. As one of many blended genres, the love story wasn't fleshed out enough for my liking. I never felt the two characters grow to love each other. It just kinda happened. And, in the end, the relationship is never deeply developed - leaving what is supposed to be an emotional end feeling empty. So, this was fairly disappointing and I think the movie really missed the boat on this aspect alone.

But, the film does have more to it. The fantasy/ghost story mix is interesting and the visuals are qutie atmospheric. Looking back, the special effects are quite cheesy, but one must consider that this is a Hong Kong film from the mid-eighties. The usual fantasy elements are here, including spells that can be performed during fights and so forth. Again, though, the way the fantasy, love story, and action scenes were mixed left all parts feeling a little shallow. The climax of the film will be exciting for fans of this type of fantasy HK film, but others will likely be wary of the fantasy-heavy action climax.

Overall, A Chinese Ghost Story has a unique mix that seems to promise more than it can deliver. Had the film given more focus to at least one part of this, particularly fleshing out the love story, the film would have been far more engrossing. As it is, it's probably a must-see for fantasy fans and a unique, but not terribly intriguing film for the rest of us.

One of the most popular HK movies of all time, A Chinese Ghost Story is a blend of action, romance, comedy and musical. Those new to HK cinema may be off put by the rapid genre changing, but anyone who likes movies in general should be pleased by the stunning visuals of the film. Even if you are not a huge fan of wu xia ("fantasy swordplay/romance") films, A Chinese Ghost Story is so striking that you should still had a good time watching it. While it does fall into some of the cliché trappings of the genre (such as the mandatory musical flashback), most of the movie (particularly the final sequence in Hell) is quite inventive and fun to watch.

Produced by Tsui Hark, A Chinese Ghost Story transports the viewer back to a China that is half fairy tale and half nightmare, where beautiful ghosts fly through haunted forests and demons lurk just below the surface of our world. Visually, the film succeeds in presenting this to us with style and imagination, and you can see the influence it had on the films that came after it. This film combines horror with action, romance, fantasy, tragedy, and even a few musical numbers and still manages to pull it all off. Not only does the film look good, but the actors make their characters come to life while the plot keeps the story moving along at the right pace. There's a little less action here than in other films of the genre, but the special-effects laden climax in the underworld is superb. This film is a classic in HK cinema, and should not be missed.

Highly recommended. Winner of 5 Hong Kong Film Awards and 4 Golden Horse Awards.

The ubiquitous Leslie Cheung plays hapless tax collector Ning, whose books are ruined by a torrential downpour. Finding himself unable to collect taxes because of his lack of paperwork, Ling retires to the abandoned Lan Ro temple, which is rumored to be haunted. Is it haunted? And how!

The public face of the local ghost population is the beautiful Hsiao-tsing, who seduces travelers that stay at the temple overnight. Once things get hot and heavy, Hsiao-tsing rings a little bell anklet she wears, and, in what has to be the most heinous example of coitus interruptus we've ever seen, a giant tongue comes out of nowhere and dives down the victim's throat to steal their "yang energy"! That's not cool, especially because sexy Joey Wang plays Hsiao-tsing. She could seduce us anytime!

Once at the temple, Ning meets the local Taoist swordsman, Yen (Wu Ma). Yen is in the business of fighting the local tree demon, but he takes time out of busy schedule to fight everyday mortal villains too. For some reason Yen warns Ning not to stay overnight, but doesn't tell him quite why. Ning, being an idiot, stays at the temple anyway.

That night, Ning proceeds to fake up a new set of books. Is it any wonder that the Chinese have such a problem with the rule of law? In every period Chinese film we've seen, tax collectors are either portrayed as licensed con-men, or as government-sponsored extortion gangs.

Ning's work is interrupted first by the group of desiccated zombies that are unliving in the attic above Ning's room. And after Ning avoids the zombies through sheer clumsiness (despite the fact that the zombies continually dog Ning, he never sees them), Ning hears ethereal singing coming from the temple grounds and goes to investigate. He finds Hsiao-tsing, but he survives his first encounter with due to the timely intervention of Yen. Ning meets up again with Hsiao-tsing several more times, and they soon fall in love. Can a dead person and a human fall in love? If Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones are any indication, the answer is yes. But Hsiao-tsing and Ning have another problem besides the vitality gap. Thanks to the machinations of the tree demon, Hsiao-tsing is engaged to Lord Black, ruler of Hell.

Chinese Ghost Story has so many plot twists it feels like an entire trilogy all by itself. Like so much HK cinema, there's a chop-suey approach to the plot: there are nifty martial arts fights, horrible slayings, a mistaken identity subplot (standard), love scenes, a scene inspired by bedroom farce, a Tao flavored rock musical number (even we didn't see that one coming!), and mystical battles. This is the kind of film where a character can suddenly declare, "Scholar, it seems we've to storm hell!" and they do it. Instantly.

This kind of scattershot approach to movie making could be confusing, or tiring, or even worse, boring, but Ching Siu-Tung's amazing visual style holds the whole film together. At any moment people or objects can leap into the air and fly away, or the tree demon's enormous tongue will surround entire buildings faster than you can say Gene Simmons. Ching also does wonders with wind and smoke, especially in the scenes that take place in Hell. The special effects are light on optical effects and heavy on wireworks, but these kinds of effects make a nice break from slick Hollywood computer generated imagery.

Chinese Ghost Story has everything that makes Chinese fantasy films so much fun, and has it in spades. The only thing that could have made it any better is if Ash were there to help Ning kick some zombie butt.