I have a real soft spot for Hong Kong comedy-horror, so I was delighted to hear that Eureka, who’ve already put out a number of classics from the subgenre, would be releasing a diverse trio of silly yet spooky East Asian classics just in time for Halloween. The set is entitled Ghouls Gone Wild and it includes the following films:
Scared Stiff
The Haunted Cop Shop
Magic of Spell
I got hold of a copy and my thoughts follow.
Scared Stiff (a.k.a. Siu sang mung ging wan)
Director: Lau Kar-Wing
Screenplay: Szeto Cheuk-Hon
Starring: Michael Miu Kiu-Wai, Eric Tsang Chi-Wai, Emily Chu Bo-Yee, Wu Fung, Chow Yun-Fat, Phillip Ko Fei, Yuen Wah, Anita Mui Yim-Fong, Wu Ma
Country: Hong Kong
Running Time: 92 min (theatrical cut) 98 min (extended cut)
Year: 1987
Eureka’s synopsis: “Lau Kar-Wing (Crouching Tiger, Fatty Dragon) directs Scared Stiff, in which a young everyman develops the ability to enter other people’s dreams following an accident – and then finds himself using his gift to bring a sadistic murderer to justice.”
Whilst Scared Stiff borrows a number of story elements from Dreamscape (1984), it takes these and bounces between genres and narrative threads with such blatant disregard for tonal cohesion that your jaw will drop. It starts out as a sex comedy, morphs into a sci-fi romp, then lurches into slasher/giallo territory and then goes absolutely wild for its finale.
I usually enjoy the crazy mishmash of genres you often see in Hong Kong films, and it does help this particular title stand out from the crowd. However, the shifts are particularly clunky here, most notably the appearance of the psycho-killer plot, which comes out of absolute nowhere. Plus, the first half, when the film is a sex comedy, has not aged well at all, and is pretty cringeworthy rather than funny.
However, the second half, when the murderer suddenly appears, is excellent. There are some genuinely tense chases and standoffs, as well as a couple of impressively nasty kills. This later builds to a spectacular scrapyard showdown, which amps everything up to 11, with a Hong Kong action spin on Carrie.
The film has a star-studded cast, with Chow Yun-Fat proving to be the standout. He doesn’t appear until almost an hour into the film, but he’s fantastic, playing completely out of type. His character is truly evil, with Chow delivering a relatively understated but intense and chilling performance.
There’s very little martial arts in the film, which might disappoint fans of director Lau Kar-Wing, but he still includes a lot of impressive stunts and action sequences.
Overall, Scared Stiff is an absolutely bonkers film that could only have been made in Hong Kong in the 1980s. The second half is much stronger than the first, but the harsh shifts in tone make it memorable.
Film: 
The Haunted Cop Shop (a.k.a. Mang gwai chai goon)
Director: Jeff Lau Chun-Wai
Screenplay: Wong Kar-Wai, Jeff Lau Chun-Wai
Starring: Jacky Cheung Hok-Yau, Ricky Hui Koon-Ying, Billy Lau Nam-Kwong, Kitty Chan Ga-Chai, Wu Fung, Chung Fat
Country: Hong Kong
Running Time: 95 min
Year: 1987
Eureka’s synopsis: “Co-written by Wong Kar-Wai (Ashes of Time) and indebted in equal measure to Mr Vampire and Fright Night, The Haunted Cop Shop sees cops and crooks alike forced to confront vengeful beings from beyond the grave in a police station built on a site of violence.”
The Haunted Cop Shop, which was a hit in Hong Kong and spawned a sequel, was the directorial debut of Jeff Lau. He also co-wrote the film with Wong Kar-Wai, who was a year away from turning heads with his own first stint in the director’s chair, making As Tears Go By. The pair also made The Haunted Cop Shop through their newly incorporated In-Gear Film Production Co., which was founded alongside Alan Tam. Lau and Wong would later form Jet Tone together, through which they would produce all of Wong’s films from Chungking Express onwards, among other titles.
So, The Haunted Cop Shop is notable for being an early stepping stone for a couple of important filmmakers, but it deserves to be more than a mere footnote in Hong Kong cinema history, as it’s a damned good film.
It blends ‘mo lei tau’ (which roughly translates to ‘nonsense’) comedy with horror incredibly well. Unlike Scared Stiff, which makes some pretty rough gear changes, the balance here is perfect, and both the jokes and scares work a treat.
Granted, some of the comedy can be in bad taste (animal lovers won’t be happy with one scene) and the verbal gags don’t always translate, but it elicited a number of chuckles when I watched it. There are also some clever film references (including a nod to The Shining) and a number of post-modern/meta gags.
It’s the effectiveness of the horror that surprised me, though. I usually come to these films for their wackiness, but the spooky set-pieces here are quite tense and atmospheric. This is aided by some gorgeous cinematography by Peter Ngor Chi-Kwan, who’s an underrated figure in Hong Kong cinema history, having lensed everything from Shaw Brothers classics like Clan of the White Lotus, to new wave titles like Nomad, horror-comedy favourites like Mr. Vampire and even the sexy smash hit Sex and Zen.
Overall, The Haunted Cop Shop is a highly enjoyable romp that perfectly balances chills and chuckles. It may be a little dated in places, but it remains a lot of fun.
Film:
Magic of Spell (a.k.a. Child of Peach 2 or Tao da liang da xian shen wei)
Director: Chiu Chung-Hing
Screenplay: Chiu Chung-Hing
Starring: Lin Hsiao-Lu, Ku Pao-Ming, Charng Shan, Shen Yi-Ta, Yau Mei-Fong, Sam Ching-Wai
Country: Taiwan
Running Time: 84 min
Year: 1988
Eureka’s synopsis: “In a supernatural wuxia fantasy on par with The Miracle Fighters and Shaolin Drunkard, Magic of Spell follows a kung fu master who must defeat the infernal demon responsible for his mother’s death.”
And now for something completely different…
Magic of Spell is the second part of a trilogy, coming after Child of Peach and before Magic Warriors. All three are Taiwanese productions and based on Japanese folklore.
I’d love to see the other two films in the series, as this was a lot of fun. It’s quite an unusual film in how it seems primarily pitched at kids (our hero is supposed to be a young boy, though he’s played by a grown woman, Lin Hsiao-Lu) whilst simultaneously throwing in some pretty dark twists.
I don’t want to spoil anything, but one character meets a grisly fate, the bad guy bathes in the blood of innocents, and there’s even an implied sex gag in the film. Yet it’s all done with charm and exuberance.
The Japanese influence is clear, with the whole thing having the feel of a tokusatsu (special effects) production. You’ve got a range of over-the-top theatrical costumes and creature makeup, alongside the goofy tone.
It’s all wonderfully quirky, particularly to Western audiences, who will have fun with scenes such as when a giant magic peach fires lasers at the bad guys. It also works as eye-candy, due to the boldly colourful, garish production design.
The action scenes are pretty good too. Lin holds her own in the fights, as do her young companions that randomly appear later in the film (supposedly, the trio are introduced in the previous instalment of the trilogy).
It’s all rather daft and campy, which might not appeal to everyone, but if you can tap into its vibe, it’s a charming and unique fantasy adventure.
Film:
Ghouls Gone Wild is out on 19th October on Blu-Ray in the UK, released by Eureka. The films all look fantastic, with lovely, rich colours, and clean and detailed pictures. You only get Cantonese tracks on the films, which dub fans might be disappointed to hear. These all sound decent. Magic of Spell also comes with a Mandarin track. This doesn’t sound as crisp and clear as the Cantonese one, but I found it better fit the mouthing of the actors, which would make sense seeing as it’s a Taiwanese film. Mandarin would be the more common language among the cast.
SPECIAL FEATURES
– Limited edition O-card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling [2000 copies]
– Limited edition collector’s booklet featuring an essay on the borrowing and remixing of world genre traditions in Scared Stiff, The Haunted Cop Shop and Magic of Spell by Iain Robert Smith, author of The Hollywood Meme: Transnational Adaptations in World Cinema [2000 copies]
– 1080p HD presentations on Blu-ray from new 2K restorations
– Two presentations of Scared Stiff, the original Hong Kong theatrical cut and uncut extended version
– Original Cantonese mono audio tracks
– Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
– New audio commentary on Scared Stiff by East Asian cinema expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
– New audio commentaries on The Haunted Cop Shop and Magic of Spell by genre cinema expert Arne Venema and filmmaker Domting
– Restless Spirits – new interview on the history of horror cinema in Hong Kong and Taiwan with film writer, curator and East Asian film expert Fraser Elliott
Frank Djeng provides a commentary for Scared Stiff. He switches between background information on the cast and crew, and analysis of the film, breaking down each scene as he goes along. It’s another excellent track from the ever-dependable Djeng.
The Haunted Cop Shop and Magic of Spell both include a commentary by Arne Venema and Domting. These are wonderful. They’re fast-paced and loaded with fascinating information, not just about the films and their makers, but in Magic of Spell, for instance, the pair discuss the Taiwanese film industry itself. Venema and Domting seem to be tag-teaming throughout each track, finishing each other’s sentences, or at least segments, seamlessly.
There’s also an interview with Fraser Elliot, who discusses Hong Kong and Chinese-Language horror, more generally, and how this trio of films fits within the mould. This is excellent, being well researched and covering a lot of ground in 28 minutes.
The booklet contains a thoughtful essay by Iain Robert Smith that looks at the three films in the set and where they fit among the comedy-horror boom in late 80s Hong Kong and Taiwan.
So, Eureka have brought together three highly entertaining films and curated some first-class extras to go along with them. It’s a must-buy for fans of East Asian comedy-horror.
Disc/Package: