Ling wan sin sang

I'm surprised by the relative obscurity of this film, as it easily matches the first of the series for pure entertainment value. There doesn't even seem to be a Hong Kong DVD of this title at the time of writing. Since there were more sequels to come in this franchise, it seems safe to guess that it wasn't a box office flop, so the lack of DVD is strange. Maybe they are going to treat us to a box set. The film is the usual combination of martial arts, horror, fantasy, sorcery and slapstick. Lam Ching-Ying is awesome, yet again. He pulls off the serious elements with conviction, even with stupid fake eyebrows plastered on his forehead; and he does the slapstick with a great deadpan expression. A shame his fighting skills are under used, but there are a few really sweet moves by him in this flick. I would say that the horror and violence are definitely stronger in this one, which is cool by me. The plot is decent; the cast pretty good; action is almost relentless, and the effects have that unique charm that CGI could never match. The comedy is the usual hit and miss affair, although a lot of it is genuinely funny, and well choreographed. You wouldn't be watching a Hong Kong horror vampire kung fu flick if you didn't put your face in your palm a couple of times at the cheesy gags. I don't have much in depth to say about this one, it just seems that critical comment is thin on the ground, so I thought I'd add my voice. Highly recommended; and if you like films of this type: essential. Bring on the DVD.