A Chinese Ghost Story

This film is without a doubt one of the greatest films to come from Hong Kong and is one which I saw on late night TV during a Chinese film season, so I have fond memories of it. Wu Ma is fab as the rapping Taoist monk, Joey Wong is gorgeous as the ghost (I would be the first in line to be seduced by her) and Leslie Cheung is great as the bumbling tax collector. And who could forget the hilarious looking Lau Siu Ming as the transvestite tree demon. This film is very funny, thrilling, romantic, erotic and scary. Every scene looks great and the main theme song and the haunting love song are unrivalled. This film is a great tribute to the late, great Leslie Cheung who's recent suicide shows the world the acting talent we will miss.

I would rate this film 10 out of 10.

I saw this movie first on the Berlin Film Festival, and I had never seen Hong Kong cinema before. I felt like sitting in a roller coaster: the action was so quick, and there wasn't one boring moment throughout the film. It has martial arts, love, special effects and a fantastic plot. My favorite scene is when the Taoist drinks, sings and fights for himself - one of the many scenes which stress the extraordinary musical component of the movie. This film is a definite must!!

This is cinema how it should be. A great and funny story. Great direction and actors. The fight scenes against the demon were the best choreographed that I've ever seen. Music, photography and editing were top notch but unfortunately this film was overseen at the Academy Award nominations. Unfortunately I've watched this movie only on television. But the film must be seen on the biggest screen you can find in a cinema.

A Chinese Ghost Story stars the late, great Leslie Cheung as Ling Choi Sin, a penniless tax collector who decides to spend the night at a deserted temple, where he meets and falls for a beautiful woman called Tsing (Joey Wang). When Ling discovers that Tsing is actually a ghost who has been forced to seduce victims for an evil tree spirit who feeds on 'chi' (life force), he decides to try and free the girl by giving her remains a proper burial. Enlisting the help of Swordsman Yin (Wu ma), a crazy Taoist monk, Ling successfully defeats the tree spirit, but must also do battle in hell against the evil Lord Black, to whom Tsing is due to be wed.

The first Hong Kong film that I saw which wasn't purely martial arts action, A Chinese Ghost Story opened my eyes to the incredible world of Asian fantasy horror, a magical realm inhabited by beautiful female ghosts, bumbling innocent heroes, sword wielding Taoist monks, monstrous spirits, and dark lords of the underworld; I instantly fell in love with the film's exuberance, energy, humour, inventiveness and visual excellence.

Two decades later, and this amazing movie still remains one of the finest examples of its genre that I have seen—a sumptuous, breathtaking masterpiece that brilliantly blends horror, comedy, fantasy and romance. With superb direction from Siu-Tung Ching, excellent editing from David Wu, stunning cinematography, and a whole slew of imaginative special effects (including a humongous killer tongue, a many tentacled monster, and multiple flying heads!), A Chinese Ghost Story is a completely unforgettable and thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish.

This movie is a classic of Chinese cinema! It has everything a movie should have-beautiful cinematography, great cast, engrossing storyline and some very good fights. It's funny yet sad at times, and this is somewhat of a rarity in HK cinema in the late 90's: you actually care about what happens with the characters! All credit should be given to the cast, with Leslie Cheung charming as the bumbling tax collector, Joey Wang as one of the most etheral ghosts that have haunted the silver screen and who could forget Wu Ma as the sarcastic Taoist. Also, this film started a whole new chain of imitations (about a thousand) on forbidden love between mortal and ghost. It's very highly recommended.