Paula Hammond - Features EditorOne of the most famous and well-loved Hong Kong hits of the 1980s, Mr. Vampire was a genuine phenomena. Spawning at least four sequels and countless spin-offs and imitations, this Hong Kong horror-comedy to end them is a crowd-pleasing sensation—and triggered a wave of jiangshi (“hopping vampire”) movies. Produced by the legendary Sammo Hung, this is essential viewing for anyone interested in the golden age of Hong Kong cinema.
In a career-making performance, the late Lam Ching-ying is Master Kau, expert on all matters of the supernatural. When Kau and his two bumbling students, Man Choi (famous comedian Ricky Hui) and Chou (Fist of Legend’s Chin Siu-ho), exhume a corpse for reburial, things go frighteningly and hilariously awry when the cadaver is revealed to be a hopping vampire. With the undead on the loose, Master Kau is blamed for the chaos, and must work with his students to put the spirits to rest before the vampire’s own granddaughter (action icon Moon Lee) gets bitten. Fighting the vampires with everything and anything—including sticky rice—the trio must defeat an increasing number of ghoulish dangers.
Director Ricky Lau would go on to make several more Mr. Vampire successors (as well as the Sammo Hung classic Encounters Of The Spooky Kind II, with Lam Ching-ying as another vampire-battling master), but nothing tops the original for its classic fusion of screams and laughs. Nor has it has ever looked as eye-poppingly, vampire-hoppingly beautiful as this new Blu-ray special edition.
Eureka Entertainment’s new release is presented from a brand new 2K restoration and makes its worldwide debut on Blu-ray as part of the Eureka Classics range. The first print-run of 2000 copies will feature a Limited Edition O-Card Slipcase and Collector’s Booklet.
Eureka Entertainment’s new release is presented from a brand new 2K restoration and makes its worldwide debut on Blu-ray as part of the Eureka Classics range. This collector’s edition includes:
- Limited Edition O-CARD Slipcase with new artwork by Darren Wheeling [2000 units].
- PLUS: A Collector’s Booklet featuring new writing on the film [2000 units].
- 1080p presentation from a brand new 2K restoration.
- Original Cantonese audio (original mono presentations).
- English dub track produced for the film’s original European home video release.
- English dub track produced for the film’s original American home video release.
- Newly translated English subtitles.
- Brand new and exclusive feature length audio commentary by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival).
- Alternate end credit.s
- Archival interview with Chin Siu-hou [40 mins].
- Archival interview with Moon Lee [15 mins].
- Archival interview with Ricky Lau [12 mins].
- Original Hong Kong Trailer.
