BA_Harrison Ask an 'average Joe' to name a successful actor/director and you'll get the obvious answers: Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Clint Eastwood, Dennis Hopper, Mel Gibson, Quentin Tarantino, Sylvester Stallone. Ask a fan of martial arts cinema, however, and there's a very good chance that the first name they'll proffer will be that of Sammo Hung, the portly pal of Jackie Chan who has shot and starred in some of the most breathtaking fight action scenes ever committed to celluloid.Encounters of the Spooky Kind is Hung's first stab at the martial arts/horror/comedy hybrid that became very popular in the 80s, and sees the talented actor/director starring as Bold Cheung, a fearless pedicab driver who is unaware that his wife has been having an affair with Mr. Tam, one of his clients. After narrowly avoiding being caught in the act, Mr. Tam decides that life would be easier with Cheung permanently out of the way, and so hires a warlock to try and dispose of the poor guy.When Cheung escapes the clutches of a corpse brought to life by the evil magician, Mr. Tam concocts an alternative plot to frame Cheung for the murder of his wife. Unable to prove his innocence, Cheung is arrested and sentenced to death, but the plucky guy manages to escape the night before his execution, and with the help of a good wizard, seeks to put an end to Mr. Tam and his wicked ways.Even though I'm not exactly the biggest fan of Hong Kong comedy, finding Chinese humour a little too 'basic' at times, Encounters of the Spooky Kind is such an energetic and imaginative piece of film-making that it's almost impossible not to find hugely enjoyable. Hung is as amazingly athletic as ever, once again proving that fat guys can flip and fight with the best of them; the silly scary moments are surprisingly atmospheric; the antagonists are boo-hiss horrible in the extreme; and the fight filled finale is stunning, with both good guys and bad guys being possessed by the spirits of Chinese gods and battling to the death (Hung doing his monkey style kung fu is always a winner).And for a little extra fun, try and spot the similarities between EOTSK and the Evil Dead movies: I know it sounds unlikely, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that Sam Raimi is a fan of this classic of HK cinema.

lost-in-limbo Oh I love 'Mr Vampire (1985)', so how could I not fall for 'Spooky Encounters' in what people call the prototype of the Hong Kong sub-genre; horror, comedy and martial arts rolled into one. It's genius. Inspired. And non-stop fun. Really the tripped-out blend would be hard to pull off, but star/writer/director Sammo Hung does an adeptly magnificent job combining them in a satisfying manner. No doubts, that this film has some influences' on other horror films. Sam Raimi's 'Evil Dead' Trilogy? I can see it. The comically bumbling, but gallant protagonist (amusingly acted by Hung) sticks out with its familiarities to Ash. The confrontations with the supernatural are exaggeratedly humorous with its free-flowing slapstick and psychical gags. The scenes of possessed rotting corpses and jumping Chinese vampires in combat and that of our protagonist's arm having a mind of its own are highly enjoyable in their spectacularly crafted set-pieces. Kung-fu choreography is that of high level with its timing, pacing and overall rhythm. Never skips a beat, as the outstanding camera-work characteristically frames every shot in a prolific and kinetic fashion. The story tells of poor worker Bold Cheung as he encounters many unusual, spooky situations when he gets caught up in a bet to stay a night in a haunted temple, but along the way he's getting close to discovering that his wife is having an with affair with his boss. The material is a jumble, but creative storm of hybrid ideas. Adventurous, cheeky and ghastly. Scripting holds up well, as it compels with its charm and fruitful quips. The witchcraft side isn't particularly horrifying, not even eerie because the humour mostly takes centre stage, but it's definitely pleasurably offbeat. But what stands out, and leaves an impression is the way they go about ending it. POW! Hung's high octane direction is thick on atmosphere, uncanny sound FX, playful score, vivid art-direction and splendidly wonderful looking (yep even though macabre corpses) make-up and special effects. Brightly animated performances by Ha Wong, Dick Wei, Ching-Ying Lam, Fat Chung, Lung Chan and Suet-Moi Leung lend well too. Growing up watching the magically crazy 70's Japanese TV series 'Monkey Magic' was where it all started for me, and I don't see myself ever falling out of interest. If you're getting bored with the recent same-old clutter coming out of modern Asian horror cinema, all you have to do is go back and delve into these early Eastern fixtures for some blistering thrills and tasty laughs.

akthar_c What can I say about a film that had me in tears of laughter. It's not really a horror though you will jump during certain scenes. Don't watch a dubbed version as the jokes are funnier when translated. The action is first rate and all the performances are... 'dead pan'. Just remember to never agree to a bet that might kill you!!!!

bajbij This influential film introduced the hopping vampires in kung fu films, called gyonsies. This was the first film to accurately depict chinese vampires (Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires was the first kung fu film to show vampires, but with European vamp influence.) Sammo Hung is funny in this film, but for a fat man, he is no joke. He can do stunts that would shame any fit athletic man. The kung fu choreography is spectacular and humorus. And the ending is one of the most satisfying ending any man can hope for when your wife not only cheats on you, but plots your murder. EOTSK helped pave the way for chinese horror films as we know them today, but this is easily the best as far as entertainment all over. 9 out of 10.