Gui da gui

I rented this movie after hearing a lot of good things about as far as action, comedy, and inventiveness was concerned. I must say I wasn't disappointed. This movie is off the wall; anyone who isn't used to Hong Kong cinema, their heads will explode by the finale. The movie has vampires, ghosts, possession, kung fu, comedy, monkey talk, random acts of violence against poultry, Lam Ching Ying, and then some. The martial arts choreography is good and the acrobatics are great, esp. for Sammo. Overall, a movie that needs to be seen to be believed.

This is one of, if not the best sammo hung film I have seen. It is just so funny.

Sammo plays Courageous Cheung, the man who cant turn down a bet. He gets himself in trouble when his wife and her lover (sammos master) make a bet that they hope will kill him. Cue much slapstick kung-foolery and bizarre goings on. Such as Sammo's hand being possessed and trying to kill him.

The films climax though is the killer. In order to have enough strength to defeat his enemies Sammo and his wizard mate allow sammo to be possessed by the Monkey god (of MONKEY! Fame, but obviously not the same character. That would just be stupid). Sammo takes on the characteristics of a Monkey and kicks a lot of arse, including his wifes. Im not advocating spousal abuse, but when sammos wife comes crawling back, he gives her such a richly deserved thrashing you cant help but cheer!

After an official is nearly caught sleeping with a woman by her husband, he hires a greedy sorcerer to do away with the not-so-courageous man. Corpses hop, kung fu fighters are possessed, and all manner of spooky, supernatural action occurs.

Sammo Hung stars in his definitive homage to the tales of horror that he enjoyed in his youth. Encounter of the Spooky Kind is a cult classic filled with terrific kung fu action, vampires, zombies, sorcerer duels of magic, and one of the most memorable endings in kung fu genre history.

Sammo is Courageous Cheung, a pedicab driver in a rural community who is known around town as the man who fears nothing. Well, this is proved false before the opening credits finish when he endures a particularly frightening nightmare of flesh-eating zombies. But, that's just the beginning of his run-ins with the supernatural. His friends decide to pull a scary prank on him that results in a ghastly ghost joining in on the fun. The plot finally kicks in when Cheung comes home early one day to find his wife in bed with another man. It turns out to be Master Tam, a prominent citizen who is also a regular client of Cheung. He escapes before Cheung can identify him and decides Cheung must die to keep this activity a secret. Tam hires a greedy master of witchcraft named Chin Hoi (Peter Chan) to kill Cheung without arising suspicions. Chin Hoi's accomplice (Wu Ma) bets Cheung to stay locked in a broken down temple for one night where a corpse resides. With advice from Lau (Chang Ti Chiang), Chin Hoi's brother, Cheung survives two fierce nights in the temple. Later, a plot by Master Tam to frame Cheung for murder fails to succeed after he escapes by hiding out in a funeral home. Even an attempt to take control of Cheung's body using voodoo is foiled by Lau. Finally, both Master Tam and Cheung become pawns in a vicious battle of the sorcerers as the two brothers square off in a final, fiery confrontation.

This film deals with the persecuted character of "Bold Cheung", played by Sammo Hung, as he simultaneously battles to find those who framed him for murder and also escaping a pursuing detective. It is a mostly kung-fu comedy film, and really defined the genre of kung-fu horror, (from which titles such as "Mr. Vampire" capitalised off greatly).

The brilliance of this film lies in it's great mix of excellent choreography, and interesting and exotic characters - the horror themes are like an extra background setting that improve the film even further. Not only is it a first in it's (sub)genre, but it happens to be one of the best - and this is due to Sammo's awesome talent.

The development of the plot really does centre around Cheung, as he uses his wits and savage kung-fu to overcome various set-pieces of action such as a resurrected corpse (Chinese vampire), a voodoo-doll, a band of policemen, yet another undead corpse, ghosts, specters, and men possessed with summoned Gods.

His slapstick style is present again, as well as his unique ability for weapon choreography. The ending sequence rivals "Odd Couple" as the best weapon skills caught on film - (watch those spear techniques closely!). Cinematography in this film is superb, and the restored version I own has not dated in the slightest. In fact, the film looks better than those brought out much later, (I did notice a wash of blue across the entire print, though).

Hang in there for the end - one of the most vindictive and vengeful endings I have ever seen. It has a strange satisfaction though!

The first real successful horror feature in Hong Kong to mix action with horror. Even though there were similar films before this like The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires, it was this movie that laid the groundwork for many future horror films in Hong Kong. Gui Da Gui/Encounters of the Spooky Kind(1980) sports a physical incredible performance from Sammo Hung Kam Bo as Courageous Cheung. The special effects are some of the best ever seen in a Hong Kong film. Sammo excells in the role of writer, star, and director.

The fight sequences involving the Inspector and his men are wonderfully choreographed. Influenced many American filmmakers including Sam Raimi. Sam Raimi uses scenes from this film as inspiration for Evil Dead(1983) and Evil Dead 2(1987). Courageous Cheung is a model for the character ofAsh in the Evil Dead films. Gui Da Gui/Encounters of the Spooky Kind(1980) along with Eastern Condors(1987), Pedicab Driver(1989), and Prodigal Son(1983) are my favorite films by the director.