Meng gui ba wang hua

If you've seen the movie that this is a sequel to then you know how wild & wacky the Chinese horror genre can be, but there's no inspiration to be found in this sorry sequel. There needs to be a balance in the horror/comedy ratio for these movies to work and this movie is loaded with way too much comedy filler, which really isn't that comedic when there's no horror to go with it. Sandra Ng can usually be counted on to be funny in anything but she's given very little to do here. This movie has all the evidence of being a rushed production. Recommended only to diehard Chinese vampire movie completists (like me).

This is a ghost comedy from Hong Kong, a story where a police superintendent orders a captain to take a group of S.W.A.T. team rookies to a rigorous training camp, hoping to force them to resign after the mistreatment to save costs. However, events take a mysterious turn when the rookies discover an old Chinese Ouija board and decide to try it out, unleashing a reckless ghost in the process.

The goofy humor and slapstick comedy outweighs the horror in the movie, with oddball jokes and somewhat screwy acting going a little overboard at times. However, you might still get some laughs and light scares from watching this. The female ghost is fierce-looking and proves she can do a lot of damage, possessing people, sucking blood and chasing the team rookies all over the training camp.

This movie is almost like a "Police Academy Meets a Ghost" plot, with bumbling rookies trying to complete their training courses to getting themselves caught in the ghost's wrath. There aren't many plot-twists or suspense-filled action in the film, and it's not one of the best ghost comedies I've seen come out from Hong Kong. However, it's still a fun little movie to watch from time to time when you're feeling bored.

Grade B-

I have not seen the film that this is a sequel to (heck, its not listed in its US DVD version as being a sequel to anything) nor did I see this with completely readable subtitles. In either case I seriously doubt that this would have helped with my "enjoyment" of this film.

The film begins with some events that must be a reference to the earlier film and a link to this film, with some action taking place in a high rise in Hong Kong. The action then shifts to a rather sparse boot camp for cops. Here after a late night game with the Chinese version of a Ouiji board a vampire/ghost is let loose. The spirit the proceeds to possess the cadets and then wander about causing evil mischief.

An odd, and not very good, mix of comedy and horror (or rather comedy with a dash of horror) this movie plays like a bad TV sitcom version of the Police Academy films with a blood thirsty vampire thrown in. Its an bad mix that hearkens back to sub-Munsters horror comedy, where the monsters attacks are misunderstood until the end. Its not funny for the most part and makes you wish that they had had the conviction to pick one genre of the other. This isn't a completely awful movie, there are some good moments, but moments are fleeting and this 90 minute film can't survive on three or four moments.

Not worth your time unless you absolutely must see every Chinese horror/comedy ever made.

3 out of 10.