Zhong Kui jia mei

This is a ghost romance movie from Hong Kong, clichely called "The Chinese Ghostbuster" in English. It features veteran actor Ma Wu and vampire buster Ching-Ying Lam, who were always a joy to see in the movies. In this film, two ghostbusters from the spirit world escape to earth in an attempt to preserve their chances for reincarnation. Ma stars as a ghost who's searching for the perfect husband for his daughter (Mondi Yau), who finds a liking to a yuppie (Mark Cheng). So, the guy seeks the help of a tao priest master (Ching-Ying Lam).

There is the usual Taoist magic and martial arts action in this ghost movie, but well into the 1990s, this genre has been losing steam and this movie was no exception, even with the two veterans actors in it. There were, however, so unique situation in the movie like the romance between the female ghost and her human counterpart, and the ghost special effects were pretty neat.

The plot was steady-paced and the acting wasn't bad, but the movie clearly lacked the charm, comedy and intrigue than the earlier horror and ghost comedies.

Grade C

The Chinese Ghostbuster (1994) is an average effort from the team of Wu Ma and the late Lam Ching-ying. Wu Ma stars as a ghost who's searching for the perfect husband for his daughter. In order to get her married, the two decide to leave the spirit plain and head for the land of the living. To their surprise the world had drastically changed since they've last visited. The duo finds a likely candidate in a street hustler. The ghostly pair chase the poor guy until he seeks the help of a tao priest (Lam Ching-ying). Will the Tao priest send these wandering spirits back to hell or will the hustler join is ghostly bride forever?

The genre was getting tired and the two actors didn't seem to have their hearts in the right place. Wu Ma and Lam Ching-ying have played these roles so many times that they could have done them in their sleep. By seeing the finished product it looks like they did just that.

Recommended for genre fans.