You huan dao shi

Apr 2021

So this is a rarely seen little film called "Hello Dracula", the fist of 4 knocked out pretty quickly and it has to be said the first 3 are virtually identical films.

I haven't managed to see this one with any english subs, but its easy to follow, a grandpa figure looks after a bunch of orphans i assume and most of the action takes place in there house. Plenty of vampire action and comedy, and as it features kids, its quite similar to Mr Vampire 2 and particularly similar to "Close Encounter of Vampire".

I would probably rate it higher with english subs.

At least 8 out of 10.

Back in the 1980s, the illiterate Chinese title was typed "Hello! Dracular" on the VHS box, and it's been known as HELLO! DRACULAR ever since; except by the Japanese, who cut the movie up into half hour segments to form the TV mini-series YUGEN DOUSHI 2.

Just how many of these childish Taiwanese fantasies were made in the 1980s?! Oh well, at least it's flamboyant, action packed, outlandish, way too exotic for most non-Chinese, and it's basically a wild & crazy thriller. With all these elements in play, you would think I would give this colorful martial arts/horror fantasy higher praise.

But its childishness gets really annoying at times. My god, these antics irritate me! Basically it's the same kung fu kids as in HAI TZU WONG (a Chinese movie so obscure it lacks an English title!), since this five-or-so (?) movie series seems related; the similarities are striking, but continuity between them is terrible. In this one, the kids are again dealing with robed, hopping vampires and that lovable tyke dubbed "Baby Kyonshi" by the Japanese. Plenty of special effects and kung fu, but most interesting of all are some Americans (speaking English) who want to take the gyonsi vampire, which they pronounce "jiang-shi", back to America. How this Catholic priest learned kung fu a hundred years ago is never explained, but over-all, it's dumb yet fun entertainment.