Sang yan mat kan: Man mei

Hong Kong haven't really been good at making horror movies, but this one's an Ok attempt. A sixth sense-type storyline is given a Chinese twist, with a few unnerving scenes as a result. Good production values. I'd recommend it to HK and horror buffs. Good but inessential. The sequel; Horoscope II - the woman from hell is messier, less scary, and not very good at all.

This is a nicely done Hong Kong ghost movie that has a good balance of humor, drama and horror. Psychiatry student Jojo (Athena Chu) wants to learn how to conduct a séance from her friend, Aunt Szeto (Lan Law), so she could communicate with the spirit of her daughter. But Jojo's powers attract a vengeful ghost, who wants to possess her body to take revenge on her mobster husband.

It's a fast-paced film from start to finish that delves into the plot of the danger and creepiness factor of conducting séances - you never know what supernatural baddies will enter back to the human world with you through the portal. The gangster/revenge angle served as an entertaining subplot as well and gave the story a suspenseful twist.

The acting was very well done for the most part. I especially liked Lan Law's character as the séance-conducting and ghost-busting Aunto Szeto; just wished there were more scenes of her doing so. Athena was pretty stunning in the movie; Kar Lok Chin gave a rather overzealous performance; and Kingdom Yuen provided some laugh-out-loud humor.

Overall, it's an entertaining ghost comedy that every fan of Hong Kong horror flicks could enjoy.

Grade A-