Jiang shi yi sheng

DOCTOR VAMPIRE is your standard campy HK supernatural comedy, but very likeable with a premise that had an east meets west approach on its vampire lore. At times it had me thinking of the Jim Carry starring vehicle "Once Bitten", especially the scenes showcasing the doctor's new dress style. The story follows a Hong Kong surgeon, Dr Kueng (a fitting performance by Bowie Lam), who's on a business trip to Scotland and comes by a castle that's a bordello. Unknowingly to him vampires run the show and he falls under the spell of a Chinese lady, Alice (a wonderfully seductive turn by Ellen Chan). She bites him, without his knowing, and he returns back to Hong King where he starts to show signs of vampire characteristics. Where did she bite him, well, let's just say it wasn't on the neck and this leads to some humorous situations in its discovery. His girlfriend begins worrying about him, and the mysterious Alice suddenly turns up on his doorstep to save him from his affliction, and of course from her master the Count.

This master looks far from threatening and less so when tries to act it out. His appearance is like something of a 80s pop icon and I was a little unsure if he was meant to be an American or English vampire. Anyway the storytelling is so random with guys being guys, comedy of errors making way for sexual innuendos, relationship woes, mistaken perceptions and snappy banter. This is when the principal character starts showing the signs, acting strange and then when a method of reversing the inflictions is of no use, then coming to terms with what he has become. The gags can be self-knowing and the lowest dominator, yet it naturally flows becoming zanier as it goes along. By the third act when a Taoist shows up on the scene, everything is turned right up as now we get a hopping vampire with a hard-on, blue filtered lighting, oversized needles, a breast shish kebab, a laser battle standoff where the masters shoots red beams from his eyes, floating cranky Buddha statue granting special powers, levitating acrobats and an almighty explosion to finish it off. It's completely daft, but the timing of everything, from its shenanigans to thrills is spot on and the effects are lively with plenty of blood. I guess a hospital is a good place than any to stage it.

If you've seen a fair number of Hong Kong movies before, especially modern horror-comedies, then you probably know what to expect from "Doctor Vampire". If you *aren't* familiar with Hong Kong movies, then this movie will surprise and probably confuse you, although you'll likely think it's pretty funny.

Hong Kong movies are often a bit disorganized, by Hollywood standards, and "Doctor Vampire" is no exception. A few plot elements go nowhere; a few loose ends won't get tied up. Some scenes -- although worth seeing -- don't really seem to go with the rest of the film. It all adds up to a happy mess that's entertaining but may be a little disconcerting for newcomers.

The cast is pretty good, including HK hottie Ellen Chan as the female vampire, and with Crystal Kwok in a hilarious role as a sassy nurse. The two Caucasian actors don't come off as well, partly because of how poorly they're dubbed, but it just adds to the campy fun.

This is basically a romantic comedy, light on the romance and heavy on the comedy, with a little kung fu and horror thrown in for good measure. There are a number of surprisingly funny moments, many of which have little to do with the plot but are definitely worth having.

People looking for a more serious HK vampire film should check out "Mr. Vampire" or Sammo Hung's "Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind". Those who see and like "Doctor Vampire" will probably also like another HK vampire romantic comedy, "A Bite of Love".

This is a Hong Kong horror comedy where Dr. Chiang Ta-Tsung (Bowie Lam), on business in England, unintentionally visit a brothel to find help after his car breaks down. The brothel turns out to be a lair for vampires who seduces men for their blood to feed their Vampire Master (Peter Kjær). Tsung becomes a victim to one of them named Alice (Ellen Chan), but she falls in love with him instead. And, Tsung returns home in Hong Kong, where he is being pursued by a reluctant Alice, who was ordered by the Vampire Master to bring Tsung back to their lair.

This film mixes in comedy, both humor and slapstick, and vampire action, with a little bit of the traditional Taoist magic seen in many conventional vampire movies thrown in. There is also some romance as seen in the love affair between Tsung and the lady vampire Alice. The plot is actually somewhat intriguing and gains some suspense when Tsung realizes that he possesses vampire traits and is on the verge of becoming one. When the Vampire Master enters the picture, it's one wild ride as Tsung, aided by Alice, attempts to escape the Master's grips, all the while Tsung's goofy doctor colleagues try to help.

I remembered renting this movie from the local video store all the time and enjoyed watching the acting, the humor and the vampire action. However, there are some ridiculous and rushed scenes, including the climax, which looked as if it was filmed in a hurry. What results isn't a bad horror comedy from Hong Kong - just not in the same league as some earlier vampire films of the '80s.

Grade B-

Doctor Vampire is another absolutely going for broke, bonkers movie from Hong Kong. It didn't seem right to be a Category III movie as it does not contain much nudity or graphic violence. It is still completely insane and is a vampire comedy that contains nods to Chinese and western vampire films. If you put together A Chinese Ghost Story, My Best Friend Is A Vampire and throw in some slapstick comedy, some baffonery and some really over the top action sequences, you might get an idea..The approach is mostly lighthearted and tongue in cheek, but there are a few serious more dramatic scenes. This tonal changes are common in Hong Kong cinema of its time and it's highly entertaining so it's easy to go with it..The main white/western vampire is really over the top with giant fangs and cape. Plus the man does have some killer kung fu skills. Doctor Vampire is certainly never boring and a great example of what made the Hong Kong cinema as a whole so endearing in its prime.