Here is the Kinima Film Club introduction to tonight's entertainment:
Kinima is ridiculously excited to be back at The Cinema Museum for their fifth event of cine-variety fun and an amazing film from Hong Kong. We are bringing Mr Vampire (1985), a rarely seen cult classic over from Hong Kong. Directed by Ricky Lau and produced by Sammo Hung this film blends multiple genres, from Vampire hopping, to flying kung-fu kicks, crazy superstitions and of course, love. Astonishingly, it never had a UK cinema release so we would proudly be hosting a special screening here at the Cinema Museum for you to feast your eyes on this mind-boggling feature.
Mr Vampire is a hidden Hong Kong gem so easily forgotten amongst the more popular iconic comedy kung-fu styled films of Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, and Sammo Hung. Hung was a pivotal figure in leading the Hong Kong new wave movement in the 1980s and started the “Jiangshi” (read goeng-si in Cantonese) vampire hopping themed films. After producing Mr Vampire, Hung said that his inspiration for the film came from childhood stories told to him by his mother. The film is incredibly funny with weird references to Chinese legends and folklore mainly sourced from Strange stories from a Chinese Studio, a collection of short stories by Qing Dynasty writer Pu Songling.
Mr Vampire is a hidden Hong Kong gem so easily forgotten amongst the more popular iconic comedy kung-fu styled films of Jackie Chan, Yuen Biao, and Sammo Hung. Hung was a pivotal figure in leading the Hong Kong new wave movement in the 1980s and started the “Jiangshi” (read goeng-si in Cantonese) vampire hopping themed films. After producing Mr Vampire, Hung said that his inspiration for the film came from childhood stories told to him by his mother. The film is incredibly funny with weird references to Chinese legends and folklore mainly sourced from Strange stories from a Chinese Studio, a collection of short stories by Qing Dynasty writer Pu Songling.
Time Out review:
A ditzy rewrite on vampire mythology as we know it. When a Chinese family is menaced by blood-craving zombies, they discover that the thing the creatures really hate is sticky rice, and that by holding your breath it's possible to stop the fiends in their tracks. How all this new-found knowledge filters into the narrative is wild, funny, and not a little strange.
Derek Adams
Here (and above is the trailer)
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