This film deals with the persecuted character of "Bold Cheung", played by Sammo Hung, as he simultaneously battles to find those who framed him for murder and also escaping a pursuing detective. It is a mostly kung-fu comedy film, and really defined the genre of kung-fu horror, (from which titles such as "Mr. Vampire" capitalised off greatly).

The brilliance of this film lies in it's great mix of excellent choreography, and interesting and exotic characters - the horror themes are like an extra background setting that improve the film even further. Not only is it a first in it's (sub)genre, but it happens to be one of the best - and this is due to Sammo's awesome talent.

The development of the plot really does centre around Cheung, as he uses his wits and savage kung-fu to overcome various set-pieces of action such as a resurrected corpse (Chinese vampire),a voodoo-doll, a band of policemen, yet another undead corpse, ghosts, specters, and men possessed with summoned Gods.

His slapstick style is present again, as well as his unique ability for weapon choreography. The ending sequence rivals "Odd Couple" as the best weapon skills caught on film - (watch those spear techniques closely!). Cinematography in this film is superb, and the restored version I own has not dated in the slightest. In fact, the film looks better than those brought out much later, (I did notice a wash of blue across the entire print, though).

Hang in there for the end - one of the most vindictive and vengeful endings I have ever seen. It has a strange satisfaction though!

Oh I love 'Mr Vampire (1985)', so how could I not fall for 'Spooky Encounters' in what people call the prototype of the Hong Kong sub-genre; horror, comedy and martial arts rolled into one. It's genius. Inspired. And non-stop fun. Really the tripped-out blend would be hard to pull off, but star/writer/director Sammo Hung does an adeptly magnificent job combining them in a satisfying manner. No doubts, that this film has some influences' on other horror films. Sam Raimi's 'Evil Dead' Trilogy? I can see it. The comically bumbling, but gallant protagonist (amusingly acted by Hung) sticks out with its familiarities to Ash. The confrontations with the supernatural are exaggeratedly humorous with its free-flowing slapstick and psychical gags. The scenes of possessed rotting corpses and jumping Chinese vampires in combat and that of our protagonist's arm having a mind of its own are highly enjoyable in their spectacularly crafted set-pieces. Kung-fu choreography is that of high level with its timing, pacing and overall rhythm. Never skips a beat, as the outstanding camera-work characteristically frames every shot in a prolific and kinetic fashion. The story tells of poor worker Bold Cheung as he encounters many unusual, spooky situations when he gets caught up in a bet to stay a night in a haunted temple, but along the way he's getting close to discovering that his wife is having an with affair with his boss. The material is a jumble, but creative storm of hybrid ideas. Adventurous, cheeky and ghastly. Scripting holds up well, as it compels with its charm and fruitful quips. The witchcraft side isn't particularly horrifying, not even eerie because the humour mostly takes centre stage, but it's definitely pleasurably offbeat. But what stands out, and leaves an impression is the way they go about ending it. POW! Hung's high octane direction is thick on atmosphere, uncanny sound FX, playful score, vivid art-direction and splendidly wonderful looking (yep even though macabre corpses) make-up and special effects. Brightly animated performances by Ha Wong, Dick Wei, Ching-Ying Lam, Fat Chung, Lung Chan and Suet-Moi Leung lend well too. Growing up watching the magically crazy 70's Japanese TV series 'Monkey Magic' was where it all started for me, and I don't see myself ever falling out of interest. If you're getting bored with the recent same-old clutter coming out of modern Asian horror cinema, all you have to do is go back and delve into these early Eastern fixtures for some blistering thrills and tasty laughs.

Ask an 'average Joe' to name a successful actor/director and you'll get the obvious answers: Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Clint Eastwood, Dennis Hopper, Mel Gibson, Quentin Tarantino, Sylvester Stallone. Ask a fan of martial arts cinema, however, and there's a very good chance that the first name they'll proffer will be that of Sammo Hung, the portly pal of Jackie Chan who has shot and starred in some of the most breathtaking fight action scenes ever committed to celluloid.

Encounters of the Spooky Kind is Hung's first stab at the martial arts/horror/comedy hybrid that became very popular in the 80s, and sees the talented actor/director starring as Bold Cheung, a fearless pedicab driver who is unaware that his wife has been having an affair with Mr. Tam, one of his clients. After narrowly avoiding being caught in the act, Mr. Tam decides that life would be easier with Cheung permanently out of the way, and so hires a warlock to try and dispose of the poor guy.

When Cheung escapes the clutches of a corpse brought to life by the evil magician, Mr. Tam concocts an alternative plot to frame Cheung for the murder of his wife. Unable to prove his innocence, Cheung is arrested and sentenced to death, but the plucky guy manages to escape the night before his execution, and with the help of a good wizard, seeks to put an end to Mr. Tam and his wicked ways.

Even though I'm not exactly the biggest fan of Hong Kong comedy, finding Chinese humour a little too 'basic' at times, Encounters of the Spooky Kind is such an energetic and imaginative piece of film-making that it's almost impossible not to find hugely enjoyable. Hung is as amazingly athletic as ever, once again proving that fat guys can flip and fight with the best of them; the silly scary moments are surprisingly atmospheric; the antagonists are boo-hiss horrible in the extreme; and the fight filled finale is stunning, with both good guys and bad guys being possessed by the spirits of Chinese gods and battling to the death (Hung doing his monkey style kung fu is always a winner).

And for a little extra fun, try and spot the similarities between EOTSK and the Evil Dead movies: I know it sounds unlikely, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that Sam Raimi is a fan of this classic of HK cinema.