The Occupant (1984)

"Would you please shut up"

The Occupant was a romantic comedy with a side of ghostly possession. I tried taking into account the time in which the screenplay was written, but the love triangle did not hold up well. This film might have worked better if they’d ditched the grating third wheel and made it more of a horror tale with a side of romance.

Canadian Angie arrives in Hong Kong where she hopes to finish her thesis on "Superstition in China". She has almost no money and can’t afford to stay at the YMCA. Through a “realty” office she meets Hansom Wong and he knows of an apartment for rent that is dirt cheap, likely because it is haunted. He tries every way possible to get her stay with him and makes no bones about wanting to sleep with her. When he tries to seduce aka sexually assault Angie who he thinks is in bed, the ghost teaches him a lesson that he doesn’t learn from. Fortunately, it brings Inspector Valentino Chow into her life. He’s not much better than Hansom but he is more handsome. The three will research Lisa Law, the former and deceased occupant of the apartment who becomes a little too attached to Angie.

Let’s see what the film’s assets were: Sally Yeh-check. Chow Yun Fat-double check. A vengeful ghost who died wrongfully-check. Lo Lieh as the spiritual expert-check. A singing ghost with a nice voice-check.

Now for the demerits: Raymond Wong as the sex and Angie obsessed, non-stop talking, ever present third wheel-minus to the 10th power. A female lead pulled and pushed by two strange men and a strange ghost-minus, minus, minus!

Raymond Wong’s Hansom was beyond irritating. This film could be used as a sexual harassment training tool. And while Hansom was overt about wanting to get Angie into bed, Valentino wasn’t much better, he just had the luck of being portrayed by too cool for school Chow Yun Fat. (Another lesson for the real world that being handsome doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous.) But this was a romcom so nothing untoward happened, despite the problematic behavior.

Lo Lieh played the expert on all things spiritual which he had some cinematic experience with. In the prior year, he battled ghosts and other creatures in Ghosts Galore and The Enchantress. The supernatural events used old school special effects and watching Wong be tossed out a two-story window multiple times was cathartic.

Aside from the blatant red flag warnings about strange men taking charge of your life and refusing to leave when asked, The Occupant had its entertaining moments. Angie’s final choice being one of them.

20 October 2026

Trigger warnings: Attempted sexual assault. Brief sexual interlude interrupted by a car plowing through the wall.

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