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Mummies, and ghosts, and jiangshi, oh my!
Encounter of the Spooky Kind 2 starred Sammo Hung and Lam Ching Ying but had nothing to do with the original Encounter of the Spooky Kind. This film dug deeply into the Hong Kong kung fu comedy horror archive and served up hopping vampires (Jiangshi!), ghosts, creepy cockroach filled animated corpses, snake warriors, and mummies! So many trigger warnings!
Abao and his fellow disciple, Little Hoi, study under Master Jiao/Kau. Abao is engaged to Chu Nui though her father is looking for a way to break the engagement. Wealthy jerk, Shi, is determined to win Chu Nui and has hired a black magic priest. Abao and Little Hoi open a congee stall hoping to make enough money to impress Old Chu. Abao’s first and only customer turns out to be a beautiful ghost! When he hunts her down for payment he finds her caring for her blind and very much alive mother. Master and disciples become entangled with the women at the same time Shi and his evil priest begin to attack Abao in earnest.
This film was reminiscent of the Mr. Vampire films with Lam Ching Ying once again playing a kung fu master and Taoist ghost and vampire exterminator/wrangler. This second Spooky film wasn’t filled with as much slapstick as the first one which I much preferred. Abao and Little Hoi were still the ubiquitous inept disciples but not as annoyingly so as many other films. In too many of these films, I’m rooting for the creatures of the night to eat the bothersome disciples, not so here. I also liked Siu Hung, the dutiful ghostly daughter. She ended up being a loyal friend to the human trio and especially Abao.
Magical creatures and spells, oh my! Master Jiao and the evil priest did magical battle on two separate occasions. The special effects were low budget but effective. The evil priest summoned buggy corpses and cockroaches, mummies, giant dogs, and snake men. If you have triggers, beware. There was also ghost possession, jiangshi, and monkey possessed kung fu!
Sammo Hung was in charge of the martial arts choreography and it showed. The fights were hard hitting and falling. He was in his prime, showing off his agility and acrobatics. If an actor was in a Sammo film, they’d better be ready to hit the ground-forcefully. There was wire fu and undercranking on occasion. This wasn’t a primarily kung fu flick so the fights were shorter and took a backseat to the creatures, spells, and talismans.
I enjoyed Encounter of the Spooky Kind 2 more than the original, though I admit to having to close my eyes every now and then. Sammo’s character was likeable and Lam Ching Ying brought the magic to a role he could play in his sleep. If this is a niche genre you enjoy, you liked the original, or you are a Sammo fan, it’s one to try. My cutoff for rating on a curve is 1990 and this one squeaked in under the wire.
Trigger warnings: Snakes, like a lot of them. Cockroaches-a jillion more cockroaches than snakes. Decomposed bodies. Sammo’s nekkid bottom. Attempted sexual assault. Brief bathroom and fellatio humor. Animal deaths. Opium use…by a hopping vampire. You read that right. lol
Abao and his fellow disciple, Little Hoi, study under Master Jiao/Kau. Abao is engaged to Chu Nui though her father is looking for a way to break the engagement. Wealthy jerk, Shi, is determined to win Chu Nui and has hired a black magic priest. Abao and Little Hoi open a congee stall hoping to make enough money to impress Old Chu. Abao’s first and only customer turns out to be a beautiful ghost! When he hunts her down for payment he finds her caring for her blind and very much alive mother. Master and disciples become entangled with the women at the same time Shi and his evil priest begin to attack Abao in earnest.
This film was reminiscent of the Mr. Vampire films with Lam Ching Ying once again playing a kung fu master and Taoist ghost and vampire exterminator/wrangler. This second Spooky film wasn’t filled with as much slapstick as the first one which I much preferred. Abao and Little Hoi were still the ubiquitous inept disciples but not as annoyingly so as many other films. In too many of these films, I’m rooting for the creatures of the night to eat the bothersome disciples, not so here. I also liked Siu Hung, the dutiful ghostly daughter. She ended up being a loyal friend to the human trio and especially Abao.
Magical creatures and spells, oh my! Master Jiao and the evil priest did magical battle on two separate occasions. The special effects were low budget but effective. The evil priest summoned buggy corpses and cockroaches, mummies, giant dogs, and snake men. If you have triggers, beware. There was also ghost possession, jiangshi, and monkey possessed kung fu!
Sammo Hung was in charge of the martial arts choreography and it showed. The fights were hard hitting and falling. He was in his prime, showing off his agility and acrobatics. If an actor was in a Sammo film, they’d better be ready to hit the ground-forcefully. There was wire fu and undercranking on occasion. This wasn’t a primarily kung fu flick so the fights were shorter and took a backseat to the creatures, spells, and talismans.
I enjoyed Encounter of the Spooky Kind 2 more than the original, though I admit to having to close my eyes every now and then. Sammo’s character was likeable and Lam Ching Ying brought the magic to a role he could play in his sleep. If this is a niche genre you enjoy, you liked the original, or you are a Sammo fan, it’s one to try. My cutoff for rating on a curve is 1990 and this one squeaked in under the wire.
Trigger warnings: Snakes, like a lot of them. Cockroaches-a jillion more cockroaches than snakes. Decomposed bodies. Sammo’s nekkid bottom. Attempted sexual assault. Brief bathroom and fellatio humor. Animal deaths. Opium use…by a hopping vampire. You read that right. lol
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