Ghouls Gone Wild

GHOULS GONE WILD is yet another release perfect for Halloween! Three hugely entertaining (and occasionally downright bonkers) supernatural cult classics from Hong Kong and Taiwan are now available as a 2-Disc Limited Edition Set, all in gloriously 2K restored Blu-ray format. Scared Stiff, The Haunted Cop Shop and Magic Of Spell promise a ghoulish night in!

After the massive success of horror/horror-comedy films such as ‘Encounter of the Spooky Kind’ - ghostly shenanigans, often injected with a generous dose of humour, became a hit with native audiences and film production companies particularly in Hong Kong were quick to churn out what cinema audiences craved, especially during the 1980’s. 
Disc 1 offers SCARED STIFF (Hong Kong 1987, directed by Lau Kar-Wing). It’s an absolute oddity because it throws many different genres in the mix though somehow, it works. Others might disagree though. We’re starting with bumbling toy designer Harley (Eric Tsang) who is short, stocky, wears geeky specs and has nerd written all over him. And yet, when a foxy dame drives him home in her car, she’s miffed when he doesn’t invite her ‘for a cup of coffee’. Inside the house, and as he’s ready to go to bed, three other sexy dames are waiting for him in the bedroom while Harley’s main concern is losing his virginity! Fear not, because much better looking flatmate David (Michael Miu) jumps to the rescue and before we know it, the two friends start fighting. Not for long though, because as it turns out, everything was just a dream, with Harley complaining that David always enters his dreams (he soon will…). The following day, David takes a girl back to the house he’s keen on seducing but first, he’s keen on impressing her and poor Harley is made to look and pose like a robot, albeit one who’s ogling her. Yes, it’s silly and it’s sexist and embarrassing and yes, it was the 1980’s! 

We then get an unexpected genre change when the ‘sex comedy’ (if you can call it that) changes into an action flick, namely when our two friends are in town and unwittingly get involved with bank robbers. Cue for an insane car chase, during which Harley is injured and David is left for dead. Alas, while David is physically dead, his brain still works overdrive. While Harley, limping, gets cornered in a shopping mall by some of the bank robbers who recognise him and is almost beaten to a pulp, leaving him half comatose in the same ward as David, psychiatrists and doctors alike, foremost attractive scientist Alice (Emily Chu), study David’s brainwaves. Alice and another doctor have the idea to connect David’s brain with the one of a psychotic patient and voila, David is able to enter the patient’s warped mind! Suddenly, we enter the world of vampires and other bizarre stuff. That is until David, due to his unique ‘skill’, is drafted into tracking down a dangerous serial killer, with the investigation led by Detective Chow (Chow Yun-fat, yes, THAT Chow Yun-fat). And now we’re heading for yet another genre change by entering the world of gory slashers and a surprise twist, with a climax clearly inspired by ‘Carrie’… It’s a marmite-kind of film which you’ll either love or hate - for some, all the different genres will work, for others, it will ruin the film but regardless of one's opinion: SCARED STIFF is a wild and trippy ride for sure!

Disc 2 kicks off with THE HAUNTED COP SHOP (Hong Kong 1987, directed by Jeffrey Lau). No genre-mixing here, this is a horror-comedy from start to finish, albeit a frenzied and barmy one! The first setting is a police station where police Chief Shun (Wu Fung) stands outside the station when suddenly, a Buddhist monk turns up. He turns out to be a former colleague who had left the force in search of spiritual enlightenment, not least because he and Shun never saw eye to eye. Now he warns Shun of a woman dressed in pink, who will attempt to enter the police station on the night of the Hungry Ghost Festival. Suffice to say, Chief Shun dismisses the warning as the ramblings of a madman. Meanwhile, policemen Man Chiu (Ricky Hiu) and Kam Mark-K (Jacky Cheung) arrest local thief Sneaky Ming (Billy Lau) while annoying colleague Chief Superintendent Fanny Ho (Kitty Chan) with their usual stupid jokes. On the night of the Hungry Ghost Festival, a mysterious woman in pink enters the police station and of course, she’s a ghost which only Sneaky Ming can see. After she helps him escape from his cell, he attempts to follow her but instead, he enters a strange night club loxated on a spot on which a seedy nightclub back from the time of the Japanese occupation once stood. If Sneaky had a brain cell, he would recognise the Japanese flag behind the bar but he’s so preoccupied with finding the lady in pink, he pays no attention to details. Instead, he finds a group of men assembled around a gambling table. Not able to bet lots of money, he offers to bet his life. He loses but the men (ghosts of course) give him another chance if he agrees to open a casket from which, oh dear, the ghost of former Japanese General Issei (Rico Chu) emerges in physical form and as a blood-thirst vampire! The rest of the plot revolves around Chief Shun, Man Chiu, Mark-K and Fanny Ho desperately trying to ward off hordes of Japanese vampire zombies, in particular General Issei and Sneaky Ming - now also a vampire. The methods which our four human heroes use are side-splitting funny but will they work? Utter mayhem combined with slapstick is guaranteed!

The final film is the completely bonkers Taiwanese fantasy action-comedy MAGIC OF SPELL from 1988 (directed by Chiu Chung-Hing). Enter the magical world of Peach Boy (played by Taiwanese actress Lin Hsiao-Luo), Peach Boy’s mother (Yau Mei-Fong), Peach Boy’s friends and an inept youngster who hopes that Peach Boy, who has supernatural powers, will become his teacher. Then there’s a group of nasty demons, out to capture children and the boy for their blood (that way, their ancient demon master, called the Elder (Charng Shan), can be rejuvenated. Last but not least there is - wait for it - a 1000-year old ginseng root in human form (Shen Yi-Ta), whose parents were murdered. The demons themselves are a sight to behold, including a green-faced one and another (female) one with long silver-white hair and a long, floating white gown. Giant peaches which fly through the air, flying demons, light and fire balls, shapeshifting vegetables…this really has to be seen to be believed! The special effects are a bit on the ropey side by modern standards (including the demons’ castle, which clearly is a cardboard model) but somehow, it’s all the more charming and you’ll never look at peaches or ginger roots in the same way again!

Bonus material includes various audio options, audio commentaries, trailers, interviews plus the additional 97-minute version of SCARED STIFF. The 2-disc set is presented in a sturdy O-card slipcase (limited to 2,000 copies only) and includes an exclusive collector’s booklet.