InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Humbersi The first must-see film of the year.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Jackson Booth-Millard The title made it obvious where the movie was from, this Catonese language film is one I found listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I was glad to read positive reviews by critics, so I was looking forward to it. Basically Ling Choi San (Leslie Cheung) is a timid debt collector, his job requires him to travel to rural areas, he arrives in a town, but his inability to collect a debt as planned. He is forced to seek shelter in a deserted temple in the middle of the forest, and that night Ling meets and falls in love with beautiful and alluring young maiden Lip Siu Sin (Joey Wang). However Ling becomes fearful and superstitious, as a Taoist mystic told him there are ghosts, and when he returns to the temple, his suspicions of Lip being a spirit are confirmed. Lip tells her story, she is eternally bound to the servitude of a sinister Tree Devil (Siu-Ming Lau), she is forever enslaved, as her buried remains are at the foot of the tree. Ling attempts to free her, he seeks help from powerful Taoist priest and master swordsman Yin Chek Hsia (Wu Ma), Yin battles with the Tree Demoness, but fails to free Lip, her soul is taken to the underworld for betraying her master. Ling is determined not to give up and insists that Yin help him, Yin opens a temporary portal to the Underworld, they enter and attempt to free Lip's soul from suffering. In the midst of thousands of other spirits they are unable to find Lip, eventually she and Ling see each other as dawn is breaking, but Lip cannot be exposed to sunlight or her soul will disintegrate. Ling holds on to a curtain to shield the urn, containing Lip's cremated remains, from the sunlight, she tells him that the only way to save her is to place the urn in a more auspicious burial site. Ling follows Lip's instructions and Yin's advice, he buries the remains on the crest of a hill, with Yin watching, a lights an incense stick and prays for her soul. Also starring Wai Lam as Hsia-hou, Zhilun Xue as Ching and Jing Wong as Judge. I assumed from the title is was just going to a bog-standard ghost drama, in fact it was more than I expected, it combined fast-paced fight sequences with some massive monsters and weird sorcery, it was both exciting and darkly funny, an interesting and likable martial arts comedy horror. Very good!

gavin6942 Ning Tsai-Shen, a humble tax collector, arrives in a small town to carry out his work. Unsurprisingly, no-one is willing to give him shelter for the night, so he ends up spending the night in the haunted Lan Ro temple.American audiences will notice right away the opening scene is similar to "Evil Dead". In fact, there are a number of similarities in theme, tone and cinematography. I almost wonder if it was all a big coincidence, because when this film was made I think "Evil Dead" was still relatively unknown.We also see shades of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" years before that film was out. I am no expert on Hong Kong films, but I wonder if this was the Shaw Brothers influence? We even have a scene with a character performing a sort of hip hop number. It is all very strange, and all very Asian.

Leofwine_draca This influential classic of the Hong Kong fantastic cinema is one of the most pleasing I've watched from that country, a funny, fast-paced, atmospheric and exciting romp through a haunted world which expertly mixes together a tragic love affair (between man and ghost, a theme that has swamped Chinese cinema ever since this hit first came out), some fine martial arts swordplay, horror and expertly-played comic relief to the hilt. It's an entertaining and genuinely likable movie which has something for everyone and offers all the exotic magic and fantasy you could want from an eastern movie like this.Sure, the first half is a little slow, but this is only so that the characters can be built up (yes, there are real characters here to like, not just action figures). There are the three main stars - Leslie Cheung, who shines as the young and innocent taxman drawn into events beyond his comprehension; Wu Ma as the sarcastic, world-weary swordsman Yen giving an excellent performance and stealing his scenes, and Joey Wong, who fits the bill perfectly as the ethereal love interest Lit Sin Seen. The comedy is enjoyable without being laboured and there are lots of slapstick antics to help take your mind off the thin plot, which serves as a basis for lots of visual delights.This is a film where murky stop-motion corpses slither and stir in ruined temples to great spooky effect; where bodies return to life and have to be burned apart by magical bolts. Men are menaced by gigantic killer tongues (great effect, forget that crappy Spanish comedy KILLER TONGUE - this is how it should be done), men battle demons with colourful bolts and heads roll aplenty. Then there's the tentacled slimy monster that the tongue turns into, a macabre skull-lined inn (that's some furnishing design), a portal into Hell (simple but good special effect), the frightening Black Lord who attacks with slime, tentacles and weirdo flying heads all over and the final battle in Hell which is excellently staged and a convincing depiction of a netherworld with it. The budget is high enough that you never question what's up on screen and there's a poetic, almost lyrical aspect behind the frenetic action which makes it a strong and influential movie in the genre. Superior stuff.

BA_Harrison A Chinese Ghost Story stars the late, great Leslie Cheung as Ling Choi Sin, a penniless tax collector who decides to spend the night at a deserted temple, where he meets and falls for a beautiful woman called Tsing (Joey Wang). When Ling discovers that Tsing is actually a ghost who has been forced to seduce victims for an evil tree spirit who feeds on 'chi' (life force), he decides to try and free the girl by giving her remains a proper burial. Enlisting the help of Swordsman Yin (Wu ma), a crazy Taoist monk, Ling successfully defeats the tree spirit, but must also do battle in hell against the evil Lord Black, to whom Tsing is due to be wed.The first Hong Kong film that I saw which wasn't purely martial arts action, A Chinese Ghost Story opened my eyes to the incredible world of Asian fantasy horror, a magical realm inhabited by beautiful female ghosts, bumbling innocent heroes, sword wielding Taoist monks, monstrous spirits, and dark lords of the underworld; I instantly fell in love with the film's exuberance, energy, humour, inventiveness and visual excellence.Two decades later, and this amazing movie still remains one of the finest examples of its genre that I have seen—a sumptuous, breathtaking masterpiece that brilliantly blends horror, comedy, fantasy and romance. With superb direction from Siu-Tung Ching, excellent editing from David Wu, stunning cinematography, and a whole slew of imaginative special effects (including a humongous killer tongue, a many tentacled monster, and multiple flying heads!), A Chinese Ghost Story is a completely unforgettable and thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish.