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Mr. Vampire (1985)

Mr. Vampire (1985)

7.2

Hopping vampires terrorize a Hong Kong town in this slapstick horror comedy

Movie

Hong Kong
Cantonese
Action, Comedy, Horror
1985

TLDR

It’s just so silly to watch something like Dracula hopping around.

What it's about

When the town elder’s corpse resurrects into a hopping, bloodthirsty vampire, Taoist Priest Master Kau and his two bumbling assistants are on the case to save the town from becoming vampires themselves.

The take

Movie vampires are usually depicted in the spooky gothic way or the sexy, supernaturally romantic way. Mr. Vampire instead depicts this undead creature in a goofy manner, taking the Chinese jiangshi as an unfortunate mentorship program between Master Kau and his silly, incompetent assistants. It’s a bit corny, but director Ricky Lau creates action-packed yet comedic fights that Hong Kong cinema is known for, taking this creepy mythology with much more playfulness than we’re used to with vampires. Horror fans looking for a scare won’t find what they’re looking for in this flick, but action-comedy fans, as well as viewers that want to start watching horror films, might enjoy this slapstick satire in anticipation for Halloween.

What stands out

The fight scenes!

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