Ghosts Galore (1983)
Late day Shaw Brothers "spooky" comedy (not scary) but the title is almost accurate. Young con artists Lu Xing and Fat Chicken pull the fake Taoist routine and wind up being hired to perform an exorcism. The lady ghost takes a liking to Fat Chicken and vows that she will snare him one day.
The boys meet the Priest Lian (Lo Lieh) and become his students. Unfortunately, their unwillingness to commit to a chaste life means they can only learn fortune telling and a few spells the ward off evil spirits. Meanwhile, a mystical ninja clan lead by Lian's Japanese counterpart (played by Hwang Jang Lee) seek twin siblings who wish to flee the dastardly Japanese.
Along the way, Fat Chicken dies (walking into the attack that kills the male ninja sibling and nearly kills the girl, Junko.) When Lu Xing finds Junko he raises the ire of her master and bringing up a lot more ghosts. Ultimately, it's a magical fu fight pitting China against Japan (by way of Korea.) What I love about this end is the use of Taoist magic and the use of Chinese opera characters and gods against Japanese ghosts, martial arts and crafts. Hwang sends an army of origami birds to attack priest Lian who then incorporates some of the mystical elements (fire and water) that Taoism and Japanese mystical systems rely on. Then it escalates as Lian transforms Lu Xing into a variety of Chinese opera characters to fight against the bad guys Kakuki ghosts wielding very real naganatas. Ultimately, Hwang Jang Lee gets involved as his army of followers gone Kabuki spirits die at the hands of Lu Xing, Fat Chicken's ghost and Lian.
The end fight remains my favorite fantasy based kung fu battle because you get to see a variety of styles (Wushu, Tae Kwan Do, operatic moves) as performed in these elaborate opera costumes when Lu and Fat Chicken become Guardians of the Door you fully believe in all the "magic" going on. The effects (colored smoke, animation, origami on wires, make ups and lighting) are wonderful and sell this mystically charged mano-a-mano-a-mano. It's interesting because some of these performers were trained in Chinese opera style acrobatics and fighting so to actually see them perform some of those characters for once was really pretty great. I am pretty sure that Carpenter and his team may have been inspired by this end fight when it came down to Egg Shen and Lo Pan fighting (the puppet Shadow Warrior fight.)
This remains my favorite late day Shaw Brothers film along with Five Element Ninjas and Perils of the Sentimental Swordsman. I'd love it if Celestial get around to actually restoring this because it is one of the most entertaining mixes of comedy, story and kung fu that the company ever released. Ghosts Galore is my second favorite kung fu comedy (behind the hilarious 1980 indie Fu heist film The Loot), for many reasons but mostly due to having fun with the characters, the martial arts and storylines.
Late day Shaw Brothers "spooky" comedy (not scary) but the title is almost accurate. Young con artists Lu Xing and Fat Chicken pull the fake Taoist routine and wind up being hired to perform an exorcism. The lady ghost takes a liking to Fat Chicken and vows that she will snare him one day.
The boys meet the Priest Lian (Lo Lieh) and become his students. Unfortunately, their unwillingness to commit to a chaste life means they can only learn fortune telling and a few spells the ward off evil spirits. Meanwhile, a mystical ninja clan lead by Lian's Japanese counterpart (played by Hwang Jang Lee) seek twin siblings who wish to flee the dastardly Japanese.
Along the way, Fat Chicken dies (walking into the attack that kills the male ninja sibling and nearly kills the girl, Junko.) When Lu Xing finds Junko he raises the ire of her master and bringing up a lot more ghosts. Ultimately, it's a magical fu fight pitting China against Japan (by way of Korea.) What I love about this end is the use of Taoist magic and the use of Chinese opera characters and gods against Japanese ghosts, martial arts and crafts. Hwang sends an army of origami birds to attack priest Lian who then incorporates some of the mystical elements (fire and water) that Taoism and Japanese mystical systems rely on. Then it escalates as Lian transforms Lu Xing into a variety of Chinese opera characters to fight against the bad guys Kakuki ghosts wielding very real naganatas. Ultimately, Hwang Jang Lee gets involved as his army of followers gone Kabuki spirits die at the hands of Lu Xing, Fat Chicken's ghost and Lian.
The end fight remains my favorite fantasy based kung fu battle because you get to see a variety of styles (Wushu, Tae Kwan Do, operatic moves) as performed in these elaborate opera costumes when Lu and Fat Chicken become Guardians of the Door you fully believe in all the "magic" going on. The effects (colored smoke, animation, origami on wires, make ups and lighting) are wonderful and sell this mystically charged mano-a-mano-a-mano. It's interesting because some of these performers were trained in Chinese opera style acrobatics and fighting so to actually see them perform some of those characters for once was really pretty great. I am pretty sure that Carpenter and his team may have been inspired by this end fight when it came down to Egg Shen and Lo Pan fighting (the puppet Shadow Warrior fight.)
This remains my favorite late day Shaw Brothers film along with Five Element Ninjas and Perils of the Sentimental Swordsman. I'd love it if Celestial get around to actually restoring this because it is one of the most entertaining mixes of comedy, story and kung fu that the company ever released. Ghosts Galore is my second favorite kung fu comedy (behind the hilarious 1980 indie Fu heist film The Loot), for many reasons but mostly due to having fun with the characters, the martial arts and storylines.
