Better Late Then Never

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

Better special effects highlight this delayed sequel to Hung's classic film ENCOUNTERS OF THE SPOOKY KIND, which single-handedly invented the comedy/horror genre in Hong Kong back on its release in 1980. Unfortunately this is a lesser movie in almost every other respect, with poorer writing – the plot is basically a rerun of the "rival wizards duke it out" story from the first film – and (this being the biggest offender) worse action. The fight sequences are few and far between and to make matters worse, the choreography isn't really up to scratch either, except maybe at the finale. Sammo Hung is still on top form as the lead, kicking backside all over the shop and delivering some stupendous kicks at high speeds, but the cameras are sometimes in the wrong places, slow-motion is used a little too often, and often romance and endless dialogue get in the way of kung fu fight scenes.So, it isn't a classic like the original. But that doesn't mean it isn't a thoroughly entertaining movie, and there are plenty of enjoyable moments in it to be seen. The opening sequence is a homage to ENCOUNTERS OF THE SPOOKY KIND as Hung and his girlfriend hide from two traditional hopping vampires. Things progress to an excellent display of monkey-style kung fu, and then get more bizarre as we see animated zombies full of cockroaches, Sammo's soul going inside a pig, a squad of tough kung fu mummies attacking (classic stuff), and finally the long-awaited duel between the wizards, including two super-tough snake warrior men attacking our heroes. Any film containing this wealth of imagination can't go wrong, and the special effects are good enough to pass even for today.As well as Hung, we get some fine acting from the classy Lam Ching Ying (playing his stereotyped role of the vampire buster with plenty of finesse and skill) and the familiar Meng Hoi, who excels as the comedy sidekick. Plus we get a villain with a loathsome mole on his face (as usual), the sight of Sammo running naked down the street and getting completely covered in live cockroaches (eww!), and a fair amount of bizarre culture humour which is enough to make anybody laugh. If there had been more of the kung fu and less of the boring ghost woman, then this film would have rivalled the first. As it stands, it's still a must-see for genre fans.

Sources say that this movie is the sequel to an earlier Chinese vampire movie called "Spooky Encounters." Other than having Sammo Hung as the lead actor, this film really has no relation to the characters and course of events of the earlier film. Here, Hung plays martial-arts and Taoist disciple Abao, who is engaged to his boss' daughter, Little Chu. However, the lecherous Mr. Shi has his eyes on Little Chu as well, resulting him in enlisting the help of a Black Magic Priest to vanquish Abao.This film is full of exciting martial arts action and Taoist magic fun, followed by a fast-paced story, great acting, witty humor and touches of drama. The film's intro features the classic hopping vampire, a great nod to the genre that made these films popular, and also features a variety of freaky but incredible looking creatures that gives the film a unique flavor, including bug-infested zombies, slow-moving mummies and fighting-skilled snakemen. Also in the supernatural mix is a friendly female ghost who encounters Abao and promises to look after him in the hour of need.To top off the list of elements is the starring of veteran actor Lam Ching-Ying, returning once again in his famous "Vampire Buster" role. He has a bag full of neat magic tricks and his battle with the Black Magic Priest is a captivating one that is not to be missed! A few issues with the film are that I think ***spoiler ahead*** the Mr. Shi character was a little too annoying and childish and the ending came off as a little too anti-climatic, with the fate of some of the characters left ambiguous ***spoiler ends*** Other than that, this is one of the greater vampire/ghost movies from Hong Kong! Grade B+

To me, this sequel was superior to the original film. There's less action but it was more 'cerebral' ... focusing on Taoist mysticism. Also, it wasn't presented in a slapstick manner. While comedic moments exist throughout the film, the overall tone was more serious. And, the spooky characters (ghosts, ghouls, etc.) were far more believable in the sequel than in the original film. However, though I enjoyed this film more than the original, I rated it 5 out of 10 due to production glitches.First, the film IS available on VHS from the domestic (US) releasing company, Tai Seng Video (www.taiseng.com) in NTSC VHS format. Note, though, that their exact title on file is "Encounter Of The Spooky Kind II" with no 's' character after 'Encounter'. The site also has a cover photo of the tape box. However, unlike the original film's widescreen presence, the sequel is pan/scan. Further, the subtitling was atrocious in parts ... putting the English words below the viewable area on most TVs or actually cutting off parts of words on the left/right sides of the screen. In the original film, subtitles were below the active letterbox frame but well within the viewable area. Also, the people who subtitled the sequel obviously didn't speak English as well as the people who subtitled the original film. Example from the sequel when Abao, a friend, and their Master confront angry wild dogs:Abao: Master, how do we get through them? Master: We _snick_ our way through.There are a number of other examples but I won't go into them. Still, if you can overlook those problems, I think you'll find the film enjoyable overall.

Not as good as Spooky Kind 1, it is nevertheless entertaining. The special effects were better from the first film but the choreography isn't. Sammo Hung does a good job with the fight scenes but the problem is there isn't enough of them. Scenes that would have looked better using humorous kung fu instead are wasted with drawn out sequences, such as the rotting corpses with the roaches. It's still a better film than most Hong Kong Fu films of the 90's, and worth a peek if you're a horror film fan.