Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980)

06 Sep 2023

Rating: 4/5

Written, directed by, and starring Sammo Hung, one of the foremost Hong Kong directors and choreographers who helped reinvent the martial arts film into the breakneck joyride we know today

Here, he creates the jiāngshī (hopping vampire) film, which effortlessly combines folktale horror and fast-paced wuxia, blended with Hung’s signature underdog humor

Evil Dead, which came out after this, shares several stylistic similarities, but I can’t find any stated connection/influence

Though the film feels a tad long by the end, the variety of set pieces and wacky humor help it all fly by


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