Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980)

Overrated and overhyped

Charming and brutal

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Sammo Hung stars in one of his first Hong Kong horror movies, where he plays Bold Cheung, a villager who is on the run from an evil master who wants him dead so he could marry his unfaithful wife and from a corrupted inspector who believes Cheung murdered his wife (he was framed for it). Two dueling Taoist Priests fight over Cheung's fate.There are plenty of nicely choreographed and sword-wielding Kung-Fu action and a freaky-executed Chinese vampire, who was controlled by the evil priest to do Cheung in. These two are the most exciting elements of the film. However, a large part of the movie stretches too long: Towards the beginning of the film, there is a demon who nearly captures Cheung through a portal in a mirror; however, this scene has nothing to do with the plot and it looks as if the demon scene was just thrown in for good measure. It strays from the story in what is a long and dragged out movie. Too much preaching from the characters added unnecessary plot elements and did make this movie boring at times, contributed by an unremarkable music score. The climax was also, I think, a little overkill.If you are a hardcore fan of Kung-Fu movies and wouldn't mind watching a long, dragged out movie, than give this film a try. Otherwise, there are plenty of other horror, ghost and fantasy movies from Hong Kong that are more entertaining.Grade D+

The first real successful horror feature in Hong Kong to mix action with horror. Even though there were similar films before this like The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires, it was this movie that laid the groundwork for many future horror films in Hong Kong. Gui Da Gui/Encounters of the Spooky Kind(1980) sports a physical incredible performance from Sammo Hung Kam Bo as Courageous Cheung. The special effects are some of the best ever seen in a Hong Kong film. Sammo excells in the role of writer, star, and director. The fight sequences involving the Inspector and his men are wonderfully choreographed. Influenced many American filmmakers including Sam Raimi. Sam Raimi uses scenes from this film as inspiration for Evil Dead(1983) and Evil Dead 2(1987). Courageous Cheung is a model for the character ofAsh in the Evil Dead films. Gui Da Gui/Encounters of the Spooky Kind(1980) along with Eastern Condors(1987), Pedicab Driver(1989), and Prodigal Son(1983) are my favorite films by the director.

This movie is really great! I was really caught by surprise because before I saw this movie, I thought all Hong Kong movies were hyper-violent actions with "rock hard" characters. The characters in this movie are actually very funny. They're not all cold, hard murderers who go around shooting or beating people up.There's lots of great humor in this movie, mixed with the standard Hong Kong stunts. I bet you would have to look for a long time to find a Western stuntman who can do all the stuff Sammo does here. And he's fat!!! There's really not much I can say without giving up too much of the story, so I suggest you just see it. It's incredible, and matches even the best American comedies.

This is a funny and inventive movie. its plot centers around a fat feudal peon named Couragous Cheung (Sammo). He has a reputation for never turning down a bet for money, no matter how foolish. The problem is that his wife is cheating on him with his master. His wife and and master conspire to have him knocked off by having a man dare him to sleep in an abandoned temple overnight while a hired sorcerer raise zombies to take care of him. Two problems stop them. First, Cheung is highly skilled in Kung-fu, and second, the sorcerer's brother is giving him advice on how to survive. The two sorcerers head toward a final magical showdown while cheung takes on his master in a duel.There are many brilliant scenes in this film. at one part Sammo's right hand becomes possessed by the sorcerer and begins beating him and everyone around him ala EVIL DEAD. The Scene is well choreographed and hilarious to watch. There are numerous fights throughout the film. all extremely fast and furious.