lost-in-limbo Insane Hong Kong presentation! Maybe even more so than its previous outings. Coming out a year after the very average 1986 "Mr Vampire II", which kept the same idea but set the madness within modern times in a more family friendly tone. However director Ricky Leu's conviction would see the third entry of this atypical cult series goes back to its roots, presenting a period fantasy horror comedy that never lets up on its arrant lunacy... fear or the humour.A priest who rock ups in a town has two ghosts (his nephews) that he uses to scam people, by using them to do a haunting while then being hired to get rid of them. But that gets put on the back-burner when he bumps into the master and his loyal men. Putting things aside they join together to vanquish a witch and her army, but it ends up being no easy task..An abundance of endearing slapstick humour, vividly staged costume and set-designs, flamboyantly up-tempo martial arts / choreographed stunts, wacky performances and gimmicky, but cleverly used special effects. Everything is piled on, while not always coming off (namely the humour -- as it's really in-your-face); it just remains too much fun and the rapid pacing means it never gets bog down for long. The story is busy, busy, busy and Leu's direction is expansively flashy. The atmospheric horror actually installs some intriguingly artistic visuals with the imaginatively violent thrills being evenly served alongside the comedy of errors the characters were finding themselves stuck in. Vampires might no feature, but you get some spooky, menacing demons / spirits for the motley, but dedicated crew to take on. Lam Ching-Ying returns again as the straight-face master, in quite a rock-solid and assured performance. Around him everyone is chipping in with playfully palatable turns; Richard Ng, Billy Lau and Ho Kin Wai.Part 3 is a worthy, entertaining sequel.

clenchedbrain I'm surprised by the relative obscurity of this film, as it easily matches the first of the series for pure entertainment value. There doesn't even seem to be a Hong Kong DVD of this title at the time of writing. Since there were more sequels to come in this franchise, it seems safe to guess that it wasn't a box office flop, so the lack of DVD is strange. Maybe they are going to treat us to a box set. The film is the usual combination of martial arts, horror, fantasy, sorcery and slapstick. Lam Ching-Ying is awesome, yet again. He pulls off the serious elements with conviction, even with stupid fake eyebrows plastered on his forehead; and he does the slapstick with a great deadpan expression. A shame his fighting skills are under used, but there are a few really sweet moves by him in this flick. I would say that the horror and violence are definitely stronger in this one, which is cool by me. The plot is decent; the cast pretty good; action is almost relentless, and the effects have that unique charm that CGI could never match. The comedy is the usual hit and miss affair, although a lot of it is genuinely funny, and well choreographed. You wouldn't be watching a Hong Kong horror vampire kung fu flick if you didn't put your face in your palm a couple of times at the cheesy gags. I don't have much in depth to say about this one, it just seems that critical comment is thin on the ground, so I thought I'd add my voice. Highly recommended; and if you like films of this type: essential. Bring on the DVD.

Guardia Again, the Mr. Vampire series takes another turn with this installment. Rather than vampires as the evil force (as in the first two films), the Taoist priest (Lam Ching-Ying) must take on three demons.Nothing is really brought from the "Mr. Vampire" film, apart from maybe Lam Ching-Ying's character, (whether he is supposed to be the same actual man is never explained), but it doesn't really matter. The fantasy and horror elements in this film are great.It has great comedy and great action sequences. The use of the magical and superstitious ideas are fascinating. And the Taoist priest rituals are very entertaining. The fight sequences have that typical chaotic Honk Kong cinema feel, but the continuity is fine and it holds up well to this day - it's sense of humour definitely helps.It's much better than the second one, and for my tastes, as good as the first but in a different sense - it is not as accessible and requires that you be a least a little familiar with the background of the series, (however shallow that may be).Skip the second one and treat this as the REAL sequel, I say.

kkmwills I went into this picture unsure whether I would even get through it. I hate scary films for the most part, and my husband isn't a big fan of that style either. But we were both pleasantly surprised with this movie! It is a pretty basic formula- Master teaching students how to fight Evil- but there is a humor that is consistent and leavens the spooky parts and the Big Bads. The two "pet" ghosts were a hoot too! I know that I may have enjoyed it more if I knew more about the culture and/or the two previous movies, but it was a fun/spooky ride! If you have kids that regularly take in Halloween or Scream-type movies, this will either be a massive bore or a fun change of pace.I had read a brief synopsis of this and went in hoping for some laughs, a couple of good scares and to be entertained. That is exactly what I got, which is not an everyday occurrence!