A Chinese Ghost Story I Ii Iii -1987-1990-1991-... May 2026

An entertaining, over-stuffed blockbuster. It lacks the soul of the original but is a crucial bridge to the madness of Part III. Part III: A Chinese Ghost Story III (1991) – The Taoist Unleashed Originally envisioned as a side story focusing solely on the Yin Chek-ha character, Part III is perhaps the most controversial entry among purists. Leslie Cheung is absent. Joey Wong returns, but not as Hsiao-ching.

Part II abandons the quiet, Gothic horror of the temple for political satire and monster brawls. The Tree Devil is gone. In its place is a giant, glowing centipede that sheds human skin. The romance is secondary to the acrobatics. A chinese ghost story I II III -1987-1990-1991-...

Before the CGI spectacles of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or the global phenomenon of Squid Game , there was Leslie Cheung, Joey Wong, and a Taoist swordsman named Yin Chek-ha. This is the story of how a simple ghost story became a cultural monument. Directed by Ching Siu-tung (choreographer of Hero ) and produced by Tsui Hark, the original film was a revolutionary departure from the staid Shaw Brothers productions of the prior decade. It took a classic Qing dynasty tale from Pu Songling’s Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio and injected it with 80s MTV pacing, wire-fu poetry, and tragic romance. An entertaining, over-stuffed blockbuster

In the pantheon of world cinema, there are few films that perfectly capture the intoxicating blend of sorrow, supernatural horror, and acrobatic wonder quite like Tsui Hark’s production of A Chinese Ghost Story (originally titled Sinnui yauman ). Released at the tail end of the 1980s and concluding in the early 90s, the trilogy spanning 1987, 1990, and 1991 remains the gold standard for the "oriental fantasy" genre. Leslie Cheung is absent

Michelle Reis as the cold, practical monk-fighter "Moon" is a highlight. The final battle, featuring a giant hollow demon head and massive explosions, is pure Hong Kong insanity. What fails: The magic is diluted. Replacing the unique chemistry of "ghost and scholar" with a "look-alike human" feels like cheating. Leslie Cheung’s Ling is now a screaming coward for 90% of the runtime, which gets exhausting.