Ghosts are wreaking havoc in a corporate office building where Sharon Kwok runs a family business. Two Taoist masters (one male, the other female) are enlisted to rid the office block of the undead with the help of their newly recruited (and horny!) students.
After a strong first half hour, the film gives way to familiar Police Academy / Porky's type shenanigans with much of the running time focussing on the two separate male/female ghost-busting student groups trying to hop into bed with one another (there are some parallels here with Devil's Vendetta which was released in 1991). They eventually graduate and set out to use their wizardry against the undead in a colourful finale.
Ghost Busting is lot better than films of similar nature due to the solid ensemble cast who all possess some great comic acting and timing. The film also benefits from some creative visuals throughout (e.g. A ghost flattened by a door inflates himself again, a severed hand creeps up a trouser leg Evil Dead style) and everything moves along at a fairly brisk pace, despite a slightly lagging middle section. It's ridiculous (Sandra Ng appears dressed as Marilyn Monroe, Nat Chan as Bruce Lee and Jesus), it's un-PC as you'd expect from the genre (characters named 'Gay Vampire', and an attempted arse-rape by a ghost) - but it's all good fun and as mentioned, that quality cast helps keep everything afloat.
3 out of 5
Review source: Star Entertainment, Laserdisc (Hong Kong) (Cantonese language)
After a strong first half hour, the film gives way to familiar Police Academy / Porky's type shenanigans with much of the running time focussing on the two separate male/female ghost-busting student groups trying to hop into bed with one another (there are some parallels here with Devil's Vendetta which was released in 1991). They eventually graduate and set out to use their wizardry against the undead in a colourful finale.
Ghost Busting is lot better than films of similar nature due to the solid ensemble cast who all possess some great comic acting and timing. The film also benefits from some creative visuals throughout (e.g. A ghost flattened by a door inflates himself again, a severed hand creeps up a trouser leg Evil Dead style) and everything moves along at a fairly brisk pace, despite a slightly lagging middle section. It's ridiculous (Sandra Ng appears dressed as Marilyn Monroe, Nat Chan as Bruce Lee and Jesus), it's un-PC as you'd expect from the genre (characters named 'Gay Vampire', and an attempted arse-rape by a ghost) - but it's all good fun and as mentioned, that quality cast helps keep everything afloat.
3 out of 5
Review source: Star Entertainment, Laserdisc (Hong Kong) (Cantonese language)