GHOST FEVER (1989, original title Gui gou ren) is another wacky slice of comedy horror from Hong Kong, courtesy of Wong Jing who wrote and co-directed as well as starring. Jing plays an advertising executive who decides to play the field when his pregnant wife is hospitalised for a few weeks. Unfortunately he sets his sights on a mysterious lady in red and, when he jilts her after a one night stand, she and her ghostly family come for revenge.
As usual with Jing's movies, whatever genre they happen to be in, there's a slapdash, anything-goes feel to this one. The first half is pretty much a straight comedy focusing on the hijinks of Jing's co-workers, as played by the dependable Natalis Chan and Charlie Cho. The second half segues into traditional haunted house fare with more than a few nods to POLTERGEIST as our heroes employ a diminutive medium to help out, others are sucked into "the light" and one guy gets trapped inside a TV set. There's a great gag involving a Jackie Chan film playing on the TV which ends up with the severed head of a hopping vampire challenging our cast! The SFX are limited but the comedy works and Rosamund Kwan has never looked more alluring. Max Mok also co-stars as a Buddhist priest. One for Wong Jing fans!
As usual with Jing's movies, whatever genre they happen to be in, there's a slapdash, anything-goes feel to this one. The first half is pretty much a straight comedy focusing on the hijinks of Jing's co-workers, as played by the dependable Natalis Chan and Charlie Cho. The second half segues into traditional haunted house fare with more than a few nods to POLTERGEIST as our heroes employ a diminutive medium to help out, others are sucked into "the light" and one guy gets trapped inside a TV set. There's a great gag involving a Jackie Chan film playing on the TV which ends up with the severed head of a hopping vampire challenging our cast! The SFX are limited but the comedy works and Rosamund Kwan has never looked more alluring. Max Mok also co-stars as a Buddhist priest. One for Wong Jing fans!