MR VAMPIRE SEQUELS (1986-1987)
While there are often a lot of sequels to be found in the world of Hong Kong action many of them fail to capture the lighting in a bottle of the original film. They can be weirdly thin and yet at the same time over-written and convoluted. Something like Project A: Part II might have some great set pieces but it lacks the heart and the straightforward story. But at least in that case it was a clear cut successor to the first movie that continued where things left off. With these second and third instalments neither of them is a real continuation which is a problem. However, other issues also detract from the overall experience.
Mr. Vampire II, aka 'Vampire Family', decides to eject the idea of the period setting altogether and is set in the modern world. Which, as well as being a strangely disappointing scenario that doesn't use the same characters, is baffling in other ways. The film opens with the idea that many years earlier Master Kau died battling a vampire which was left in state of suspended animation. While Billy Lau returns (doing the same schtick as before) he's now the bumbling assistant of Professor Kwok (Fat Chung). So of course, in a quest for fame and fortune, the corpses are soon awakened.
There's something immediately annoying about the whole affair as various slapstick gags and weird animal abuse scenes play out. The herbal medicine scenes in movies like this are always pretty questionable but here it serves no purpose other than a series of bad jokes. Beyond the nonsensical tomb raiding plot the film also lacks the kind of supernatural atmosphere and weird vampire lore of the previous story. Without a central idea it hangs together as a bunch of farcical scenes without much in the way of horror or action.
After nearly forty minutes Lam Ching-ying actually shows up as an entirely new character... Dr. Lam who tries to save the greedy grave robbers from their deserved fate. But despite introducing both Yuen Biao and Moon Lee as his current assistants they're all wasted in a film devoid of satisfying stunt work. The biggest set piece involving the gang fighting the undead family includes the bizarre use of a 'retarder gas' resembling some kind of chloroform. Which means that everyone moves in slow motion and the sequence is dragged out well beyond the limit of the joke.
Meanwhile the child of the vampire trio lands in what seems like another movie; some kind of weird, and again irritating, E.T. parody. Which is perhaps cute for a few minutes but like the rest of it gets old fast and soon runs out its welcome. The child actors are all pretty bad and the pacing is glacial without any kind of threat. There's just too much stuff going on but not enough actual plot as the whole thing goes off the rails and becomes a weird thriller involving Dr. Yam trying to evade the police. But it's all too bland to be entertaining and it fails as a sequel and as a movie of its own.
Mr. Vampire III, aka 'Mr. Supernatural', also fails as a sequel. It's not even about vampires at all this time and is a movie featuring ghosts and black magic. Some of the ghosts are wearing the same costumes as the bloodsuckers for some reason, probably marketing, but none are included. Which along with the inclusion of Billy Lau, again in another different but same role, and Richard Ng to provide even more slapstick nonsense, seems like a string of red flags right away. But despite things not making much sense and the potential for even more inane gags this is a clear improvement.
Ming (Richard Ng) is a Taoist priest working as an exorcist to make a living. He's essentially a con-artist using ghosts he can control for cash and shenanigans. But soon he will cross paths with a honourable Taoist (of course played by Lam Ching-ying) as they try to fight against a group of bandits led by a witch. Why the thieves are under the influence of evil spells and what they want beyond stealing horses is never clear. But the film gets straight to the point both in terms of weird supernatural scenes and action, despite the same tropes revolving around idiot students and stoic masters.
Some of the scenes from the original movie are recycled, such as magic leaves and ghosts, possessed people acting like puppets, and various other bits and pieces. But it's inventive and strange enough elsewhere elsewhere as spirits are captured in wine pots and fights involving bizarre hallucinations take place. Even the lore is back to being weird and unpredictable. Some times ghosts are invisible, sometimes they're not. Sometimes living people need to cover themselves in soot to avoid ghosts seeing them. Sometimes ghosts are describe as the cause of 'the eighteen misfortunes' but sometimes they're cute.
There are still plenty of dumb comedy scenes, many centred around a party with cameos from Sammo Hung and Corey Yuen, but things move quickly instead of going on forever. There are still live animals, this time bugs and bats, but the film doesn't focus on them. One of the comic relief characters even dies marking a return to consequences and a real threat. The levels of wacky nonsense as things reach a battle involving witches and ghosts are ramped up to their limit so it never feels tired or bland.
Why the cast aren't just shuffled to make this a real sequel is still puzzling. It seems obvious that with a few tweaks Ricky Hui and Chin Siu-ho could return as the original bumbling students. Why not make Richard Ng's character the other priest played by Anthony Chan in the first movie? Things could have been revised. Still, despite the convoluted nature of the story as a whole and the mysterious lack of connecting tissue it's a fun time. Which means for anyone wanting more Lam Ching-ying action and spooky antics this is the one to watch.
Mr. Vampire II 2/5
Mr. Vampire III 3/5
