Rent A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)

Dazzling and weird; but tremendous fun. - A Chinese Ghost Story review by Adrian

Having spotted this title in '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die', hiring this was a bit of a punt. Worry not, dear Viewer! The sheer imagination that was poured into this film transcends its quirkiness. Given the Chinese cultural acceptance of spirits, ghosts and the all-too-likely fate of being "scared to death" this unlikely romance and the wonderful characters that populate it make for a great watch. Suspending disbelief may take more than a little effort, but the result is well worth it.

Barking Mad - A Chinese Ghost Story review by griggs

The Evil Dead meets a Hong Kong love story. Even the trees have relationship issues.

Leslie Cheung plays a hapless tax collector who beds down in a haunted temple and falls for Joey Wong’s ghost. He spends most of the film one creak away from fainting, which is half the charm. Wong glides through every scene in yards of floaty silk, and they make a sweet, doomed couple. Wu Ma nearly steals the lot as a gruff Taoist swordsman who raps his way through a sword routine.

The camera tears through the woods like it owes Sam Raimi money, and the effects are gloriously handmade. Robes billow, heads fly and a tree demon unrolls a tongue long enough to need planning permission.

The trouble is the story chases every shiny new monster. Some fights blur into wirework, and I couldn’t always tell which demon was doing what. The ending arrives in a hurry too.

A gorgeous, daft mess. I enjoyed every flying head of it.