Top Jiangshi (Chinese vampire) movies to watch
Image courtesy of tiffanyhscho.com. She does a review on the top five Jiangshi movies to watch.
I've always had much love for Jiangshi (stiff corpse, hopping vampire, Chinese vampire) movies. There was something about the mythology derived from the historical background of corpse transportation that evolved into full blown lore that just captivated me and kept my eyes glued to the television screen.
For the Jiangshi, the historical background was pretty obvious. Back in the Qing dynasty, there were a lot of migratory workers that would die far away from home. Fearing that their souls would become homesick, poorer families would pay corpse drivers to transport these cadavers back home - usually at night. These corpse drivers would bind the hands and feet of the cadavers and slide bamboo poles under their arms so that they could be transported upright. While the corpse drivers walked, these cadavers, under the light of the full moon, through dark forests, would be seen "hopping" along the way. Thus, the Jiangshi was born.
From this, stories would spread, lore would be developed and now we have a horror category that a lot of people, especially from Asia, fear and love.
But for all Jiangshi movies, the hopping vampires alone do not make these movies great. It's the rituals and the knowledge on how to defeat them that really spellbinds viewers. From talismans placed on the forehead, holding your breath, spells and other supernatural elements these are the additional attention to detail that makes Jiangshi movies so enjoyable. I also like to give a shout out to 1980s cinematography and special effect designers that were innovative ahead of their time.
So, without further ado, below are the Jiangshi movies you can binge watch. Hold your breath.
Mr. Vampire Saga
Mr. Vampire is directed by Ricky Lau and produced by Sammo Hung. Sammo Hung began this project after being inspired by his childhood experience from reading Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling, a compilation of eerie and fantastic tales meant to reflect the societal problems of China during that era.
The first Mr. Vampire movie was by far my favorite as it introduced viewers to the Jiangshi as well as the complex rituals, interesting culture and taboos of olden day China.
The focal point of all the Mr. Vampire movies are the roles played by the late Lam Ching-Ying, usually, in some ways, as a Taoist practitioner. With his combination of knowledge in Taoism and the supernatural, it's always exciting to watch his character understand what needs to be done to combat ghost, vampires, zombies and other supernatural creatures. Although, Lam didn't reprise his role in Mr. Vampire 4 (the role of the Taoist priest played by Chin Siu-Ho), he did go on to act in other Jiangshi themed movies.
Encounters of the Spooky Kind 1 & 2
Starring Sammo Hung, Encounters of the Spooky Kind 1 & 2 or Spooky Encounter and Spooky Encounter Part 2 are not great examples of a Jiangshi movie, but it does have Jiangshi elements in it.
The reason it's on this list is because they are decent comedy-horror movies overall and for anyone that enjoys movies like Mr. Vampire, they should definitely give it a shot.
The first Encounters of the Spooky Kind isn't all that great, but it has elements of magic, mysticism and the supernatural to appeal to those that love 1980s horror-comedy, while the second one was a bit better.
After watching Mr. Vampire and Encounters several times, I tried to understand why the former succeeded and the latter failed, my conclusion was that because Sammo Hung starred in it, they wanted the movie to focus more on a complicated story line and martial arts feel than a supernatural one. Sure Mr. Vampire had stunts and martial arts, but the reason a lot of people liked it so much compared to Encounters was because the story was straight forward and they incorporated a lot of Taoism elements.
But, if Mr. Vampire and 1980s supernatural movies is your cup of tea, then by all means, give this a watch.
The Era of Vampires
I remember in the 2000s, I was reading a movie magazine and it had a small mention of this movie coming out in the theaters. I was truly excited because for one, it was Tsui Hark and secondly, it was a Jiangshi movie. So I patiently waited. When the movie came out, I was in love.
The plot of the movie is pretty straight forward. Master Mao Shan and his disciples are vampire hunters. One night, as they're fighting a powerful vampire, their torches ignite a methane gas build up and the area explodes. After, the disciples discover that both Master Mao Shan and the vampire have disappeared. So the movie continues with the disciples, Rain, Wind, Thunder and Lighting, continuing their efforts to rid the world of vampires using their vampire sensing compass. The compass eventually leads them to the Jiang Mansion where a wedding is taking place that night. Disguised as wedding helpers, the disciples, now called Kung, Hei, Fatt and Choi must investigate the mansion while at the same time, wait for their master's return.
The Era of Vampires combines great atmosphere, martial arts, suspense, intrigue, a great story and choice designs to be one of the best Jiangshi movies in the market.
Also, the movie has two endings, so you should hunt down for both.
Vampire Cleanup Department
It's an OK movie, but what I found endearing was that it cast Lin Min-Chen, a very Malaysian actress playing the role of a vampire. You can't deny that she was utterly cute and made scenes with her in it well worth the watch.
Other than that, Vampire Cleanup Department had an uninteresting story, but an interesting backstory for the cleanup department. The movie itself is not worth remembering, but to watch Lin Min-Chen, it's just so satisfying. Other than that, just give this movie a miss.
Vampire Cleanup Department also stars Chin Siu-Ho and Richard Ng Hiu Hon who both acted in the Mr. Vampire movies.
Rigor Mortis
Rigor Mortis is the piece-de-resistance of modern Jiangshi movies. From start to finish, it just blows your mind how they collected all the best elements of 1980s horror movies and tweaked it with a few modern day touches then presented it in a pretty little package to pay the utmost respects to old-timey vampire/supernatural movies.
Rigor Mortis is my go to movie whenever I need a Jiangshi fix. It's fluid, extremely artistic and is just a thoroughly enjoyable horror movie. It also has a stellar cast of actors including Chin Siu-Ho, Richard Ng, Chan Chi-To, Chung Fat and Hee Ching Paw. All these acclaimed actors are the reason why I watch Hong Kong cinema.
Rigor Mortis starts out with Chin Siu-Ho as a depressed and suicidal former movie star following the death of his wife and child. He moves into a dilapidated apartment building with the intention of killing himself. While he's hanging himself, he's assaulted by the angry spirits of twin sisters but is saved by his neighbour Yau, played by Chan Chi-To. He soon realises that the building he's moved into is ripe with supernatural beings. The movie then focuses on different tenants and their stories, which eventually develops into a larger story line.
The Jiangshi element comes later, but aside from that, the other supernatural beings showcased in this movie are enough to keep you glued the rest of way.
All in all, Rigor Mortis is such an excellent supernatural movie and kudos to Juno Mak, Leung Lai-Yin and Philip Yung for creating such an enjoyable experience. Here's hoping that there are more Jiangshi movies like these in the years to come, because we are seriously lacking in them.
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