Review of A Chinese Ghost Story III (1991) by Carl M — 01 Feb 2013

It has been 100 years since Ning and the Taoist priest Yin defeated the ancient tree demon, but as legend foretold, the evil spirit has returned to the Orchid Temple along with its harem of ghostly slaves to trap the souls of weary travellers. A naive young monk falls under the spell of the beautiful Lotus after spending the night in the temple, and the two team with a young swordsman to defeat the evil once more. If you enjoyed either of the previous entries in the A CHINESE GHOST STORY trilogy, you certainly will not be disappointed in the third, as the final film is a virtual remake of the original, with only slight variations played on each of the characters. That is really not a bad thing at all in this case, as the high-flying action, dreamy mysticism, and astonishing special effects are all just as good (if not better) than in the original. Joey Wang returns to the role of the mischievous seductress with all of the same captivating beauty and playfulness as before. This time, Tony Leung Chiu Wai stands in for Leslie Cheung as Fong, and does an excellent job portraying the innocent and good-natured monk. Where there may be slightly less swordplay and cinematic duels throughout the plot, the slapstick comedy never misses. This leaves fans in high spirits as Tsui Hark's stunning fantasy horror series comes to a close.

-Carl Manes.

I Like Horror Movies.