Abracadabra

1986 1h 29m CN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 4

FantasyHorrorComedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1980, a crack team of Taoists (garbed like ninjas!) successfully vanquish a mob of ghosts -- except for female demon Pinkish Red, who manages to escape. Six years later, Cici Shin (Charine Chan Kar-ling) and her cousin, Lily Li (Ann Bridgewater), open a boutique and need a mirror for their fitting room. The mall security guard finds one for them in the basement but, naturally, Pinkish Red resides inside it and, when Cici cleans the mirror’s surface, the ghost is able to enter back into the real world.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Mark Cheng Ho-Nam
Cheng Sheng
Ann Bridgewater
Lily Li
Peter Mak Tai-Kit
Kang Yo-Wei
Dung Wai-Gong
Rambo
Charine Chan Ka-Ling
Cici Shin
Raymond Wong
Hsu Kuei-ying

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Mak Tai-Kit
Writers: Raymond Wong
Languages: Cantonese
Countries: Taiwan, Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

89 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Taiwan, Hong Kong.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Mak Tai-Kit, shot by Chris Chen Ching-Chu. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Chang Hung-Yi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Huang Chiu-Kuei shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mark Cheng Ho-Nam and Ann Bridgewater and Peter Mak Tai-Kit carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Mak Tai-Kit directs. Chris Chen Ching-Chu behind the camera. Chang Hung-Yi scores. Huang Chiu-Kuei cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Taiwan, Hong Kong. Dialogue in Cantonese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

189 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
240 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: Taiwan, Hong Kong.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Peter Mak Tai-Kit, shot by Chris Chen Ching-Chu. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Chang Hung-Yi. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Huang Chiu-Kuei shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Mark Cheng Ho-Nam and Ann Bridgewater and Peter Mak Tai-Kit carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt0091441 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 4 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.