Mortuary Blues

1990 1h 32m CN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 12

ComedyFantasyHorror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

On a remote island off Hong Kong, its rich and happy inhabitants are celebrating an annual ritual by staging an operatic show. The island is not productive but its people are rich. No wonder police chief Yuan Kuei becomes suspicious. He thinks he is sitting on top of a narcotics ring. His two men are ordered to watch closely movement of the opera people. Little does the chief know that actually the islanders are living off the loot their ancestors made by raiding a government gold galleon some centuries ago. They buried much of the treasure and a dormant vampire under a pagoda......

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Corey Yuen
Sergeant Shih Chun
Sandra Ng Kwan-Yu
9th Sister
Sheila Chan Suk-Lan
Chiu
Lowell Lo Koon-Ting
Mr. Lin
David Lo Dai-Wai
Sergeant Li Ching Wen
Alex To
Chen Lung Shih
Amy Yip Chi-Mei
Mei
Jaclyn Chu Wai-San
Hsiu

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jeffrey Lau Chun-Wai
Writers: Jeffrey Lau Chun-Wai
Languages: Cantonese
Countries: 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

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Mr. Vampire Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jeffrey Lau Chun-Wai, shot by Jimmy Leung Chi-Ming. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lowell Lo Koon-Ting. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Cheung Ka-Fai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Corey Yuen and Sandra Ng Kwan-Yu and Sheila Chan Suk-Lan carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0100598 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 12 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jeffrey Lau Chun-Wai directs. Jimmy Leung Chi-Ming behind the camera. Lowell Lo Koon-Ting scores. Cheung Ka-Fai cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Hong Kong. Dialogue in Cantonese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

136 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Part of the "Mr. Vampire Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
3Directed by Jeffrey Lau Chun-Wai, shot by Jimmy Leung Chi-Ming. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Lowell Lo Koon-Ting. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Cheung Ka-Fai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Corey Yuen and Sandra Ng Kwan-Yu and Sheila Chan Suk-Lan carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0100598 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 12 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jimmy Leung Chi-Ming
Original score: Lowell Lo Koon-Ting
Editing: Cheung Ka-Fai
Runtime: 92 min · 1h 32m
Status: Released
Original language: CN
Certification (US): IIB
IMDB: Mortuary Blues (1990)

Part of

Mr. Vampire Collection

Mr Vampire is a 1985 Hong Kong comedy horror film directed by Ricky Lau and produced by Sammo Hung. The film's box office success led to the creation of a Mr. Vampire franchise, with the release of four sequels directed by Ricky Lau from 1986 to 1992, and subsequent similarly themed films with different directors released between 1987 and 1991. The film was released under the Chinese title 暫時停止呼吸 (literally: Hold Your Breath for a Moment) in Taiwan.