A Chinese Ghost Story

"Old Evil is coming to collect the bride."

1987 1h 35m CN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 353

FantasyAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A naïve young tax collector for the imperial government winds up spending the night in a haunted temple. There he falls in love with a beautiful woman who, unfortunately, is dead. With the aid of a powerful Daoist Swordsman, he must defeat undead hordes, overcome a sinister Tree Demoness, and descend to the pits of hell, to fight for the spirit he loves.

“Old Evil is coming to collect the bride.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Cast

Leslie Cheung
Ling Choi-san
Joey Wong
Lip Siu Sin
Wu Ma
Swordsman Yin Chek-ha
Lau Siu-Ming
Tree Demon
David Lam Wai
Swordsman Hsia Hou
Fanny Sit Chi-Lun
Siu Ching
David Wu
Secretary Chiu
Wong Jing
Judge

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tony Ching Siu-Tung
Writers: Yuen Kai-Chi
Languages: Cantonese, Sanskrit
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

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $1.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Cantonese, Sanskrit.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "A Chinese Ghost Story Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tony Ching Siu-Tung, shot by Poon Hang-Sang. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Romeo Díaz. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tony Ching Siu-Tung directs. Poon Hang-Sang behind the camera. Romeo Díaz scores. David Wu cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Hong Kong. Dialogue in Cantonese, Sanskrit.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
239 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Cantonese, Sanskrit.
4Part of the "A Chinese Ghost Story Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
6Directed by Tony Ching Siu-Tung, shot by Poon Hang-Sang. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Romeo Díaz. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor David Wu shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Leslie Cheung and Joey Wong and Wu Ma carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Old Evil is coming to collect the bride.".
11IMDB entry: tt0093978 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Classified under 8 themes, including "rescue", "china", "elope", "monsters of the wild".
13Released under 21 different titles around the world.