Hopping Mad: The Mr Vampire Sequels - Eureka Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong, 1986 (Mr. Vampire II), Hong Kong, 1987 (Mr. Vampire III), Hong Kong, 1988 (Mr. Vampire IV), Hong Kong, 1989 (Vampire vs Vampire)
Directors: Ricky Lau (Mr. Vampire II, Mr. Vampire III, Mr. Vampire IV), Lam Ching-ying (Vampire vs Vampire)
Cast: Yuen Biao, Moon Lee, Lam Ching-ying, Billy Lau, Chung Fat, Agassi Wang, Bowie Wu (Mr. Vampire II), Lam Ching-ying, Richard Ng, Billy Lau, David Lui, Pauline Wong, Sammo Hung (Mr. Vampire III), Anthony Chan, Wu Ma, Chin Kar-lok, Loletta Lee, Yuen Wah, Pauline Wong (Mr. Vampire IV), Lam Ching-ying, Chin Siu-ho, David Lui, Sandra Ng, Billy Lau, Maria Cordero (Vampire vs Vampire)

Release Date: May 21st, 2023
Approximate running times: 89 Minutes 36 Seconds (Mr. Vampire II), 92 Minutes 47 Seconds (Mr. Vampire II), 94 Minutes 1 Second (Mr. Vampire IV), 87 Minutes 35 Seconds (Vampire vs Vampire)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: 15 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese (Mr. Vampire II, Mr. Vampire III, Mr. Vampire IV, Vampire vs Vampire), LPCM Mono English (Mr. Vampire II)
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £31.99 (UK)

"After the huge success of Mr Vampire, Hong Kong audiences were desperate for more vampire-hopping action and the films’ producers were more than happy to oblige. A steady stream of jiangshi content was produced over the following years, and presented here are 4 of these classic titles from stunning new restorations.

In Mr Vampire II (aka Vampire Family) an archaeologist and his students unwittingly set free a family of hopping vampires who wreak havoc in 1980s Hong Kong. Mr Vampire III returns to a period setting and sees Lam Ching-ying’s Taoist priest battle an evil witch (a brilliant performance by veteran actress Pauline Yuk-Wan Wong). Mr Vampire IV (aka Uncle Vampire) two feuding neighbours (a Taoist priest and a Buddhist monk) must join forces when their village is overrun by vampires. And finally in Vampire vs Vampire, Lam Ching-ying’s Taoist priest finds his jiangshi-fighting knowledge is of little help when he goes up against a European vampire.” – Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 4.2/5 (Mr. Vampire II, Mr. Vampire III, Mr. Vampire IV), 4/5 (Vampire vs Vampire)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Mr Vampire II and Mr Vampire III presented in 1080p HD from brand new 2K restorations. Mr Vampire IV and Vampire vs Vampire presented in 1080p HD from brand new HD restorations."

Mr. Vampire II and Mr. Vampire III come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.3 GB

Feature: 20.4 GB (Mr. Vampire II), 20.9 GB (Mr. Vampire III)

Mr. Vampire IV and Vampire vs Vampire come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.1 GB

Feature: 20.7 GB (Mr. Vampire IV), 20.3 GB (Vampire vs Vampire)

The sources for all four films are in great shape. Colors look correct, flesh tones look healthy, image clarity and compression are solid, and black levels are strong. That said, despite all four transfers having similar qualities, the transfer for Vampire vs Vampire is the weakest of the four.

Audio: 4.25/5 (LPCM Mono Cantonese - All Films), 4/5 (LPCM Mono English - Mr. Vampire II)

Mr. Vampire II comes with two options, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese and a LPCM mono mix in English. Included are removable English subtitles for the Cantonese language track and a second removable English subtitle track that translates Cantonese text when watching the English language track.

Mr. Vampire III, Mr. Vampire IV, and Vampire vs Vampire each come with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese. Included are removable English subtitles.

The quality of the four Cantonese language tracks is similar. The Cantonese language track for Mr. Vampire II sounds more robust than the English language track. That said, all audio tracks sound clear and balanced, and range-wise, ambient sounds are well represented.

Extras:

Extras on the disc with Mr. Vampire II and Mr. Vampire III include a theatrical trailer for Mr. Vampire II (4 minutes 12 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Mr. Vampire III (3 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), Mr. Vampire II extended scenes (6 minutes 38 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), a featurette on the history and resurgent popularity of the jiangshi genre, featuring an interview with a real Taoist priest titled Taoist Cinema: The World of Mr. Vampire (11 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Chinese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) for Mr. Vampire II, and an audio commentary with action cinema experts Mike Leeder & Arne Venema for Mr. Vampire III.

Extras on the disc with Mr. Vampire IV and Vampire vs Vampire include a theatrical trailer for Mr. Vampire IV (3 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), a theatrical trailer for Vampire vs Vampire (2 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), a featurette which examines the rituals portrayed in the Mr Vampire series and how some are still practiced in modern-day Hong Kong titled Vampire Legacy (16 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English and Chinese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Mike Leeder & Arne Venema for Mr. Vampire IV, and an audio commentary with Frank Djeng for Vampire vs Vampire.

Other extras include reversible cover art, a limited edition O-card slipcase (limited to 2,000 copies), and a booklet with cast & crew information, an essay about the films the Jiangshi genre by James Oliver, and information about the transfers titled Notes on Viewing.

Summary:

The only connection that these four films in this collection have with Mr. Vampire is that they share similar elements, and three of the films share the same name, despite none of these films being direct sequels.

Mr. Vampire II: An archaeologist and his two students find a family of dormant vampires while looking for artifacts in a cave.

Mr. Vampire II was directed by Ricky Lau, who also directed Mr. Vampire, Mr. Vampire III, and Mr. Vampire IV. His filmography is mostly filled with supernatural and horror films.

Though Mr. Vampire II has all of the core elements that made Mr. Vampire such a memorable and well-regarded film, The result is a film that never matches the creative brilliance of Mr. Vampire.

The biggest difference between these two films is Mr. Vampire II’s tonal shift. Despite humor playing a role in Mr. Vampire, the way in which humor is employed in Mr. Vampire II is geared towards children and comes off as too cute for its own good. And nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to the scenes with children.

That said, all is not lost, as there are some genuinely funny moments in Mr. Vampire II. Notably, there is a scene where a reporter named Yen accidentally removes a talisman from the vampires, and in the ensuing chaos, he unleashes a chemical that makes everyone move in slow motion.

One area where Mr. Vampire II does very well are the performances. The standout performance is Lam Ching-ying (The Prodigal Son) in the role of Dr. Lam Ching-ying, a physician whose specialty is Chinese supernatural arts. Though he is not playing a Taoist priest, his character fulfills a similar role. Another performance of note is that of Yuen Biao (On the Run) in the role of an inquisitive reporter named Yen, who is also Dr. Lam Ching-ying’s son-in-law.

Though not as strong of a film as its predecessor, there is still plenty to like about Mr. Vampire II. Fortunately, its positives outweigh its negatives. Ultimately, Mr. Vampire II is an entertaining mix of action, humor, and the supernatural.

Mr. Vampire III: An inept Taoist priest named Uncle Ming joins forces with a much better-skilled Taoist priest named Uncle Nine in a battle against an evil witch doctor and her minions.

Director Ricky Lau returns for Mr. Vampire III, and he uses many of the same tricks he employed for Mr. Vampire and Mr. Vampire II. His direction is solid, as he does a great job balancing humor and the supernatural.

Without a doubt, Mr. Vampire III’s greatest strengths are its two leads, Lam Ching-ying (Magic Cop) in the role of a unibrowed Taoist priest named Uncle Nine and Richard Ng (Millionaire's Express) in the role of an inept Taoist priest named Uncle Ming. The way these two characters interact with each other provides most of the humor. That said, there are no performances that are lacking.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where Mr. Vampire III does not deliver and then some. The premise is well executed, and the narrative does a great job maintaining momentum. The action set pieces are solid, and the special effects hold up well. Though Mr. Vampire looms a large shadow over all films that came after it, Mr. Vampire III is the strongest of the Mr. Vampire sequels.

Mr. Vampire IV: A Buddhist monk named Master Yat-yau is constantly at odds with his neighbor, a four-eyed Taoist priest. These two rivals are forced to join forces when a vampire unleashes a virus.

Ricky Lau is once again in the director's chair. His direction is solid, as he lets characters take center stage and finds a good balance between humor and the supernatural.

Though yet another variation of elements that originated with Mr. Vampire. This later installment is actually one of the more inventive of the Mr. Vampire sequels. And nowhere is this clearer than when it comes to the vampire virus premise. Also, the main vampire this time around is not as docile as the vampires were in other Mr. Vampire films.

Though the cast loses Lam Ching-ying, who appears in all the other Mr. Vampire films, His absence is made up for by Mr. Vampire IV’s two leads, Anthony Chan (Heart of the Dragon) in the role of a four-eyed Taoist priest and Wu Ma (Righting Wrongs) in the role of a Buddhist monk named Yat-yau. They have strong chemistry, and their characters feuding provides an ample amount of humor.

Though Mr. Vampire IV can be viewed as a film of two distinct halves, the first half focuses more on the characters and their rivalries, while the latter half is all about supernatural horror. When it comes to pacing, the first half moves at a deliberate pace that at times drags, while the latter half moves along briskly. Also, the fight sequences are well executed. Ultimately, if you can get past Mr. Vampire IV’s slow start, there is plenty to enjoy.

Vampire vs Vampire: A one-eyed priest who specializes in exorcism, his two disciples, and a miniature jiangshi take on a European vampire who lives inside a church.

Directed by Lam Ching-ying, who also stars in the role of the one-eyed priest. This character is in the same vein as characters he portrayed in other Mr. Vampire films. Though Vampire vs Vampire is a Jiangshi film, it is not directly or indirectly connected to the Mr. Vampire films.

From its early moments, it becomes clear that Vampire vs Vampire is not in the same league as the Mr. Vampire films. And though it has all of the elements that one would expect from a Jiangsu film, the result is an uneven film that throws everything at the wall and hopes something will stick. Another area where Vampire vs Vampire comes up short is humor, which often misses the mark. Ultimately, Vampire vs Vampire is a film that lacks direction and is only recommended for Jiangsu film completists.

Hopping Mad: The Mr. Vampire Sequels is another excellent release from Eureka Video that gives each film a solid audio/video presentation and informative extras, recommended.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer