Erotic Ghost Story Trilogy: Limited Edition – 88 Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong, 1990 (Erotic Ghost Story), Hong Kong, 1991 (Erotic Ghost Story II), Hong Kong, 1992 (Erotic Ghost Story III)
Directors: Lam Ngai Choi (Erotic Ghost Story), Peter Ngor (Erotic Ghost Story II), Lai Kai-Ming (Erotic Ghost Story III)
Cast: Amy Yip, Ha Chia Ling, Man So, Hitomi Kudo, Lam Chung (Erotic Ghost Story), Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Ichijo Sayuri, Charine Chan, Kwok Yiu-Wah, Chik King-Man, Amy Yip, Man So (Erotic Ghost Story II), Pauline Chan, Wong Tak-Ban, Shing Fui-On, Chik King-Man, Otomo Rena (Erotic Ghost Story III)

Release Date: March 3rd, 2025
Approximate Running Times: 89 Minutes 24 Seconds (Erotic Ghost Story), 98 Minutes (Erotic Ghost Story II), 95 Minutes 57 Seconds (Erotic Ghost Story III)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Cantonese (All Films), LPCM Mono English (Erotic Ghost Story)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £39.99 (UK)

"This triple-bill of paranormal perversion delivers everything you’d want from a Category III movie, plus a bit more besides. In the first tale from Story of Ricki director Ngai Choi Lam, a trio of sexy spirits fall for the same hunk. The second movie, the directorial debut of Peter Ngor has the God of Carnal Desire, God Wu Tung on a quest for revenge after his favorite conquest is zapped by other god like beings and in the third piece from Kai-Ming Lai, a man journeys into the afterlife only to be greeted by a very powerful woman. A trilogy like no other, this one hits the spirited saucy spot." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5 (Erotic Ghost Story), 4.5/5 (Erotic Ghost Story II, Erotic Ghost Story III)

Here’s the information given about the transfers, "Stunning new 2K restoration of the original Cantonese version and the extended Mandarin version."

Erotic Ghost Story comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 44.9 GB

Feature: 26.5 GB (Original Cantonese Version), 12.8 GB (Shorter Mandarin Version)

Here’s the information given about the transfers, "Stunning new 2K restoration of the original Cantonese version and the shorter Mandarin version."

Erotic Ghost Story II comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 42.7 GB

Feature: 27 GB (Original Cantonese Version), 12.1 GB (Shorter Mandarin Version)

Here’s the information given about the transfers, "Stunning new 2K restoration of the original Cantonese version and the shorter Mandarin version."

Erotic Ghost Story III comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 41 GB

Feature: 26.5 GB (Original Cantonese Version), 11.6 GB (Shorter Mandarin Version)

The transfers for each film look excellent, and Erotic Ghost Story is a noticeable improvement over 88 Films' 2022 Blu-ray release. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.25/5 (All Audio Tracks)

Each film comes with a LPCM mono mix in Cantonese with removable English subtitles. Erotic Ghost Story also comes with a LPCM mono mix in English, and there are removable English subtitles for Cantonese text. All of the audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, they handle ambient sounds well, and the score sounds robust.

Extras:

Extras for Erotic Ghost Story include a reversible cover art, a stills gallery with music from the film playing in the background, Tai Seng trailer (1 minute 35 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Hong Kong theatrical trailer (2 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an episode of Celebrity Talk Show with James Wong, Ni Kuang and Chua Lam who visit the set of Erotic Ghost Story (47 minutes 56 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Asian cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema, an audio commentary with film critic and author Samm Deighan, and the extended Mandarin version (95 minutes 16 seconds, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with removable English subtitles).

Extras for Erotic Ghost Story II include a reversible cover art, a stills gallery with music from the film playing in the background, Hong Kong theatrical trailer (1 minute 57 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with Cantonese text with removable English subtitles), an archival Making Of featurette with actor Anthony Wong, scriptwriter Abe Kwong and assistant director Tenky Tin (15 minutes 16 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Frank Djeng, and the shorter Mandarin version (92 minutes 36 seconds, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with removable English subtitles).

Extras for Erotic Ghost Story III include a reversible cover art, a stills gallery with music from the film playing in the background, Hong Kong theatrical trailer (3 minutes 8 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an audio commentary with Frank Djeng, and the shorter Mandarin version (77 minutes 30 seconds, 1.85:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono Mandarin with removable English subtitles).

Extras for this release include a rigid slipcase, 6 premium collector’s art cards, a double-sided fold out poster, and a 40-page booklet with an essay titled Sex is Satanic: How Female Sexuality is Demonised in the Erotic Ghost Story Trilogy written by Zoë Rose Smith, From an Ancient Past to an Unknown Future a Brief Introduction to Category III Cinema and Erotic Ghost Story written by Dylan Cheung, and archival images.

Summary:

Erotic Ghost Story was directed by Lam Ngai Choi, whose other notable films include The Seventh Curse, Her Vengeance, Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky, and The Cat. Erotic Ghost Story’s two main influences are The Witches of Eastwick and Pu Songling's Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.

Despite the fact that sex and violence are the two elements that unite Cat III cinema, the best examples of Cat III cinema are the films that are balanced between these two elements. Films that lean more towards sex are the ones that do not hold up as well as films that are overtly violent or are a combination of sex and violence. A case in point is Erotic Ghost Story, a film that has an ample amount of sex and any violence is limited. That said, when it comes to violence, what few moments there are in Erotic Ghost Story are very effective moments, most notably a scene where three sister fox spirits witness a demon unleash his fury on a woman he has lured.

Anyone who has seen any of Lam Ngai Choi's films knows that they are not rooted in reality. He has directed some of the most adventurous films to emerge from Hong Kong in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. And though Erotic Ghost Story has many elements that tend to pop up throughout Ngai Choi Lam’s filmography, Erotic Ghost Story is his only foray into erotic cinema. That said, when it comes to this genre's tropes, he does a great job of mixing them with his cinematic style.

Though there are a few secondary characters, Erotic Ghost Story is ultimately carried by its four leads. In the roles of the three sister fox spirits are Amy Yip (Robotrix), Hitomi Kudô, and So Man, and Lap-Man Tan (City Hunter), in the role of a scholar who is seduced by the three sisters. That said, all three female leads have ample physical assets, which provides plenty of eye candy. Also, Amy Yip and So Man will return for Erotic Ghost Story II.

Besides an ample amount of nudity and some well-placed moments of erotica, sex also plays a significant role in the dialog. And, despite the fact that Erotic Ghost Story is softcore erotica, it throws in some martial arts for good measure. Ultimately, Erotic Ghost Story is a thrilling film that lives up to its name.

Peter Ngor directed Erotic Ghost Story II. He only directed four films, and he is more known for his work as a cinematographer on films like Mr. Vampire, Armour of God, On the Run, Sex and Zen, and Full Contact.

It is never surprising when a successful film spawns sequels or knockoffs, and this is what happened with Erotic Ghost Story, a film that had two sequels that are essentially variations of the same premise. The narrative for Erotic Ghost Story II begins with a recap of the events from Erotic Ghost Story. Besides the premise, another area where Erotic Ghost Story II connects to its predecessor is through cameos from two actresses, Amy Yip and So Man, who return, albeit in different roles.

The narrative revolves around two fox spirits who capture a demon’s lover and burn them at the stake, destroying his offspring. Angered, the demon wreaks havoc on humans, and the only way to appease him is to offer virgins. One of the women offered as a sacrifice resembles the demon's lover perfectly, prompting him to seek her out. That said, the narrative is overreliant on sex scenes, one of which lasts nine minutes.

The best part of Erotic Ghost Story II is Anthony Chau-Sang Wong’s (Hard Boiled) portrayal of a demon named Wu-tung. Once again he portrays an outrageous character, and the result is another exemplary performance. Another noteworthy performance is delivered by Ichijo Sayuri, who provides an equally delirious portrayal in the role of Chiu-Sheng, Wu-tung's demoness accomplice. Ultimately, Erotic Ghost Story II is an underwhelming sequel that is tonally different and lacks many of the things that made its predecessor work so well.

Lai Kai-Ming directed Erotic Ghost Story III. His notable films are The Blue Jean Monster, Daughter of Darkness, and The Peeping Tom.

After the letdown of its predecessor, I approached Erotic Ghost Story III with cautious expectations, and what I witnessed far exceeded my hopes. The narrative revolves around a swordsman who is drawn into the demon realm, and though he is engaged to another woman, he falls in love with a demon. That said, where its predecessor was over reliant on sex scenes, Erotic Ghost Story III does a superb job effortlessly blending them with exposition.

The most surprising aspect of Erotic Ghost Story is its performances, especially its two leads: Wong Tak-Ban, who portrays Chu Chung, the swordsman who falls in love with a demon, and Pauline Chan (From Beijing with Love), who portrays the demon who bewitched Chu Chung. Another performance of note is Shing Fui-On (Her Vengeance), whose character Reverend Wick provides the comedic relief. This character looks ridiculous with his chrome dome hairline, and it is interesting to see him in a role against type.

Erotic Ghost Story III does a better job than its predecessor at capturing the essence of Erotic Ghost Story. Another strength of Erotic Ghost Story III is how effectively it blends sex, humor, and action, and in the case of the latter, they are well-executed. The demon realm depicted in Erotic Ghost Story III is filled with debauchery, flesh-eating, and other sinful behavior. Though there are a few wild moments, the most memorable is a scene where Reverend Wick shrinks himself and crawls inside of the matriarch's demon witch's vagina. Ultimately, Erotic Ghost Story III is a perfect mix of fantasy and erotica, making it the superior of the two sequels.

Erotic Ghost Story Trilogy is an exceptional release from 88 Films that gives each film a solid audio/video presentation. Each film comes with its alternate Mandarin version and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer