Erotic Ghost Story II (1990)

Directed by Peter Ngor Chi Kwan

Produced by Casey Chan Lai Ying

Starring Charine Chan Kar Ling, Anthony Wong Chau Sang, Kwok Yiu Wah, Noelle Chik King Man, Sayuri Ichijo, Chang Siu Yin Cameo appearances by Amy Yip Chi Mei & Man Siu

I've always said that if you want a film to look simply gorgeous hire a Director of Photography and sit him in the Director's chair. Anybody that knows me knows that if a film looks and sounds incredible that I'm usually willing to overlook whatever faults it may have without a second thought. Now the readers of SGM are privy to the same information, and you've probably all figured that this is going to be a less than objective review.

After being defeated by the fox spirits in the first film, Wu Tung (Wong) is cast into the Demon World, split into male and female bodies (yin and yang). Retaining the power to take human guise, in the form of wanderer Chiu Sheng, he falls uncontrollably in love with the beautiful Hsiao Yen (Ichijo). Yen reciprocates, being the catalyst to purge his demonic soul, but the forces of Heaven cannot allow two demons to fall in love. Two fairies (Yip & Man) are sent forth to Earth, destroying Yen and banishing Wu Tung, but at the cost of their own immortality. Before the surviving fairy expires, she passes the soul of Yen to a mortal baby.

Twenty years later that baby has grown into the extraordinary form of Fang Yu Yin (Chan), daughter of the chief of Feng Yuen village. Feng Yuen has been besieged by Wu Tung for decades, cursed to offer virginal female offspring on a monthly basis to satiate the sexual desires of the demon in his twin forms. When the village lottery draws Yu Yin's name, her fate seems predestined. Local fisherman Shan Ken (Kwok) would have it other ways, having fallen for Yu, and she is rescued from the monster. Unfortunately, Yu holds the reincarnated soul of Wu Tung's true love, and it becomes the task of Yu, Shan, and his sister (Chik) to face the demon, and his equally perverse female entity (Chang).

From art design through set design, down to cinematography and the luridly erotic setpieces, there is virtually nothing I can fault with Peter Ngor's sequel film. Indeed, it is one of those rare cases where a sequel exceeds the already impressive standards set by its predecessor. If there were anything to pinpoint as cringe-inducingly awful, it would be Anthony Wong's ridiculously hammy portrayal of demon sex-god Wu Tung, as it is not a patch on Tan Lap Man's original (which was still pretty silly). Running the gamut of hot wax to bisexual gropings, threesome gymnastics to severed torsos, aerial ardor to underwater couplings, Ngor's erotic highlights burn up the screen like nothing else you've ever seen. Couple all of this with a bold, vibrant theatrical visual style, stunningly beautiful in execution, and you've got a film that looks far better than it sounds!

Universe's disc looks gorgeous, and Peter Ngor's visual design is not to be sniffed at. Colours are bold, detail is exceptionally good, and image quality is unusually fine by Hong Kong standards. As per "Erotic Ghost Story", there are a number of issues with the print used, but it is a vital improvement on most all other versions of this film that I have seen (right down to a truncated theatrical print). Once again, audio is the original monaural track, which is fine by me, and the score is one of the (most wonderfully) tacky afforded one of these films. In other words, it's all good! Extras are limited to Star Files for Anthony Wong and Chang Siu Yin, as well as trailers for the other films in the series. But I was more than happy, as it's a case of (with this film) "What a cast! What a film! What a corker!"

Having read about this film for years (and only ever having managed to track down the first in the series), it was with some joy that I happened across it in the late nineties. Conversely, no matter how it may have looked on video, Universe's DVD finally does its sexually charged visuals the justice it deserves. "Erotic Ghost Story 2" is a sumptuous, gorgeous, treat for the senses, and the sensual, outclassing the other chapters in the series with an effortless hot breath. Make sure you're not wearing anything too constricting when you sit down to watch this, you may just do yourself an injury! For me, once the end credits rolled it was a case of (as a good friend often says for a laugh) stick a fork in me, I'm done! Superb Category III erotica on all fronts, possibly the best of its kind. :)

Review by M.C.Thomason