A wild and heady mix of knockabout comedy, horror elements, and super-fast martial arts action make up this crazy combination of a film, made during the period in Hong Kong when Sammo Hung's supernatural successes meant that everybody jumped on the comedy horror bandwagon. Despite a low budget and the crude special effects used in the film, KUNG FU ZOMBIE is a thrill-a-minute ride which will be a hoot for fans of the genre. The movie is packed with comedy throughout, mostly of the slapstick variety, and as is the norm with these productions there are a lot of guys screaming and shouting at each other all the while. Invisible ghosts that pull chairs out from underneath people and grope the town prostitute are here, as well as irritating sidekicks named Hamster with fake freckles and a comedy fat guy who eats a small, cute dog.
The simple plot is just an excuse to cram as much action, kung fu, and comedy into one eighty-minute film as possible and it works. Things begin, appropriately enough, in a graveyard, where an unlucky wizard manages to bring three rotting zombies back to life. The corpse makeup in this film is pretty yucky so plenty of macabre chills in that area. Things go wrong when the wizard's employer ends up falling in a spike trap he set for his enemy, and his ghost returns to haunt the wizard, demanding him to find another body. Into this mess comes martial hero Billy Chong, whose own father happens to pop off at the moment, thus providing a harmless vessel for the enemy to inhabit. Also into this mess comes an invincible vampire zombie who has a score to settle with Chong. The scene is set for a showdown.
Plenty of bizarre moments keep this film moving along nicely and its often surprising. Chong makes for a skilled and able fighter and although his character is less than engaging, he carries a natural charisma which combines with his talent to provide a worthwhile hero character. Chong is first seen jumping out of a tree and battling with his father in some frenetic kung fu action which is some of the fastest and craziest I've seen so far, making great use of props like buckets of water and tables and the like. Acting awards go to the guy playing the unfortunate wizard, who is magnificent in his part at playing a weaselly but inherently good character caught on the wrong side.
Things culminate in a fantastic battle sequence between Chong and this caped vampire zombie guy, who gorily bites people's heads off and drinks their blood messily. Just as Chong is losing, a Buddhist priest turns up to help him on and then the fight goes into overdrive, an incredibly fast sequence of hard punches, kicks, the vampire setting himself alight to defeat his enemy and his final, hilarious comeuppance. Incredible stuff which really is worth waiting for. Despite cheap production values, the film looks visually impressive throughout and the action, when it comes, is fast and furious and most importantly exciting. Although I wouldn't call this film a classic due to the shallowness of the plot and the sometimes overwhelming silly comedy on display, it's genuinely entertaining and therefore deserves praise.
The simple plot is just an excuse to cram as much action, kung fu, and comedy into one eighty-minute film as possible and it works. Things begin, appropriately enough, in a graveyard, where an unlucky wizard manages to bring three rotting zombies back to life. The corpse makeup in this film is pretty yucky so plenty of macabre chills in that area. Things go wrong when the wizard's employer ends up falling in a spike trap he set for his enemy, and his ghost returns to haunt the wizard, demanding him to find another body. Into this mess comes martial hero Billy Chong, whose own father happens to pop off at the moment, thus providing a harmless vessel for the enemy to inhabit. Also into this mess comes an invincible vampire zombie who has a score to settle with Chong. The scene is set for a showdown.
Plenty of bizarre moments keep this film moving along nicely and its often surprising. Chong makes for a skilled and able fighter and although his character is less than engaging, he carries a natural charisma which combines with his talent to provide a worthwhile hero character. Chong is first seen jumping out of a tree and battling with his father in some frenetic kung fu action which is some of the fastest and craziest I've seen so far, making great use of props like buckets of water and tables and the like. Acting awards go to the guy playing the unfortunate wizard, who is magnificent in his part at playing a weaselly but inherently good character caught on the wrong side.
Things culminate in a fantastic battle sequence between Chong and this caped vampire zombie guy, who gorily bites people's heads off and drinks their blood messily. Just as Chong is losing, a Buddhist priest turns up to help him on and then the fight goes into overdrive, an incredibly fast sequence of hard punches, kicks, the vampire setting himself alight to defeat his enemy and his final, hilarious comeuppance. Incredible stuff which really is worth waiting for. Despite cheap production values, the film looks visually impressive throughout and the action, when it comes, is fast and furious and most importantly exciting. Although I wouldn't call this film a classic due to the shallowness of the plot and the sometimes overwhelming silly comedy on display, it's genuinely entertaining and therefore deserves praise.