Sinnui yauman (A Chinese Ghost Story)

Leslie Cheung (Happy Together) stars as Ning Tsai-Shen, a timid tax collector who happens upon the haunted Lan Ro temple where he meets and falls in love with Nieh Hsiao-Tsing a restless ghost (Joey Wong) whose soul is being held captive by a hideous tree demon. Enlisting the help of a mysterious Taoist monk (Wu Ma), the young tax collector tries to free the girl’s spirit and lay it to rest before her eminent marriage to the evil mountain demon. Employing rapid editing, surreal imagery (including a demon with a giant killer tongue) and spectacular fight sequences, ‘A Chinese ghost story’ is a fine example of the kinetic energy and outlandish sensibility that is a staple of the Hong Kong fantasy genre. Also starring Joi Wang. In Cantonese with English subtitles.