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Cast:
Stephen
Tung Wai
Lam
Ching Ying
Chan
Lung
Chin
Yuet Sang
Law
Ho Kai
Action:
Stephen
Tung Wai
Lam
Ching Ying
Producer:
Sammo
Hung
Director:
Chin
Yuet Sang
Score:
 
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HOCUS
POCUS
AKA:
Hogus Pogus
Year:
1984 Reviewer: Tony
Ryan
Before
he became the huge (but stereotyped) star of the 'Mr.
Vampire' films and its spin-offs, Lam Ching Ying had
previously performed in a number of key comedy-horrors such as
'Encounter
Of The Spooky Kind' and 'Dead
And The Deadly'. This film follows in a similar vein, but
does not equal those earlier efforts.
Stephen
Tung Wai, who has become more of a choreographer than an actor
these days, plays Kuei, a minor player in a roving opera
troupe but spends more time playing practical jokes than
concentrating on his performances. As is so often the case,
the group of happy-go-lucky friends led by Wai frequently try
and scare each other with ghost stories that when a real ghost
turns up no one takes it seriously. Unfortunately, they have
disturbed a particularly nasty one and this inevitably leads
to a showdown of good versus evil.
Much
of the running time is spent showing the practical jokes the
troupes peripheral actors play on each other and the lead
actor 'Chin' whom no one likes. Lam Ching Ying plays the wise,
older figure in his sleep and does not feature as prominently
as I would have liked. Martial artistry is played down in
favour of the supernatural element, but one scene in
particular between Kuei and Chin is well choreographed and
breaks up the monotonous pace of the films lame comedy. Even
similar films like the aforementioned 'Dead And The Deadly'
had a greater action content. The finale depends more on
pyrotechnics and wirework than kung fu so was a bit of a let
down.
All
in all, this is one for die-hard fans of Lam Ching Ying or the
Chinese comedy horror genre in general. There is not much for
martial arts fans, and even the usually entertaining comedy
appears somewhat lacking. Worth a look, but probably not a
keeper.
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