Overview
A humble tax collector finds himself entangled in a supernatural love story that defies death itself.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- witty
- eerie
- romantic
- movie night
- hong kong cinema marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an inventive and entertaining blend of supernatural romance, comedy horror, and highly stylized martial arts spectacle.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Ning Tsai-Shen falls in love with Lip Siu Sin despite her ghostly existence and enslavement to a tree demon.
Taoist swordsmen battle spirits through acrobatic swordplay, levitation, and rapidly shifting supernatural action.
The haunted temple, ghostly seduction, and tree demon menace are balanced by playful character interactions and kinetic spectacle.
Yin Chek-ha and other swordsmen use Taoist-derived combat and spiritual practices against the dead and demonic beings.
Films like A Chinese Ghost Story, and why
The Bride with White Hair
shared hong kong fantasy spectacle, martial arts action, supernatural romance, and comic horror
Mr. Vampire
shared jiangshi-era supernatural adventure, playful horror, taoist magic, and kinetic action
Kwaidan
shared ghostly romance, gothic fantasy atmosphere, and tragic lovers separated by the supernatural
Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain
shared mythic fantasy, martial arts choreography, romantic yearning, and lavish supernatural imagery
Movie Details
- Director
- Tony Ching Siu-Tung
- Release Date
- 1987-07-18
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (353)
Cast
- Leslie Cheung
- Joey Wong
- Wu Ma
- Lau Siu-Ming
- David Lam Wai
- Fanny Sit Chi-Lun
- David Wu
- Wong Jing
- Huang Ha
- Sze Mei-Yee
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Criterion Channel, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Chinese Ghost Story about?
- A lovestruck tax collector joins forces with a Taoist swordsman to free a ghost from a predatory tree demon in a dazzling Hong Kong fantasy adventure.
- What is A Chinese Ghost Story like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Chinese Ghost Story as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is A Chinese Ghost Story violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in A Chinese Ghost Story as moderate.
- What did critics think of A Chinese Ghost Story?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an inventive and entertaining blend of supernatural romance, comedy horror, and highly stylized martial arts spectacle.
- Which films are like A Chinese Ghost Story?
- Films with a similar feel include The Bride with White Hair, Mr. Vampire, Kwaidan, and Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain.
- How long is A Chinese Ghost Story?
- A Chinese Ghost Story runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Chinese Ghost Story?
- In United States, A Chinese Ghost Story streams on Amazon Prime Video, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Criterion Channel, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Shudder Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Shout! Factory Amazon Channel.
