Erotic Ghost Story 聊斋艳谭

Three forest fairies, who in Chinese folklore are known to take the form of foxes, strive to attain human form, for which they must live by certain laws for 36 days. But one of them (Man So) saves a student, Wu Ming (Tan Lap-Man), from bandits, unaware that he is in fact Wutung, a many-faced demon who feeds on female energy. All three are charmed and seduced by his allure, yet his presence proves detrimental to their goal — if the fairies cannot break free of his influence, they will never become human.

Impressions: Erotic Ghost Story is based on a classic tale by Pu Songling, the famous Chinese writer of the Qing dynasty, and that fact alone saves the picture from a lower rating. The plot, despite its simplicity, is told very consistently and meticulously, but the filmmakers, unfortunately, were unable to embellish this beautiful fairy tale with anything other than the outstanding busts of the leading ladies.

The cast, as you can see, is quite international, and apparently the casting was done exclusively by breast size (though hardly anyone would argue that a film like this doesn't need any outstanding acting ability). Amy Yip, who had publicly stated before that she refused to "show everything on screen," cleverly sidestepped that very statement, displaying her impressive bust exclusively in profile, while her two co-stars bare all at every convenient opportunity. To be fair, the erotic scenes are integrated into the plot very neatly and don't stand out from the general flow of events, but they are shot in a manner that is stylish yet rather tedious and artless (especially compared to Sex and Zen, which came out a little later).

Everything else in Erotic Ghost Story is no less artless. The fights, despite being choreographed by one of the "Venoms," Phillip Kwok, are unpleasant in their terrible execution (the girls apparently can't even hold a sword, and their legs lift to exactly the height of a pager), but the worst of all is the makeup and special effects. The film does, it must be said, occasionally offer up jokes, but the real fun begins in the last fifteen minutes, when Wutung reveals his demonic nature. The demon's extra heads on sticks tied behind his back, the skin being peeled off a dummy's face, the green paint oozing from disgustingly disguised growths on the chest, and the energy discharges drawn directly onto the film — all of it looks delightfully absurd and unprofessional for a film of the 1990s (or even the 1940s, if you look at it more broadly).

The film is genuinely bad, but unfortunately it can't even be considered trash classic. The picture was made without a trace of inspiration or imagination (unless, of course, you count the incredible feats of the geniuses in the special effects department as imagination), and there is simply nothing to single out in it besides the interesting story. And if you recall that the makers of Erotic Ghost Story have absolutely nothing to do with the plot, the conclusion is obvious. It can only be recommended to die-hard fans of Amy Yip and her 36-inch bust (in profile), though judging by the numerous sequels (three of them), there are plenty of those.