Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980) October 8th, 2023

At its worst our annual horrorthon is discouraging and exhausting. Subjecting ourselves to a high chance of stinkers and a low chance of great movies takes its toll. For every Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter there’s a Dracula 3D, The Stuff, and The Black Cat. Encounters of the Spooky Kind a rare masterpiece that makes all the hours of watching garbage and smut worth it.

Once again our friends at the Criterion Channel have opened our eyes to the wonders of international cinema. Part of their ‘Hopping Vampires of Hong Kong’ collection, Encounters of the Spooky Kind stars actor/director Sammo Hung as Bold Cheung, a rickshaw driver who boasts to be the boldest man in town. That may be so but he certainly isn’t the smartest as evidenced by his actions of unknowingly driving his rich boss to his girlfriend’s house and inadvertently assisting in their affair. Now his boss wants the girl all to himself and hires a daoist sorcerer to kill Bold Cheung with his mystic powers.

If Encounters of the Spooky Kind is a typical kung-fu comedy then show me the way to the buffet because I’m ready for seconds. Sammo Hung’s frenetically energetic performance is matched only by the quality of his endlessly entertaining martial arts comedy bits. Encounters of the Spooky Kind is much more comedy than horror but I’ll be damned if the spooks aren’t spooky too.

Don’t expect anything too violent. The creative special effects and horror elements in Encounters of the Spooky Kind resemble those from Nobuhiko ôbayashi’s House more than the blood and guts of their contemporary American horror stories. This affords Encounters of the Spooky Kind the full use of dread and suspense without taking away from the dominant comedic themes in the same way Shaun of the Dead never goes full Romero.

I feel like my worldview has expanded thanks to Encounters of the Spooky Kind. I didn’t know hopping vampires existed, much less supported a whole horror sub-genre, and now I can’t wait to watch more like Mr. Vampire and its sequels. While my further exploration of hopping vampires will have to wait until next October, you can find Encounters of the Spooky Kind on the Criterion Channel during this October (2023) and see the goofy ghoulies for yourself.