Whilst there is a long list of Chinese and Hong Kong “Vampire” movies, this would usually conjure up images of hopping blood suckers attacking our fighting heroes in an attempt to rid them of their lives, a la Mr Vampire (1985) which sees our Taoist priest Lam Ching Ying and his bumbling side kicks, Ricky Hui and Chin Siu Ho, fight off a stream of Jiangshi in quick succession. In fact Mr Vampire did this so well that it has become synonymous with Chinese/Hong Kong vampiric mishaps.
However, never let it be said that East Asian cinema only ever produced movies about the same type of vampire, because they weren’t afraid to explore far beyond their borders and into the culture of the European vampire, and in particular Count Dracula.
Whether it be the Hammer Studios and Shaw Brothers co-production of The Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires (1974), starring two legends of their respective genres in Peter Cushing and David Chiang, or the quick and dirty Taiwanese production of the Billy Chong starring Kung Fu From Beyond The Grave (1982), our Western style of bloodsucking freak has an influence that stretches far and wide and it’s in this camp that we find ourselves in with Jamie Luk’s 1990 horror action comedy Doctor Vampire.
Dr Chiang Ta-Tsung (Bowie Lam) finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time when he stumbles upon a tavern of vampires whilst on a business trip in the UK. An act of chivalry and the inability to avoid temptation leads to his turning, something that only becomes apparent upon his return to Hong Kong, which is where he is visited by an uninvited guest.
Doctor Vampire” is a madcap romp that runs at 100km/h, not once checking (or caring) if the audience is keeping up, making it a true pleasure of a movie that helps wash away all the worries of the world for its 98-minute run time
Doctor Vampire plays loose with the whole vampire mythos, often disposing of traditional concepts (eg the crucifix) instead opting for easier paths of comedic storytelling, which is fine, because it isn’t as if Doctor Vampire sets out it’s stall to be “true to the mythology”, it is here to crack a few jokes, throw in some innuendo and have a bombastic finale, all of which it does to varying degrees of success.
Let’s make something very clear, Doctor Vampire is very much a product of its time. There are jokes and phrases banded about that would not survive in today’s climate, however, it never seems to be done in malice or spite but rather out of naivety and ignorance, so all viewers should keep this in mind, especially those that are not au fait with Hong Kong cinema from this time.
Despite this Doctor Vampire seems like an odd film to release. It doesn’t have well known stars for western audiences, it is directed by a man that was a bit part actor that came through the Shaw Brothers studio system (aka paid minimum wage and expected to stay in the Studio Assigned dorm rooms) and, as previously mentioned, has a style of comedy that doesn’t always travel well across borders… and yet, despite all of these factors working against it Doctor Vampire is a madcap romp that runs at 100km/h, not once checking (or caring) if the audience is keeping up, which when combined with goofy characters, a nonsensical plot and a loving action packed tribute to Peking Opera, is a true pleasure of a movie that helps wash away all the worries of the world for its 98 minute run time.
Eureka Entertainment have once again provided a plethora of extra features, from interviews to Essays and the now expected commentaries from Mike Leeder, Arne Venema and Frank Djeng (who is joined on this disc by John Charles). These coupled with a gorgeous 2K restoration, this is a wonderful time to be alive as a Hong Kong movie collector.
Doctor Vampire isn’t big, it isn’t clever, and doesn’t try to be anything other than it actually is. Jamie Luk knew the assignment and delivered exactly what was needed, and nothing more can be asked of such a movie.
Doctor Vampire (1990) is out now on Eureka Blu-Ray
Ben’s Archive – Doctor Vampire (1990)
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