“Kung Fu from Beyond the Grave” DVD Cover
Director: Li Chao
Cast: Billy Chong Chun Lai, Lo Lieh, Dai Sai Aan, Alan Chui Chung San, Lai Kim Hung, Fang Mien, Ou-Yang Sha Fei, Goo Gwan, So Kwok Leung
Running Time: 88 min.
By Paul Bramhall
Following the success of Sammo Hung’s Close Encounter of the Spooky Kind in 1980, soon a slew of titles mixing kung fu and the supernatural filled Hong Kong cinema, with the likes of The Dead and The Deadly, Hocus Pocus, and of course the seminal Mr. Vampire all involving the portly one in some capacity. There were also those that didn’t involve Sammo, and Indonesian star Billy Chong was one such kung fu talent who found himself getting in on the action.
In 1981 he’d star in Wa Yat Wang’s Kung Fu Zombie, a manically paced headtrip that pitted Chong against The Mad Korean Kwan Yung Moon, cast as a vampire just as partial to kicking his victims heads off as he is to biting their necks, which also happens to be one of my favorite entries in the sub-genre. A year later, Chong would stay in the realm of the kung fu and supernatural with Kung Fu From Beyond the Grave, a production that rivals it predecssor in terms of grin inducing titles, but I was curious to find out if it possessed the same manic energy that Kung Fu Zombie delivered.
The answer turned out to be yes and no. In fact in terms of which out of the two productions is the fan favorite, kung fu fanatics tend to split down the middle, with some leaning towards the Looney Tunes inspired violence of Kung Fu Zombie, and others preferring the slightly more grounded Kung Fu From Beyond the Grave. I say “slightly”, as the plot description will no doubt sound particularly out there for the unacquainted. Proceedings open as its explained via voice over that during the 7th month of each year, the spirits of the departed return to the living realm to roam for a short time. One such spirit happens to be the ghost of Billy Chong’s father, who interrupts his son while he’s in the middle of practicing some intense kung fu forms, and immediately finds himself on the receiving end of one of Chong’s formidable kicks.
How many movies contain a ghost being kicked in the face within their first couple of minutes, let alone one that involves a father-son relationship!? KFfBtG (as I’ll refer to it from here on in) is that movie. After recovering from the ghostly bout of domestic violence, the floating semi-decomposing corpse of Chong’s father explains that he was murdered, and that Chong should head over to a nearby village to get revenge for his death, while at the same time finding his bones so he can have a proper burial. Probably not the kind of day Chong was expecting to have when he woke up that morning. Despite the pleas of his mother not to, Chong follows his father’s guidance, and stumbles upon fellow Indonesian Lo Lieh (Black Magic, Human Lanterns), here in full on villain mode who’s employed a black magic sorcerer to make his skin impervious to attacks.
The sorcerer himself, played by Addy Sung (The Spiritual Boxer, Crystal Fist), is equally despicable, having killed a fellow sorcerer in the hopes of coming into the possession of a magic kung fu manual, which instead ends up in the hands of Chong, who incidentally finds it in the handle of his victims sword. Like any good old-school kung fu flick worth its salt though, all of these elements are really there to provide an excuse for plenty of fights to break out, and they do – frequently. At this point in his career Chong had already been in Hong Kong for a number of years, having started out in the mid-70’s with small roles in his native Indonesia with the likes of Black Belt Karate (which also featured Lo Lieh). As a kung fu star, he was the package – skilled, powerful, fast, ripped, and with plenty of screen presence.
From all accounts though he also seemed to know it, and Chong came with a reputation for being arrogant, a trait which never went down well in the Hong Kong film industry (just ask Donnie Yen). After KFfBtG Chong would make A Fist Full of Talons the following year with Sun Chung, where he got to face off against the legendary Whang In-shik, then would return to Indonesia where he continued his career in film and TV. Interestingly, he did attempt a HK comeback in 1989 when he was cast in Lau Kar Leung’s Aces Go Places V: The Terracotta Hit, playing a main bad guy opponent in the finale, but he left half way through filming due to differences with Kar Leung, leaving only brief snippets of him in action in the final product.
Whatever the follies of his ego, the guy had the moves, and in KFfBtG he gets to show them off at regular intervals, often against multiple attackers at the same time. The action is helmed by Addy Sung, who also features as the evil sorcerer, and Alan Chui, who was responsible for the stellar action found in the likes of The Rebellious Reign and Shaolin Vs. Ninja (he also co-directed Tough Beauty and the Sloppy Slop, but we won’t hold that against him). Sung was certainly no slouch in the choreography department either, having worked on the likes of Relentless Broken Blade and Two on the Road. This would be the second time for the pair to work together, having previously handled choreography duties on the 1981 Chi Kuan-Chun vehicle Black Eagle’s Blades, and like Sung, here Chui also takes on a role in front of the camera as well as behind it.
Amongst all the fight action there’s plenty of supernatural wackiness to keep those that are looking for it entertained, and let’s face it, if you find yourself watching KFfBtG, you are. For Lo Lieh to be invincible, he needs to be covered in the blood of human hearts, hearts which specifically need to be removed while a couple are having an orgasm during sex. I’m no expert, but for a man and a woman to reach orgasm at the same time while having sex, well, the female assassin hired to collect the hearts puts it best – “You see, it’s a real problem.” I agree, and count myself safe from ever being at risk of having my heart removed in such a scenario. Perhaps the scene that KFfBtG is most well-known for though, is one in which Chung faces off against the evil sorcerer played by Sung, backed up by a group of undead goons for hire, only for Sung to summon Dracula himself to get in on the action!
It’s as goofy as it sounds, with an unknown gweilo actor swooping in decked out in full Dracula attire, and even getting a few licks in (perhaps the wrong expression to use) on the action front. Thankfully the scene sticks around just long enough to maintain its charm, which I’m not sure I can say the same about for a scene in which Sung finds himself ambushed and attacked by a gang of menstruating ladies, all locked and loaded with their sanitary towels to fling in his face. Ah, Hong Kong cinema. For the uninitiated, it’s a Hong Kong cinema trope that a weakness of any black magic sorcerer is menstrual blood, kind of like kryptonite is to Superman, only not as green. The same scene leads into the highlight fight, which has Chong, Alan Chui, and Lai Kim-Hung team up for a brutal and exhaustive 3-on-1 fight versus Sung. Full of hard-hitting choreography and heavy on the kicks, it’s a joy to watch, and delivers on all fronts.
The final fight delivers on the promise of pitting Chong against Lo Lieh, and it does its job. I confess I’ve never understood why Lieh was sometimes cast as a Hwang Jang Lee-esque final fight villain, as he’s serviceable, but not the kind of martial arts performer to deliver that final fight wow factor, especially empty handed. Thankfully here the fight is supplemented by some amusing assistance from Chong’s undead buddies who have been lending a helping hand throughout, ending on a suitably hilarious note, which allows the penultimate 3-vs-1 to be the true highlight.
Do I prefer Kung Fu Zombie or Kung Fu From Beyond the Grave? For me the former just edges it, the manic concoction of crazily undercranked fights, over the top violence, and frantic energy of the whole thing just wins me over every time. Kung Fu From Beyond the Grave is more conventional, with a knowing comedic streak (a scene where it’s revealed the ghosts keep TV aerials in their coffins to pick up Morse code got a legitimate laugh), and delivers more straight-up kung fu goodness, so really it’s hard to go wrong with either. Mixing long tongued ghosts, Dracula, love making with a high risk of heart removal, and a six fingered father figure, if you’re looking for your next kung fu fix, beyond the grave is where you should go.
Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 7/10
