The 1980s was the golden age of Hong Kong's film development, and the box office of films basically showed a trend of rising year by year, and various types of films blossomed, producing a large number of film superstars.
In this golden age, Hong Kong's ghost films have also achieved rapid development, such as "Mr. Zombie" produced and supervised by Hong Jinbao in 1985, directed by Liu Guanwei and starring Lin Zhengying;
In 1987, "Ghost of a Lady" produced by Xu Ke, directed by Cheng Xiaodong, and starring Zhang Guorong and Wang Zuxian;
There is also "Rouge Buckle" directed by Guan Jinpeng in 1988 and starring Zhang Guorong and Mei Yanfang, which are representative works of this period.
As a member of the 80s ghost films, the "Happy Ghost" series of movies is relatively different, although it belongs to the category of ghost films, but it completely weakens the horror atmosphere of ghost films with funny elements, and shapes the horror image of "ghosts" in the impression into hip-hop funny.
The series of films was not only one of the highest-grossing films in Hong Kong at the time, but also became a childhood memory of a generation.
The "Happy Ghost" series is a comedy film series launched by New Art City Pictures from 1984 to 1991, directed by Gao Zhisen, Du Qifeng and Huang Baiming, and starring Huang Baiming.
The series launched a total of five films, namely "Happy Ghost" in 1984, "Happy Ghost On Summer Vacation" in 1985, "Happy Ghost Bumping Into Ghost" in 1986, "Happy Ghost Saving Happy Ghost" in 1990, and "Happy Ghost on the Wrong Body" in 1991.
The first version of "Happy Ghost", which is the debut of director Gao Zhisen, is also an important film for Huang Baiming to move from behind the scenes to the current situation, which tells the story of the happy ghost Zhu Jinchun (Huang Baiming) who accidentally met several female high school students, became friends with them and grew up with each other.
"Happy Ghost 2 Summer Vacation" tells a series of hilarious stories about the reincarnation of happy ghost Zhu Jinchun as an adult, becoming a high school teacher Kang Sengui (Huang Baiming), and a group of female high school students during his tenure at the school.
These two comedies, which cost only two or three million yuan, exploded throughout Hong Kong after their release, bringing more than 10 million profits.
With such a good box office return, the production company quickly decided to start filming the third part shortly after the second part came out, still supervised by Huang Baiming, screenwriter and starring, and the director invited Du Qifeng.
Since the first two films have laid the popularity of the "happy ghost" IP, the third part is naturally a great success, and has obtained a good reputation and box office.
Huang Baiming also said that he was very satisfied with the film, believing that it was better than the previous two. In fact, many fans also think that it is the best movie in the series.
"Happy Ghost 3 Collision Ghost" is still based on the campus as the main scene, revolving around Zhu Jinchun's later life Kang Sengui, unlike the previous two films, the heroine of the story has changed from a female high school student to a female ghost Xu Banxiang (played by Maggie Cheung).
Ah Xiang is a female singer who chose to commit suicide because her career was unsuccessful.
After his death, he entrusted himself to be in charge of the reincarnation affairs of the father to find a good family, to ensure that his luck in the next life would be smooth, singing red over Teresa Teng.
The time for reincarnation was coming, and Ah Xiang couldn't wait to rush to the hospital on earth, but he didn't find his mother.
Later, when I asked my father, I learned that a stupid egg sent my mother to the wrong hospital and was preparing to rush over, only to find that the best time to reincarnate had been missed, and the next time I needed to wait for three more days.
Kang Sengui is a classroom teacher at Shenggao High School, one day after work, he met a woman and her husband on the way, why say again?
In fact, because the "stupid egg" who sent people to the wrong hospital that day was Kang Sengui, it was a coincidence that he bumped into the same mother, and the couple had a hard time getting on the car, but they didn't expect that there were many situations on the way, and Ah Xiang once again missed the time of reincarnation.
Two consecutive failed reincarnations, and the next one will have to wait for a month later, and the angry Ah Xiang blames all this on Kang Sengui, and she decides to use this time to fix this stupid egg.
The wheels are unloaded, the football game is out of trouble, and the girlfriend is broken, Kang Sengui is very unlucky during this time, he soon becomes aware of the unusual situation around him, and finds his own former happy ghost to deal with Ah Xiang.
While the two ghosts were fighting each other, Ah Xiang took advantage of the happy ghost and cut his braids with a knife.
The braid was broken, and the happy ghost's mana was gone, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Ah Xiang attached herself to a female student and triumphantly flew away.
Helpless, Kang Sengui is determined to deal with this difficult female ghost in another way: to impress her with love.
He confessed to Ah Xiang in the school lobby, pasted posters of Ah Xiang's singer on the walls of his home, and went to the radio station to deliberately order her song "A Bend of the Bright Moon"...
Ah Xiang was touched by his series of operations and his attitude towards him was somewhat relaxed.
After that, they went out to eat street stalls together, grabbed dolls together, danced together in the deserted street... The relationship between the two quickly warmed up.
Soon a month passed, and Ah Xiang only had the last best time to reincarnate at ten o'clock that night, but Kang Sengui was in trouble at this time, and in order to save him, Ah Xiang missed it again.
Ah Xiang's father instructed on the phone that he must rush to the hospital before twelve o'clock that night to reincarnate, otherwise he would never be overborn, but Ah Xiang was injured in the process of saving Kang Sengui and could not use his superpowers.
Kang Sengui and happy ghosts, as well as several students to help, finally there is no danger, at the last minute rushed to the hospital, Ah Xiang also successfully cast a fetus.
Although it has been more than thirty years since the film was first released, the hilarious, romantic and thrilling plot is still fresh in many people's minds.
The laughter points throughout the film are very dense, and the audience is overwhelmed by the stalks one after another, and many impressive places appear in the first ten minutes of the film.
For example, at the beginning of the movie, a bunch of ghosts dressed in white are lining up to reincarnate one by one, some reincarnated into people, and some reincarnated into animals.
A woman in heavy makeup stepped forward, still holding a cigarette in her mouth, and immediately after jumping off the camera, she took a picture of a chicken laying an egg.
Because the previous life engaged in a special profession, so this life reincarnated into a chicken, very funny.
In addition, Ah Xiang, who had just come to the human world, broke into the wrong ward, and without seeing the situation clearly, he plunged into the stomach of a fat man, and then the man's stomach began to show signs of fetal movement.
The doctor who was examining exclaimed: "Man is pregnant, a miracle in the medical community, hurry up and find the dean to study!" ”
In addition to Ah Xiang's side, Kang Sengui's side is also in a state of flux.
Due to the delay in sending the mother to the hospital, Kang Sengui rushed to the place where he made an appointment with his girlfriend, and accidentally crashed a traffic policeman on the side of the road into the garbage can while driving.
This is not over, the traffic policeman has not yet drilled out of the garbage can, and was hit by the reversing Kang Sengui directly rolled down the stairs, I have to say, it is really unlucky to get home.
One of the flying car scenes was also impressive.
In order to send Ah Xiang to reincarnate, Kang Sengui raced all the way, and the situation on the road was varied, and he was targeted by various policemen.
At the moment of confusion, the happy ghost appeared, led Kang Sengui's car to fly and escape, and finally arrived at the hospital on time after a thrilling life and death speed.
"Ah Gui, you have been waiting for me for eighteen years!" I'll definitely marry you in eighteen years! Ah Xiang, who was about to reincarnate, said the last words to Kang Sengui and left.
Soon after, a crisp baby cry sounded.
Having violated many traffic rules on the way there, the police chased them to the hospital and prepared to arrest Kang Sengui and take him back to the police station.
"I will marry your daughter, Father-in-law!" Kang Sengui struggled to shout the last sentence, the picture was frozen, and even the end was very dramatic.
In addition to the funny and exciting plot, the young and beautiful girls in the film are also a landscape that cannot be ignored.
More than thirty years ago, Maggie Cheung was still a little girl, although before starring in this movie, she had already won the title of "Hong Kong Sister", but the film was not quite visible in the film when she matured later.
In the movie, Maggie Cheung wears a tender yellow skirt, big eyes, and often shows a sly smile, the whole person is very playful and eccentric, and feels so tender that it is out of the water.
The female class leader in the film, Dai Zhuoyi, is played by Yuan Jieying, with short neat hair, serious study, just and honesty, and pays no attention to the show of love from male classmates.
Ah Xiang wanted to repair Kang Sengui so that he could not get off the stage, so he attached himself to the squad leader and danced directly to him.
The usually serious class leader actually changed his normal state and was so bold, the students around him were very surprised.
Yuan Jieying performed a strong sense of contrast between the two states before and after the female ghost, and each time such a scene was awkward and funny.
Yao Qiong, another major student in the film, is played by Chen Jialing, who has a lively personality and likes to be crazy.
The interlude "A Bend of the Bright Moon" that appears in the film, that is, the song sung by the female ghost Ah Xiang before she died, is sung by Chen Jialing.
Yuan Jieying and Chen Jialing are both members of the "Happy Girl Group", and also played the same role in the last "Happy Ghost Summer Vacation", and participated in the "Happy Ghost" series of movies to make it well known.
Since its official debut in 1985, the "Happy Girls Group" has been loved by students with a healthy and lively image, and has become a favorite youth idol of Hong Kong young people in the 80s.
When I watched this so-called "ghost" film when I was a child, I was not only not afraid, but also very much hoped that I could also have a "happy ghost", could have superpowers, and could ask him for help when encountering difficulties.
Although the film takes "ghost" as the protagonist, it has no horror atmosphere at all, and the laughter is dense, which can be described as suitable for all ages.
Many years later, revisiting this film is still the original taste, still classic, still making people laugh.
Bluestone Film Editorial Office | Ah Ke (Internship)
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