Hungry Ghost Ritual (2014) (DVD) (2-Disc Edition) (Hong Kong Version) DVD Region 3

Cheung plays Zong Hua, the film opening with him returning home to Malaysia after a failed business venture in China, moving back in with his father Xiaotian (Lam Wai), who runs a Cantonese opera troupe, and his half-sister Jing Jing (Cathryn Lee), who isn't exactly happy to see him return. After his father is taken ill, Zong Hua reluctantly agrees to take over the troupe, despite the other members being against his appointment. Supported only by Xiao Yan (Annie Liu), Zong Hua tries to learn the ropes, though it soon becomes clear that something other-worldly is lurking in the shadows, and with the midsummer Hungry Ghost Festival approaching, he tries to get to the bottom of the strange occurrences that seem to be following him.

Genre fans should be happy that like Simon Yam with recent anthology Tales from the Dark, Nick Cheung has chosen horror for his directorial debut, as Hungry Ghost Ritual is a very respectable effort which harks back to the glory days of Hong Kong spooky cinema. Certainly, the film comes at a time when Hong Kong and China aren't exactly providing horror outings either in terms of quantity or quality, and benefits from a strong focus on traditional beliefs and superstitions, something which sets it apart from other more Hollywood influenced efforts. The films rich and fascinating cultural underpinnings are very much at the fore, and while this might mean that local audiences get more out of some scenes and references, Cheung packs in more than enough creepiness to please fright fans in general.

Mixing an ominous atmosphere with a variety of scares, the film sees him showing confidence as a first time director, and manages some genuinely eerie moments and fun jumps, which are all the more effective for their lack of explanation, some vague nods at karma aside. Possession and dire visions are the main terror techniques here, and Cheung gets solid mileage from scenes of twisting limbs, inappropriately deep voices and the usual cliches - though perhaps a little familiar, the film is enjoyable precisely for being a throwback rather than yet another long haired vengeful ghost saga. As well as other films, Cheung also draws upon urban legends for his shocks, in addition to real life incidents, most notably in a disturbing elevator sequence which recalls the CCTV video of the unfortunate Elisa Lam which did the rounds on the internet in 2013.

It's just as well that Cheung proves himself a decent choreographer of ghoulish set pieces, as there's really not much else to Hungry Ghost Ritual, the film suffering from a sketchy script and an underdeveloped plot. The narrative is fine, though scarcely different to that of countless similarly themed films from the past couple of decades, and while it holds the interest, this is mainly due to the viewer's expectations of the next coming fright rather than through actually caring about the nondescript characters. Cheung does try to inject a little emotion into things via a possible romance between Zong Hua and the often possessed Xiao Yan, though this sadly falls flat, and it's hard to imagine anyone actually wondering about what will happen to either of them, as s couple or otherwise.

Of course, this is usually the way of things with the horror genre, and so it's probably a bit harsh to mark down Cheung too much for this particular failing, especially given that the film is his debut feature. On the whole, Hungry Ghost Ritual is good, old-fashioned horror entertainment, and what it might lack in ambition or substance it makes up for in culturally grounded menace, Cheung showing an impressive grasp of the genre.

by James Mudge - EasternKicks.com