Exorcist Master (1993)

When a Catholic church in a small Chinese town falls prey to an evil combing the powers of Western and Chinese vampirism, Taoist priest Uncle Nine (Lam Ching Ying) and Catholic priest Wu (Wu Ma) must overcome religious and cultural differences in order to defeat the vampire.

Western and Chinese culture have very distinct versions of vampires and although both remain quite popular, a cinematic combination of the two is a rare occurrence. Shaw Brothers and Hammer Films did it first with The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires (1974), starring Peter Cushing and David Chiang. This was a fun, but odd pairing that came before Chinese vampires had developed into the distinctive hopping zombies they have since become. Throughout the ’80’s, Lam Ching Ying became the preeminent Chinese vampire hunter after starring in the hugely popular Mr. Vampire (1985) and many subsequent vampire films. Having covered just about everything to do with Chinese vampires, Ching Ying starred in Exorcist Master, which made another, less ambitious attempt to combine two great myths.

Exorcist Master is somewhat of a disappointment for a film that tries to mix vampire lore, although the effort is commendable. Wu Ma directs and co-stars as Priest Wu, a Catholic priest who attempts to re-open a church in a small Chinese town after an incident left the last parishioner impaled by a giant crucifix. His main foil is Uncle Nine (Lam Ching Ying), a local Taoist practitioner who wants the church to remain closed, knowing that evil lurks inside. Early on, we get to enjoy some unrelated supernatural fun as Uncle Nine’s two pupils get into trouble with a feisty female spirit. But the film then settles on a long and mostly uneventful series of “comic” situations as a stodgy Uncle Nine and Priest Wu increasingly bicker over whose religion and practices are better. Intermittent shots of Chinese vampires being herded finally comes into play when they arrive in town under the control of another Taoist. The vamps are actually drug smugglers pretending to be dead, but that all changes when the evil inside the church is unleashed.

Finally, two thirds into the film we get to some real vampire action as the Caucasian priest is mistakenly resurrected and begins turning everyone into vamps. Yet, there is an often confusing distinction between his abilities versus the abilities of the Chinese vampires. Most of the Chinese folks turned into vampires hop around, while at least one – the drug smuggling Taoist – acts more like a Western vampire. Then there is the corny-looking Dracula wannabe himself. This long-fanged gweilo has the ability to change to either a Western or Chinese vamp. This comes in handy as Uncle Nine and Priest Wu vainly attempt to use traditional wards such as crucifixes or Taoist wooden swords. Eventually, they must combine their powers to create a super crucifix and a super sword capable of stopping the vamp.

I really wish Wu Ma had bothered to ask a Western filmmaker to assist in this film. One can just imagine what fun could have been unleashed had John Carpenter joined the production. But despite the poorly executed Western elements, this film is made solely for it’s local audience. Aside from a few gags, most of the humor either falls flat or doesn’t translate at all. The production values are at times, very cheap. On top of that, the film is clearly milking the end of a Hong Kong sub-genre just about run dry. The action, special effects, and situations all have been covered before.

The only thing really holding the film together is Lam Ching Ying’s steady presence as the fearless, uni-browed vampire buster. He’s deserving of a better film, but manages to make the most of the situation. Ngai Sing delivers a small bit of kung fu prowess. But overall, there is little martial arts action. This would have been acceptable if the film had actually been more than mildly scary or humorous, but no such luck. With nothing remarkable to offer, Exorcist Master is strictly mediocre viewing.