Cannes Buzz: YAKUZA APOCALYPSE

Upon hearing about a yakuza movie that featured vampires AND a man in a giant fuzzy frog suit, I think I blacked out for a few seconds because it didn't seem possible that a movie so perfect could exist. But don't just trust my blind excitement, check out what some folks post-Cannes had to say.

From Manuel de Laylet at Quiet Earth 

Where it gets really interesting is that this is only the base canvas upon which many things will pile upon, adding nonsense to absurdity while still maintaining a certain kind of logic. A drunken one, but logic nonetheless.

It really makes one wonder about the brainstorming sessions. I'm leaning on a combination of Dadaist "pick up words at random in the dictionary" and actual heavy drinking. Yet, despite the whole twisted fairy tale emerging quite rapidly in the settings, the whole manages to still be a Yakuza movie with all the tropes of the genre. And the maestria of Miike is to perfectly blend everything into something that's new, interesting and will surprise you.

Read the rest of the review here! 

From Jessica Kiang at Indiewire 

Taking place in that part of your imagination that ruled your storytelling capacity before narrative logic, realism, and cause/effect psychology came along, the film is an insane headrush of the most disposable, nonsensical, whacked-out genre bliss you're likely to have. In fact while several rows of Cannes critics spent a lot of the running time between snorts of laughter stealing sidelong glances at each other in a "don't tell on me, my editor thinks I'm at the Jia Zhang-ke movie" kind of way, it oddly earns its slot on the Croisette just for going for broke on so many levels. It may be a hugely tacky, cartoony balloon pit of a film, but when every single element is dialled up to eleven and you can't go thirty seconds without another three-way face-off between OTT, OMG and WTF, it starts to achieve a maximalist artistry that almost feels avant-garde. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Read the rest of the review here!

YAKUZA APOCALYPSE screens: 

Fri, Sept 18, 11:59 PM RYERSON
Sat, Sept 19, 3:00 PM SCOTIABANK 2

Video: WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Complete Premiere Intro and Q&A

What We Do In The Shadows received its Canadian premiere last night. Here is the complete premiere introduction and post-screening Q&A with Jemaine Clement and Stuart Rutherford moderated by midnight madness programmer Colin Geddes.





WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:
Sat., Sept. 13th, 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: The Case of the Sexy Vampires

In the case of Sexy Male Vampire vs Sexy Male Vampire, Vampire Prosecutor Min Tae-yeon has agreed to arbitrate the dispute. Vampire Prosecutor Min is a member in good standing of the Korean Bar Association as well as the Guild of Infernal, Paranormal and Supernatural Lawyers.

Vampire Prosecutor is prosecuting so hard right now.

To recap, Count Orlok was declared most adorably terrifying vampire, while certain New Zealand vampires declared Deacon from What We Do In The Shadows the sexiest. Dracula continues to maintain he's sexiest.

Vampire Prosecutor Min ruled both Carmilla and Countess Bathory "unsexiest" by default because they disappeared during arbitartion. Human servant Renfield testified in a sworn affadavit that Carmilla and the Countess had slipped away to one of the Countess' special rooms for "special time."

"special time" is in session.

However, actor and MM Alumnus Simon Yam has declared himself not only the sexiest vampire, but also the most handsome, most amazingly dressed vampire and King of the Vampires. And has submitted the following evidence in support of his claim.



But can the so-called King of the Vampires compete with this Prince of Darkness?

Vampires are convinced this is a sexy look.

Or these hot guys?

hotsy-totsy

Or come within three miles of this? 

Could anyone come within three miles of this?

After reviewing seven hours of footage and brooding over the case on his favorite rooftop, Vampire Prosecutor Min he ruled that he himself is not only Sexiest Male Vampire, but Sexiest Vampire.

"Case closed," Vampire Prosecutor says, slipping on his aviators.

Decide for yourself and feel the sexy power of Deacon with the last two screenings of What We Do In The Shadows!

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:
Saturday, Sept 15th 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sunday, Sept 14th 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

Video: Interview Jemaine Clement Acclaimed Documentary Filmmaker Talks WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS

What We Do In The Shadows had its Canadian premiere last night at midnight madness. Robert A. Mitchell was fortunate enough to interview the very acclaimed New Zealand documentary filmmaker Jemaine Clement, whose newest work took him into the exciting and often dangerous world of vampires.

Clement channels Werner Herzog in his quest to fully understand his undead subjects and reveal many ecstatic truths about our own fragile human ways. Mr. Clement also bears a striking resemblance to one of the vampire subjects Vladislav, but this is purely coincidental. His co-director Taika Waititi was not at the premiere leading to some speculation that perhaps the documentary work with vampires did not end well.





WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:
Sat., Sept. 13th, 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: Vampire Profiles: Dracula

"Hey, baby. How 'bout we go for a bite?"

From Vlad Țepeș to Count Dracula starting in 1897, Dracula has had a lot of looks over the years. (And I'm sure he would argue that all of them were sexy, Deacon!) And Dracula certainly had some sexy-times--or at least his brides did, if you go by Bram Stoker's novel.

In the moonlight opposite me were three young women, ladies by their dress and manner. I thought at the time that I must be dreaming when I saw them, for, though the moonlight was behind them, they threw no shadow on the floor. They came close to me, and looked at me for some time, and then whispered together....All three had brilliant white teeth that shone like pearls against the ruby of their voluptuous lips. There was something about them that made me uneasy, some longing and at the same time some deadly fear. I felt in my heart a wicked, burning desire that they would kiss me with those red lips. It is not good to note this down, lest some day it should meet Mina’s eyes and cause her pain; but it is the truth.

On the other hand, that was from Jonathan Harker's journal (via Project Gutenberg) and perhaps Dracula had been kicked to the spare coffin storage room, which would explain why he was moving to London without his brides and in the market for new brides.

His mustache was good enough for the ladies of the mid-Fourteen Hundreds.

Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia had some extraordinarily cool titles and a sweet patronym. His father was Vlad II of the Order of the Dragon (inarguably cool) who was granted the surname, "Dracul" and "Dracula" is Vlad III's patronym. He's also a "three-time Voivode of Wallachia." Which, again, cool. So that had to ease the pain of whatever marital difficulties he had in the 1890s.

Of course, he also had a penchant for impalement that he felt worked out great for Christendom, but really freaks everyone out. I assume he had some stuff to work out because by the Victorian Era, he's just doing regular vampire things--turning ladies into vampires, making guys eat flies, taking the form of a wolf and concealing the hair on his palms.

Please enjoy this look at Dracula through the years!

Can you find the vampire in this crowd of sophisticated Thirties gentlemen?

And here he is--also in 1931.




In 1970, he tried out the 'stache again. (Or is it 1890. It's hard to say...)



In Dracula contends with that ne're-do-well poser Johnny Alucard and his fashion in 1972.



And here he is again in 1972.

Soy Dracula, tambien

Also, Dracula... note the thicker hair.



And this video features many of his more extreme fashion experiments.



I'm not sure what he's doing here. No sexy times at all. Maybe he finally went loco in 2000?


Or will we see him again soon? Say at midnight tonight?

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:
Friday, Sept 12th 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Saturday, Sept 15th 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sunday, Sept 14th 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: 5 Tips For Living With Your Vampire Roomies

Ah, what a happy, healthy vampire household. This, too, can be yours!

So maybe you've found yourself recently undead and more or less vampiric (definitely more) and rooming with other vampires. Yeah, you could live alone but that's lonely and sad and sharing your space with a group of fellow vampires can be a very rewarding experience. But living with other vampires is no easy task. Some days you may find yourself hiding in your coffin just to escape the madness. You're stuck with these guys for all eternity now so you need to learn how to make the most of it. Um, yeah, we guess you could move. But, packing. Ugh. Who wants to pack, right? Right. We've got five basic tips for making the most of your vampire roomie situation.

Make sure all of your roomies are taking turns with chore duties.
And a good pair of gloves will keep your skin soft!

1. Take care of your house. 

If you've been kicking around for hundreds of years, you've probably accumulated a lot of things. We're not saying get rid of your knick-knicks. We love knick-knacks! And your collection of socks from victims of the Black Plague is a great conversation starter anyway. But if you don't keep up your house, they'll be nobody coming over to see your collection anyway. Nobody likes a messy, unkept home, not even vampires. There are a lot of ways you can keep a beautiful home: maybe a cleaning schedule with your roomies will work or you'll enlist the help of your familiars. Either way, make sure to dust regularly because you'd be surprised how hard getting hundreds of years worth of grim off of furniture can be. Being aware of the integrity of your home is of upmost importance as well. Imagine if one of your black-out curtains fell down from a faulty curtain rod and let sunlight into your room while you were sleeping? We shudder at the thought.

We can't recommend investing in a vacuum more. It'll make cleaning up a breeze.

2. Respect each other. 

That human Aretha Franklin had the right idea with her song "Respect" (dang, what a great tune). Every vampire is different and you need to respect your roomies' life choices. We all come from different vampiric backgrounds. You may be living with vampires from the 1300s or 1700s or even just last week. With all of these different backgrounds, though, come different personalities, customs, even sleeping habits. You may be a classic coffin-sleeper but your roomie may prefer to sleep hanging upside down in a closet. Sure, it may be strange to you but don't try to impose your own vampiric beliefs on your roomies—it'll just end badly. And trust us, your customs may seem totally normal but we guarantee you they're wigging your roomies out.

Everyone loves a good vampire joke. Oooo, floating spoon! 

3. Make time to do activities together. 

As important as it is to respect each other's customs, it's also a good idea to plan some activities to do together so you can get to know each other. How awkward would it be to live hundreds of years with the same vamps and not even learn their favourite pastime, right? Maybe you'll start a book club or all take up knitting or go club hopping together—the world is your brimming glass of blood! (Humans would normally say "oyster" but that, like all food, is disgusting.) Whatever you do will be a great way to bond with your roomies. We personally recommend setting aside a night to get out of the house. It's a good excuse to put on your favourite ruffly blouse and track down some fresh food. Or dance at clubs. Either or.

Getting out and partying can be a great way to get rid of hundreds of years of tension.

4. Clean up after yourself. 

This one should be obvious but, please, clean up after your meals. Do you know how much harder it is to get blood out of hardwood flooring when it's been sitting for days? And it will start to attract flies and once that happens it's all downhill. Listen, we all know how easy it is to loose yourself in a delicious meal. That neck, that blood, mmm. But be mindful that you share your space with other vamps and having a bloodstained, infested home is just gross. You could try putting down newspaper or tarp before going in for the kill or creating a "blood room" with easy-to-clean tile walls and flooring and equipment to hang your meals and drain them of their blood for later consumption. This is a also great option for a fancy party as you can store the blood in jugs and serve it in that lovely stemware you acquired during Queen Elizabeth I's reign.

That rug is vintage. Don't you dare get blood on it!

5. Get the internet.

Or, you know, a hobby. Eternal life is long and having nothing to do will make it even longer. You so don't want to be that whiny, sad vamp that wanders around the house doing nothing either. Womp, womp. Nobody likes a sad-sack vampire. And we don't judge: if your idea of a great way to pass the time is reading Dan Brown novels, go for it. As long as you're happy.

Get your own vamp fix and learn even more tips about living with vampire roomies at this Festival's screenings of What We Do in the Shadows. We recommend taking notes. Or just seeing it all three times.

What We Do in the Shadows is screening at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Midnight Madness Programme. Check out more Midnight Madness films on the official Festival website!

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:

Friday, Sept 12th 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Saturday, Sept 15th 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sunday, Sept 14th 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS Premieres Tonight!

Clean the bathroom later--you've got a movie to see!

Don your ruffliest shirt, shrug on your must resplendent velvet jacket and shine up your fangs because What We Do In The Shadows premieres tonight and you know the whole vampire community is going to be there.

Remember this is the sexy you'll have to compete with.

Alternatively, if you're not a vampire, fill your messenger bag with garlic and bottled holy water. Maybe bring that squirt gun you filled with holy water from the It Follows premiere. And wear your biggest crucifix, but you know, keep it covered. It's just considerate with vampires present.

You don't want to cause eye-bleeding. It's inconsiderate. And gross.

You should be fine. Really.

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:
Fri. Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Sat. Sept. 13th, 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sun. Sept. 14th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK  3

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: Vampire Profiles: Elizabeth Báthory

After the last Vampire Profile, we received word from @DeliciousNecks, aka certain Antipodean Vampires, that while Count Orlok might be adorable he'll never be as sexy as What We Do In The Shadows' Deacon. But now I'm about to do a little profile of Countess Elizabeth Báthory, and I'm just not sure if it's fair. Can Countess Báthory compete with Deacon?

Who could compete?

Should we dividing create sexiness divisions? Because I know there are some people who go for Count Orlok.

Erzsébet lookin' good!

Báthory Erzsébet / Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed was a Hungarian aristocrat. She was born in 1560 or 1561, according to the Crime Library. Her family was reportedly filled with madness, alchemical experimentation, Devil-worship, witchcraft and Lesbianism. Which is probably the best background for the young vampire. Her husband, Prince Nádasdy had special dungeons in their familial castle and their shared interests included: being aristocrats, ruling harshly, beating servants and black magic.

With the help of four other people, the Countess killed hundreds of young women and bathed in their blood as part of her intensive skin care regimen. (Natural beauty takes work, people!). When even Sixteenth Century aristocrats couldn't tolerate her brutality anymore, Báthory was ultimately imprisoned in Čachtice Castle. In 1610, she was walled into a room with a narrow slit for meals to be passed in and out, because she's still being judged and punished by people pretty much like her. The Countess was found dead in 1614--or should I say, "apparently dead in a cunning escape plan?"

"I am totally dead. I only appear alive because of my rigorous skin care regimen."

Some people believe that Báthory was merely a serial killer, but movies conclude decisively that she was a vampire. And I will always go with movie facts--especially the ones I prefer to believe.

Here the Countess uses the name, "Dracula," but it's just a cover to get some respect in a male- dominated and the very Dracula-dominated vampire world.



In Daughters of Darkness (1971), the Countess has sexy times and makes a new friend.



The Countess (2009) conceals her fangs. (Fangs can be so gauche).



And in Southern California, she relies on chastity pledges to keep her feeling fresh and young.



WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:
Fri. Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Sat. Sept. 13th, 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sun. Sept. 14th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK  3

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: Top Five Vampire Flicks

Growing up, watching vampire movies - I made up a special rule; vampire movies all get an automatic two stars, and can work up from there. Reason is, it's tough being a vampire movie!  You got so much working against you; the trappings of superstition, pop culture, and a minefield of cliches to navigate. That, and there are a LOT of bad vampire films.  However, I happen to LOVE vampires, and can't get enough of them.

This year's What We Do In The Shadows  looks to be an amusingly "dead" pan take - something that will definitely stand out in a long tradition of vampire movies.

So here's my top five vampire films, with honourable mentions below!

Let The Right One In (2008)
Okay, this may be painfully obvious to those that have seen it, but what about those that didn't? I highly recommend this film, as it's not just a great vampire movie - it's a great movie!

Shadow Of The Vampire (2000)
Willem Dafoe is transcendent! A truly lifelike performance of someone who is most likely undead.

Downton Abbey, Undead Edition

Interview With The Vampire (1994)
I feel like this one gets a lot of undeserved hate.  I'm a fan of the original story - AND I think the scale of this movie is massive, beautifully shot, just a big, sweeping story… and Kirsten Dunst is amazing.

In a remake, this could be a boy band. Still, buy the soundtrack!

The Lost Boys (1987)
Yeah, how could I not include this? If you haven't seen it, this one's got something for everyone; a real snap shot of the 80s.

The Arrughhhhh!

Fright Night (1985)
The original. While I wasn't crazy about it the first time, a recent screening opened my eyes to its cult brilliance. For me, it's all about Evil Ed.

Here's a whack of other vampire movies I enjoyed, but I don't want to crash the server!  I know there can be some strong arguments for a few of these, but really, would you want any vampire fan to miss the above movies?

The Night Flier, Stake Land, Innocent Blood, Byzantium, Near Dark, The Addiction, Mr. Vampire, Monster Squad, Dracula (dir: Todd Browning), Bram Stoker's Dracula, From Dusk Til Dawn, Only Lovers Left Alive, Nosferatu, Lost Highway (when I first saw I swore they were vamps!), Daybreakers, Blade series, Martin, Salem's lot, John Carpenter's Vampires, 30 Days of Night, Cronos, Vamp

Let me know what I missed!

And don't you miss What We Do In The Shadows (2014) playing this year at Midnight Madness!

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:
Fri., Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Sat., Sept. 13th, 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: Vampire Profiles: Count Orlok

Lookin' good in 1922!

 Few vampires are as adorable as Count Orlok, well, adorable in a terrifying, inconceivably ancient way. He is the prince of plague and rats, whether in F.W. Murnau's silent masterpiece, Nosferatu: Eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) or in Werner Herzog's 1979 Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht.

1979 and still feeling confident enough to creep on the honeys.

And he brings a hip German Expressionist style to vampirism, which can get stuffy and aristocratic sometimes. Or worse, very corporate.

Ethan Hawke realizes he will be wearing a suit, going to work and having to deal with his jerk boss for eternity.

Some say that Orlok was just a way getting Dracula on film without provoking the Stoker estate. Those people are haters. Sure, the vampire in Nosferatu, Phantom Der Nacht, is called, "Dracula," but I know in my heart that he is truly Count Orlok.

So enjoy this common domain version of Murnau's film.



And this trailer for Herzog's.




UPDATE: We have received a response from three Antipodean Vampires at the Twitter account, @DeliciousNecks. Click the link to see a hot as sexy hot sauce gif that we cannot embed because of our ancient yet adorable talons and wizened brains.

@mmadnesstiff None as sexy as Deacon. http://t.co/YUeNc98KRl
— WhatWeDoInTheShadows (@DeliciousNecks) September 10, 2014

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:
Fri., Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Sat., Sept. 13th, 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: Top 3 Promo Videos

"It hurts our feelings when you say we are not rappers, I mean, that vampires don't have any feelings."

If you've been trapped in a coffin for the last few months you may not know about the hilarious vampire comedy that's playing at the Festival, What We Do In The Shadows, directed by and starring Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. In addition to a seriously funny trailer, the filmmakers have released some short promo clips from the movie to whet your appetite. Mwahaha! After watching these clips, you'll be laughing until you cry tears of blood.

Werewolves Not Swearwolves: "I'm not racist; I just don't like werewolves."

Image Problems: "You are the sandwich."

Lund The Right One In: "You need to simmer down! This is only until morning."


Wait a minute! How did that last video get in there?! We swear it was an accident. Those darn mischievous vampires!

Watch all the What We Do In The Shadows promo clips on their YouTube channel, DeliciousNecks.

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:
Fri., Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Sat., Sept. 13th, 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sun., Sept. 14th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead's SPRING screening times:
Fri., Sept 5th, 6:00 PM, BLOOR HOT DOCS CINEMA
Sun., Sept 7th 7:00 PM, SCOTIABANK 4
Sat., Sept 13th, 3:15 PM, SCOTIABANK 3

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS: Vampire Profiles: Carmilla

Oh, you've got a little schmutz on your lip. Let me get that for you.

Today's the 200th anniversary of the birth of Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu and with What We Do In The Shadows part of the Madness this year, it's a serendipitous occasion to look at his creation, one of the first, and best, sexy vampires and the industry standard in Lesbian vampires.

"Carmilla" first appeared in a magazine, The Dark Blue, as an illustrated serial recorded by Le Fanu's hero, Dr. Hesselius. It was collected into a novella in 1872. You can read the book in your preferred form at Project Gutenberg.

Carmilla befriends Laura, a lonely young woman living in a castle with her retired father in Styria. As a young girl, Laura dreamed she was bitten on the chest by a beautiful woman. When Carmilla appears on her castle doorstep or on the other side of the portcullis or whatever Laura's schloss has, the young women recognize each other from this dream. And Carmilla bears an uncanny resemblance to an ancestral portrait of Countess Mircalla Karnstein. But, of course, that portrait was painted in 1689 and this resemblance is purely coincidental. How silly to think it is anything more.

The Man does not approve.

Carmilla is as smitten with Laura as she is with anagrams. And instead of dining and dashing, as she had with other, more recent victims, she woos Laura.

She used to place her pretty arms about my neck, draw me to her, and laying her cheek to mine, murmur with her lips near my ear, "Dearest, your little heart is wounded; think me not cruel because I obey the irresistible law of my strength and weakness; if your dear heart is wounded, my wild heart bleeds with yours. In the rapture of my enormous humiliation I live in your warm life, and you shall die--die, sweetly die--into mine. I cannot help it; as I draw near to you, you, in your turn, will draw near to others, and learn the rapture of that cruelty, which yet is love; so, for a while, seek to know no more of me and mine, but trust me with all your loving spirit."

But as always, it just doesn't work out between the living and the dead. And in 1872, The Man just can't handle the love between a living lady and a langorous dead one who sleeps in a coffin filled with blood.

There are a whole slew adaptations of the story. Ingrid Pitt portrays Carmilla in Hammer Studio's The Vampire Lovers (1970).



Carl Theodor Dreyer based his 1932 film Vampyr on the story--though with no intra-lady feelings.



Roger Vadim's Blood And Roses (1960) is a stylish adaptation.



 And Carmilla appears in stories as diverse as Vampire Hunter D, Doctor Who and Kim Newman's novel, Anno Dracula. Incidentally, The Guardian published a piece Newman wrote about Sheridan Le Fanu and Le Fanu's influence on horror today and it is totally worth reading.


WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS screening times:
Fri. Sept. 12th, 11:59 PM, RYERSON
Sat. Sept. 13th, 9:30 PM, SCOTIABANK 12
Sun. Sept. 14th, 3:45 PM, SCOTIABANK  3

And while the women of The Duke of Burgundy are not vampires, they are Lesbians in love and it is a gorgeous film.

THE DUKE OF BURGUNDY screening times:

Saturday, Sept 6th 10:00 PM TIFF BELL LIGHTBOX 1
Monday, Sept 8th 3:15 PM SCOTIABANK 12

RIGOR MORTIS: Legend of the One-Eyebrow Priest

Lam Ching-Ying looking to take care of business

 Juno Mak's Rigor Mortis pays homage to the hopping vampire films of yore, in particular, the Mr. Vampire series starring, Lam Ching-Ying as Kau, the One-Eyebrow Taoist priest who specializes in taking care of vampires, who despite their terrible behavior, are still someone's beloved ancestors.
And he is always beset by both gueng si/ gyonshi, aka, hopping vampires, and two disciples who just do not listen.

In Mr. Vampire (1985), the first disciple, played by director Ricky Lau, is bitten by a vampire, and does not recieve the proper groceries he needs to stop him from starting to transform.

Director or not, this is what happens to shoppers who are not vigilant in buying glutinous rice and/or duck eggs.

Kau's second disciple, played by Chou Siu-Ho (Rigor Mortis), is seduced by a ghost living out in the woods in the form of a beautiful woman. Though she is borne by terrifying singing children, Chau-Sang finds her charming.

Charming!

Kau has a lot on his hands without even attempting to solve the bigger problem, a terrifying vampire, played by Yuen Wah, made incredibly strong by being buried in defiance of all sensible feng shui.


He had been in Sammo Hung's Encounter Of The Spooky Kind (1980), which created the whole genre of kung fu horror comedy. And after starring in Mr. Vampire, Lam went on to star in Mr. Vampire II, Mr. Vampire III and Mr. Vampire 1992 (1992), and Encounter of the Spooky Kind II (1990). He directed and starred in Vampire vs. Vampire (1989) and appeared in Musical Vampire (1992).
 

In fact, Lam starred in something like 130 films before dying in 1997 at the age of 46. He was a gifted martial artist and action choreographer.  He also appeared in  films that had nothing to do with vampires at all, including small parts or appearances as an extra in A Touch Of Zen (1971); The Lady Hermit (1971) with Cheng Pei-Pei;  The Big Boss/Fists Of Fury (1971) with Bruce Lee; Hap Ki Do (1972) with Angela Mao Ying;  The Man From Hong Kong (1975) with Jimmy Wang Yu (Soul).

including one of my all-time favorite, The Prodigal Son, in which he plays a Peking Opera performer who specializes in female roles and is also a secret martial arts master


I am also very fond of The Magnificent Butcher (1979)



And, finally, a nice tribute to Lam Ching-Ying.

RIGOR MORTIS Final Screening:

Friday, Sept 13th, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 9
 

SOUL Final Screening:

Saturday, Sept 14th, 12:00 PM SCOTIABANK 10

"Brutal Grace: A Tribute to Lau Kar-Leung"

If you haven't gotten enough Chinese genre cinema at with Rigor Mortis or Soul (Starring Jimmy Wang Yu), make the scene at "Brutal Grace,"a tribute to the recently departed director, choreographer and martial artist Lau Kar-Leung.  There will be a panel discussion of his legacy and a screening of two of his films.

Eight-Diagram Pole Fighter (1984) starring Alexander Fu-Sheng; Gordon Liu (Thirty-Six Chambers of Shaolin); Kara Hui (Rigor Mortis); and Lau Kar-Leung himself.

And one of my hands-down favorite films ever, Dirty Ho (1976) starring Wong Yu (not Jimmy Wang Yu from Soul), Kara Hui (again); Gordon Liu and professional villain, Lo Lieh.




Finally, here's a little tribute to Lau Kar-Leung, who still appeared occasionally in his own films. Here he takes on Sammo Hung in Pedicab Driver (1989)




In the meantime, you still have a chance to catch Juno Mak's Rigor Mortis and Jimmy Wang Yu's not necessarily heroic bloodshed in Soul.

RIGOR MORTIS Final Screening:

Friday, Sept 13th, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 9

SOUL Final Screening:

Saturday, Sept 14th, 12:00 PM SCOTIABANK 10

Video: RIGOR MORTIS Midnight Madness Premiere Post-Screening Q&A with Juno Mak

The RIGOR MORTIS premiere post-screening Q&A video.


RIGOR MORTIS Final Screening:
Friday, Sept 13th, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 9

Check Out The Bloodsucking Buzz Around RIGOR MORTIS!

The faithful Midnight Madness audience put down their bowls of glutinous rice for long enough to tweet and post pictures from the premiere of Juno Mak's Rigor Mortis last night. Check out what they had to say about this loving tribute to Hong Kong vampire lore!

I...agree? I don't know what this says but hopefully it's something nice!

Jerks, that's who!

Sure is.

Keep tweeting to us at our official Twitter and check us out on Storify!

RIGOR MORTIS Final Screening:

Friday, Sept 13th, 6:00 PM SCOTIABANK 9