Doctor Vampire

This is a Hong Kong horror comedy where Dr. Chiang Ta-Tsung (Bowie Lam), on business in England, unintentionally visit a brothel to find help after his car breaks down. The brothel turns out to be a lair for vampires who seduces men for their blood to feed their Vampire Master (Peter Kjær). Tsung becomes a victim to one of them named Alice (Ellen Chan), but she falls in love with him instead. And, Tsung returns home in Hong Kong, where he is being pursued by a reluctant Alice, who was ordered by the Vampire Master to bring Tsung back to their lair.

This film mixes in comedy, both humor and slapstick, and vampire action, with a little bit of the traditional Taoist magic seen in many conventional vampire movies thrown in. There is also some romance as seen in the love affair between Tsung and the lady vampire Alice. The plot is actually somewhat intriguing and gains some suspense when Tsung realizes that he possesses vampire traits and is on the verge of becoming one. When the Vampire Master enters the picture, it's one wild ride as Tsung, aided by Alice, attempts to escape the Master's grips, all the while Tsung's goofy doctor colleagues try to help.

I remembered renting this movie from the local video store all the time and enjoyed watching the acting, the humor and the vampire action. However, there are some ridiculous and rushed scenes, including the climax, which looked as if it was filmed in a hurry. What results isn't a bad horror comedy from Hong Kong - just not in the same league as some earlier vampire films of the '80s.

Grade B-