Overview: In the wake of Encounter of the Spooky Kind, the Hong Kong film industry launched headlong into a prolific genre cycle that drew upon taoist folklore.

Popular throughout the 1980’s and into the next decade, these films combined elements of horror, fantasy, comedy and martial arts as they pit their protagonists against hopping vampires, vengeful ghosts and evil sorcerers.

Here, Eureka Classics is proud to present two of the most mind-bending tales of taoist magic ever committed to film: Taoism Drunkard and Young Taoism Fighter!

Filled with imagery both fantastical and thrilling - not least Taoism Drunkard’s banana monster - and featuring some of the most jaw-droppingly inventive fight sequences in the history of martial arts cinema, Taoism Drunkard and Young Taoism Fighter are cult classics from the celebrated Yuen Clan that need to be seen to be believed.

Both films are presented on Blu-ray for the first time ever from brand new 2K restorations.

Blu-ray Verdict: Directed by and starring Yuen Cheung-yan (The Miracle Fighters), Taoism Drunkard (1984) follows a man with a love for wine who accidentally damages a sacred statue. To atone for this blunder, he is asked by an enraged taoist priest (Hsiao Hou-tao) to find a virginal boy (Yuen Yat-chor) to aid in defending his temple from a demonic sorcerer (Yuen Shun-yi).

The Yuen brothers are back but this time, Yuen Woo-ping is absent and Yuen Cheung-Yan takes over the directing duties. Not as offensive as Shaolin Drunkard but is less elaborate in the fighting choreography.

The film is heavy on the comedy that is uneven most of the time but there are some elaborate and unique fighting sequences. The Watermelon (Banana was indicated in the subtitle of my version) monster is definitely the highlight of this film. There’s also a rat mobile and a zombie because, well, why the heck not. They needed to get creative to come up with different variations from the earlier films.

And so, in conclusion, if you seen the two previous films, you owe yourself to watch this one too.

Then, in Young Taoism Fighter (1986, and directed by Police Story’s Chen Chi-hwa), a practitioner of taoist kung fu (Yuen Yat-chor) manages to separate his soul from his body before teaming up with a vengeful young woman (Hilda Liu Hao-yi) to take on a sinister sorcerer (Kwan Chung) and the evil leader of a rival kung fu school (Yen Shi-kwan).

Now, a lot of people consider this the fourth installment in the Miracle Fighters movies, but I’m not subscribed to that thought. Sure the lead is the same as the other three films and the wacky nature of the Yuen clan is followed through here, but it’s just this movie feels more like a spin-off than a sequel.

For one, the whole cast is different aside from the lead who is vivacious as ever. Yuen Yat-Choh really is a hidden gem despite him being very Jackie Chan-like. It’s clear that SNAKE IN THE EAGLE’S SHADOW and EXECUTIONERS FROM SHAOLIN inspired this film. You still have the crazy effects, spiritualism, con-artists and the series’ staples, but the plot is just confusing and not up to par with even TAOISM DRUNKARD, in my humble opinion.

To be fair though, I did watch this installment late at night / early morning, but that’s by the by as I was still glued to the screen and enjoying it, for the most part. A lot of these older, rarer Chinese martial arts films I enjoy, and usually regardless of any real depth of plot or character deployment, still, I don’t see this per se as a Miracle Fighters 4, rather another part of the Yueniverse that tries to show more located on the outer boundaries of the film’s scope.

Special Features:
Both films presented in 1080p HD from brand new 2K restorations Original Cantonese audio and optional English dub tracks (original mono presentations)
Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
Brand new audio commentaries on both films by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival)
Brand new audio commentaries on both films by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
Brand new interview with director and actor Yuen Cheung-yan
Brand new interview with critic Andrew Heskins (easternKicks)
Brand new interview with Leon Hunt, author of Kung Fu Cult Masters: From Bruce Lee to Crouching Tiger
Trailers

Official Purchase Link