Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980)

Welcome back for another look at one of the featured Letterboxd Lists! Gather around fellow horror fans as we look at the Top 250 Horror Films! More specifically, we’ll be looking at, as of this writing, #201 on the list with…Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980).

Title: Encounters of the Spooky Kind

Director: Sammo Hung Kam-Bo

Released: December 24, 1980 (Hong Kong)

Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes

Watched via: The Criterion Channel

Bold Cheung (Sammo Hung Kam-Bo) claims that he can’t be scared. He’s so confident in this fact that he accepts a challenge to spend the night in a haunted house.

The task is simple, all Cheung has to do is peel an apple in front of a mirror. However, if he happens to break the skin of the apple, the spirits in the haunted house will come for him.

While he might claim to be fearless, Cheung certainly can’t claim to be observant. It just so happens that his employer, Master Tam (Huang Ha), is having an affair with his wife.

When Master Tam becomes worried that Cheung will catch-on to things, he decides to just eliminate Cheung from the picture altogether. To do so, he enlists the help of a supernatural priest by the name of Chin Hoi (Peter Chan Lung).

How long will Bold Cheung’s fearlessness last when he’s facing both spirits and a supernatural priest?

Well, that was fun.

To classify Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980) as a horror film is a bit of a stretch. Are there horror elements present throughout? Yeah, sure, but it is no more of a horror film than Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is. Though, in this instance, that is only because the horror is dwarfed by the action and comedy that is on full display.

While I haven’t seen a ton of his work as an actor, everything that I have seen Sammo Hung Kam-Bo in, I have thoroughly enjoyed. He’s capable of portraying so much emotion through a simple expression. Mix that in with his martial arts prowess and general knack for comedy and you’ve got yourself quite the treat.

One thing about Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980) that I really appreciate, it is that it doesn’t take itself seriously, at all. It isn’t everyday that you have a film that can pivot from horror to supernatural to comedy to impressive fight choreography within a one-minute span, all while still feeling like somewhat of a cohesive story.

I can guarantee you that if nothing else, the final shot of the film is one you’ll never see coming.

Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980) is one that is definitely worth checking out at least once.

So, have you already seen Encounters of the Spooky Kind (1980)?

If you have, what did you think?

Tell me all about it in a comment below or over on Bluesky!

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