“The Case of the Spirit Banana”, a film which surely deserves some kind of award for its excellent, and in fact reasonably accurate title, was originally released back in 1994, a late entry into the popular Hong Kong romantic ghost story cycle. It was scripted and directed by Chow Cheung, who was also responsible for a number of other horror outings during the same period, including “Devil Cat” and the insanely warped category III rated classic “Horrible High Heels”. Although such a relatively obscure production may seem like an odd choice to be dusted off for re-release after nearly fifteen years, it offers a very welcome throwback to a uniquely Hong Kong style of film making, combining a variety of different genres to surprisingly coherent and entertaining effect.

The film begins as a group of cops, led by detective Tien Yu Sha (played by Cheung Kwok Keung, somewhat of an action star in his time, featuring in the likes of “Eastern Condors”, “Cops and Robbers” and “Sworn Brothers” amongst other things), chase their rogue colleague Kao (Dick Wei, a prolific Hong Actor who began his career as a bit part Shaw Brothers player, appearing in “The Five Venoms” as the heroes’ master, before going on to work with Sammo Hung on several occasions) into a banana plantation. A shootout ensues, accidentally releasing a beautiful ghost called Lotus (Lam Choi Hung), who saves Yu’s life and then follows him home, causing no end of trouble with his job and his relationship with his shrill, materialistic girlfriend Lily. As is usually the case, the course of man-ghost love does not run smoothly, especially since Yu’s investigation leads him to cross paths with a low-rent Taoist who becomes determined to capture Lotus.

“The Case of the Spirit Banana” is basically a mixture of supernatural drama, melancholic romance, lowbrow humour and cop thriller. Whilst this may sound bizarre and untenable to the uninitiated, it was actually very much common practice for the genre in Hong Kong at the time, and the film works well. Obviously, the ghostly goings-on are played for laughs rather than scares, though the proceedings are reasonably atmospheric in places, particularly during the scenes in the banana plantation. The humour mostly consists of slapstick and comic misunderstandings, largely stemming from the fact that Lotus is a decidedly mischievous spirit who enjoys possessing people, pushing things around and becoming invisible at will. Amusingly, as with most protagonists in the genre, Yu is painfully slow on the uptake, not realising that Lotus is a ghost until very late on in the proceedings, despite her magical healing powers, cold body and habit of suddenly appearing whenever he gets into a scrape.

All of this adds up to make the film a fairly lighthearted affair, though thankfully not in too manic a style, with the jokes hitting home for the most part without detracting from the more dramatic side of the plot. Although hard to take seriously, thanks partly to the fact that all the bad guys have outrageous moustaches and have a tendency to wear oversized sunglasses both day and night, the story is surprisingly involved, and Chow makes a real effort to create something a little more interesting than a simple romance. Certainly, he never neglects the thriller aspects, and the film is actually quite action packed, with several scenes of noisy gunplay (complete with wholly gratuitous explosions – always a bonus) and martial arts brawls. The film’s central relationship is similarly effective, being about as grounded and believable as it can be given the premise, and whilst the film doesn’t exactly make for emotional viewing, the tale of the two supernaturally crossed lovers does engage. Although no Joey Wang, Lam Choi Hung is good in the role of the ghostly vixen, making for an appealingly winsome spirit who wins viewer sympathy for the fact that she seems to be the only female character not obsessed with money.

The film was obviously shot on what could politely be called a low budget, and although released in 1994 looks distinctly like a 1970s production, with plenty of wandering camera work and shaky zooms. Although a little shabby, this is by no means a bad thing, and helps to set it apart from some of its glossier peers. Similarly, the special effects are cheap though quite charming in their own way, and Chow makes good use of his limited resources, still managing to give the proceedings a suitably ghostly feel.

As such, “The Case of the Spirit Banana” is certain to be enjoyed by fans of the form, or indeed anyone feeling nostalgic for the heyday of the romantic ghost genre. Whilst undeniably old fashioned, it still manages to entertain through a winning mixture of supernatural laughs and thrills.

Chow Cheung (director) / Chow Cheung (screenplay)
CAST: Cheung Kwok-Keung … Tien Yu Sha
Lam Choi-Hung … Lotus
Dick Wei … Kao
Alex Man Chi-Leung … Detective Ma
Charlie Cho Cha-Lee … Stingy Boss