Anyone want to guess what happens when you order a Chinese vampire from overseas? I really don’t think an answer is necessary; any person could probably guess that said vampire would somehow “figure out” how to adapt to its new environment and find a way to get some grub. That is, anyone except a racist Asian man living in L.A.
For anyone who is curious, as I was, a gyonshi is a vampire…it’s the Chinese word for it, pronounced GURN SHE. There was no explanation of this in the film, but I don’t really feel that there was meant to be anyway. Roughly based on the 1985 movie Mr. Vampire, Gyonshi tells the story of 2 college students who encounter a gyonshi of their own…literally. Jimmy’s father (Jimmy is the main character) bought the vampire and had it shipped from overseas. Why, I don’t really know. No logic or reasonable thinking helped me figure that one out. The point, though, even though the joke is by now very dead, is that Jimmy technically owned the vampire…there…get it?
My “racist Asian man” comment was to point out nothing other than the fact that Jimmy’s father didn’t approve of Jimmy’s friend Matt (good name) because he was just a “white boy” that caused trouble. Aside from that, the movie was devoid of racial tensions. So, back to the point.
In the film, Jimmy’s father had a new “shipment” in at his artifact store and Jimmy, being excitable, wanted to check it out with Matt. When the two arrive at the store, Jimmy’s father warns not to screw around in the store and to keep an eye on Matt, the aforementioned white-boy. Well, as is to be expected, Matt gets stupid and goes snooping around, finding a cardboard box that encases the illustrious gyonshi…vampire in Chinese, in case you forgot. Matt gets bit and Jimmy fights it off with the traditional yellow paper placed on its forehead and stops it…for now, muah haha.
Having been bit, Matt gets sick and starts to die. It’s up to Jimmy and Matt’s meant-to-be-loveable-but-contrarily-very-annoying girlfriend to find a cure for him. The two try Jimmy’s father himself, him knowing all there is to know about vampire bites and the like. Unfortunately, Jimmys’ dad bites the dust in the attempt.
So, that’s basically it. Watch the movie for the ending! There were a few other victims of the vampire as well as ole’ dad and Matt, including the enormous bully that picked on Jimmy as well as his completely uninterested crush. The victims died, though, with little to no gore, which I find to be a staple in horror flicks. Based on Mr. Previn Wong, the film’s producer and director, though, minimal gore was intentional. “Low on blood, high on spooks,” is the quote from the website. Check it out, it’s at the production company’s website at www.necroscope.net. It’s right…though the “spooks” comment doesn’t really follow true…at least in my opinion.
I don’t think the movie was utterly terrible; a certain element of it kept me interested until the end. I am also jaded because my copy skipped relentlessly throughout the film, pausing for very long moments and being very jumpy, which caused the 50 to 60 minute film to last about an hour and a half. If you like campy, check it out. If you feel like a bit of culture, check it out. If you’re looking for good acting, don’t, but hey, who watches horror flicks for the acting?
~Portrayal
