Asian generation X and Y's will remember Mr Vampire series, a Hong Kong horror/comedy featuring the late veteran actor Lam Cheng Yim as the Taoist priest who fight against the vampires. Having absent from the Hong Kong cinema for the past 2 decades, young musician Juno Mak is making his directorial debut, Rigor Mortis, a tribute to Mr Vampire series. Pairing up with the casts from Mr Vampire series, Rigor Mortis is seen as a vampire horror catered to the modern generation and giving a surprise to the generation X and Y Asians.

The plot looks simple: A depressed veteran actor Siu Ho (potrayed by Chin Siu Ho, making a comeback from Mr Vampire series) rented a unit in an aging apartment block, hoping to end his life after the death of his wife and son. He was rescued by Yau (Antony Chan, another veteran actor making his comeback),a retired Taoist priest who suspects that a female spirit has possessed on Ho who is attempting suicide. Survived from the suicide, his kind neighbour, Auntie May (Nina Paw Hee Ching) befriends him and try to give him support in his life. After seeing unusual behaviors from Yeung Fung (Kara Hui),a mentally unstable lady who loiters around the haunted unit, Ho helps Fung and her only son after hearing the story of the past that droves Fung to insanity from Yau. At the same time, Uncle Tung (Richard Ng),the husband of May, died unexpectedly from a fatal fall. Hoping that Tung will come back to life on the 7th day after his death, May seeks the help of Kau (Chung Fatt),a medium, to resurrect Tung. What follows was the mayhem of how the vampire was breed from the black magic, together with the pair of evil twin spirits haunting the apartment.

Fans of the Mr Vampire series will be delighted to see the resurrection. While they receive comical elements in Mr Vampire series, it is totally absent in Rigor Mortis. Instead, what we have is a chilling and serious tale of the dark side of human nature. Corpse has become a tool for one to try and prove that one has the ability to control the power, which it comes with a heavy price. This can be seen in both Ho and Yau fighting with the vampire for survival and protecting the innocent.

If Rigor Mortis is a tribute to Mr Vampire series, it will be no doubt that the casts are rightfully chosen. Chin Siu Ho is making a comeback after missing from the film industry for years. Playing the role of depressed actor who is failing in life, it is a reflection on the reality of entertainment industry, where the once popular celebrity has either decided to fade away from limelight for good, or overshadowed by rising celebrities. Antony Chan, better known as Friend Chan to the generation X and Y's is making a surprise comeback as the traditional Taoist priest for the new age. With his career as a priest is going south, he made a switch in career path by running a eatery selling fried glutinous rice. This is a witty link on how Mak explains the purpose of glutinous rice in Chinese exorcism. Having playing the role of kind mothers in drama series and films, Nina Paw makes a breakthrough by playing a housewife who indirectly falls into the trap/give in the request of performing black magic. From a friendly old lady to a woman who is driven by desperation, her calm and coldness has ultimately become a form of consent to allow the vampire creating mayhem in the apartment.

Film in an apartment block located in an aging estate, the sadness of the aging population can be seen from the residents living in the block. Under the supervision of Takeshi Shimizu, the Japanese director behind Ju-On Series, the fading colour on the block has become a breeding ground for anything that spells eerie. The setting complements with the plot, which one may see shadows of Ju-On series in Rigor Mortis. Furthermore, with the story told in a quick pacing with strong storyline that flow well, one will glue itself to the edge of the seat during the duration of 101 minutes. More points could have been supported with more details, since the original cut at 135 minutes might pack more punch.

In short, Rigor Mortis could have explored further in details. But overall, the strong storyline and the absence of good vampire films from Hong Kong should explains why Rigor Mortis is enjoying a box office success in Asia. For audience who are tired of zombies and romances between vampires and werewolves, Rigor Mortis is for you.

RIGOR MORTIS is a Hong Kong horror movie from youthful director Juno Mak that has been devised as a tribute to Hong Kong horror of old, in particular the MR. VAMPIRE franchise. Many old-time stars of this film series have been cast in supporting roles, so there's a nostalgic, warm glow for Hong Kong cinema buffs that sits at odds with the rather grisly and mean-spirited plotting.

The setting is a derelict apartment building of the kind favoured in Japanese ghost cinema such as DARK WATER (it comes as no surprise that Takashi Shimizu, director of JU-ON: THE GRUDGE, is a producer here). Anthony Chan is the newcomer who moves in only to discover that the building is plagued by both a sinister and aggressive vampire as well as twin ghosts. The latter are borrowed straight from THE GRUDGE with the addition of lots of pretty CGI effects.

What follows is an occasionally confusing story with random scenes interspersed out of linear order and occasionally dodgy plotting. It's definitely a case of style over substance, and the whole thing builds to a flashy and brutal fight scene, nothing more. Yet the CGI is pretty decent, and the sight of old-timers like Richard Ng, Fat Chung, and Kara Hui getting their teeth (sometimes literally) into the material is irresistible, and this is a lot of fun if you're in the right mood.

I'm not sure how I could describe this movie. While I always try to say as little about the plot or the movie as possible (because I want to watch a movie without any spoilers myself),even if I did use story spoilers, I'm not sure how I'd describe this. It's a weird mix of supernatural, martial arts and horror I guess. And it does work really good too.

We get a few characters in a house, that has some issues. You could call it haunted, but there is more to it and the personal interaction between the characters or their relationship to one another is really portrayed well. Obviously its a case of a "stranger comes into town" (in this case the house),where everybody knows everybody (or do they?) .. so the viewer is "stuck" with the new guy, seeing things through his eyes (too). Very well made, if you like weird stuff