NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Eureka Blu-ray (May 2023): In Eureka's Hopping Mad: The Mr. Vampire Sequels Blu-ray package they have transferred Mr. Vampire II, Mr. Vampire III, Mr. Vampire IV and Vampire vs. Vampire from "brand new 2K restorations". This follows their 2020 Blu-ray release of 1985's initial entry Mr. Vampire, compared to DVDs HERE. There are two films per dual-layered Blu-ray. The first three films all look just fine in 1080P - balance contrast and colors - with Mr. Vampire II and IV being the best - followed by Mr. Vampire III. There are instances of depth and no demonstrative damage. Unfortunately Vampire vs. Vampire is very soft and waxy - without appealing texture - it sure looks like DNR. It's not the end of the world but those sensitive to digitization will probably notice it.  

NOTE: We have added 128 more large resolution Blu-ray captures (in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE

On their Blu-ray, Eureka use a DTS-HD Master 2.0 channel tracks (24-bit) in the original Cantonese language with an optional English DUB on Mr. Vampire II. There are choreographed fighting moments but more sight-gags than extended combat. On Mr. Vampire II and Vampire vs. Vampire the score is credited to Alistair Monteith-Hodge + Anders Nelsson (plus Tim Nugent on Vampire vs. Vampire) and on Mr. Vampire III and Mr. Vampire IV the score is by Chin Yung Shing (Dragons Forever, Five Elements Ninjas, The 8 Diagram Pole Fighter) all sounding exaggerative-ly boisterous and fun with dramatic hints of mayhem. The sounds can be a bit hollow but that would match the Hong Kong era and productions. Eureka offer optional English subtitles (plus SDH for Mr. Vampire II's DUB) on their two Region 'B' Blu-rays.

The Eureka Blu-ray offers a new commentary on Mr. Vampire II and Vampire vs. Vampire by Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and on Mr. Vampire III and Mr. Vampire IV by action cinema experts Mike Leeder (editor of 100% Jackie Chan: The Essential Companion) and Arne Venema. There is a second commentary on Mr. Vampire III by Djeng and film writer John Charles (The Hong Kong Filmography, 1977–1997.) We have heard Djeng's expertise on commentates for Eureka's Blu-rays of Angela Mao: Hapkido & Lady Whirlwind, Knockabout, The Shaolin Plot and Dreadnaught. We have heard Leeder and Venema via excellent commentaries on Eureka's Blu-rays of Odd Couple and The Shaolin Plot - plus 88 Films Blu-rays of The Fearless Hyena, Dragon's Forever plus Vinegar Syndrome's Righting Wrongs. I haven't fully listened but they seem as competent and complete venturing to tangential films in the genre, the actors and overall details of the productions as well as diverse film culture comparisons to the West. Eureka include a new, dozen-minute, video piece on the history and resurgent popularity of the jiangshi genre, featuring an interview with a real Taoist priest and another 1/4 hour new video piece which examines the rituals portrayed in the Mr. Vampire series and how some are still practiced in modern-day Hong Kong. There are also 6-minutes of Extended Scenes for Mr. Vampire II as well as trailers for all four films. The package has reversible sleeve featuring original poster art, a limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling and a limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the films and the Jiangshi genre by James Oliver.

Eureka's Hopping Mad: The Mr. Vampire Sequels Blu-ray package is fun and I was, more or less, totally ignorant of the jiangshi genre ('Chinese hopping vampire'.) The folklore legends are a real thing centering on zombified corpses often wearing clothing from the Qing Dynasty. They hop around (like a sack race) seeking to absorb "life force" from others, usually after sundown. Yes, amusingly absurd, I guess - hence the humor-filled films that have sequences having spirit possession of dead bodies (often not buried expediently enough), and the use of supernatural acts to resurrect the dead. They can be defeated by mirrors or items made of wood from a peach tree etc. Lots of quirky details like that. Three of the films have Lam Ching-ying who was also in the original Mr. Vampire playing a mono-browed Taoist 'Van Helsing' type, although the four films here are unrelated and just have the same jiangshi genre conventions with Lam's Master Lam, Master Gau and One-Eyebrow Priest character. Wikipedia states "Confusion regarding the sequels has been compounded not only by the names of the films but also by the fact that the films share some cast members, though often recast in different roles." It's amusingly goofy and I am very pleased with the Eureka Blu-ray package that offers four films, commentaries and more.

Gary Tooze