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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka 'The Ghost Lovers" or "Yan nu huan hun')
Directed by Sang-ok Shin (as Shen Hsiang Yu)
Hong Kong 1974
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The Shaw Brothers were on a roll by the
time 1974's THE GHOST LOVERS arrived on the
scene. Moreover, the Hong Kong studio responsible for
the best in kung-fu and horror, achieved another
Chinese-language classic with this sublime mix of
romance and supernatural romping from beyond-the-grave.
A perfectly potent tale of lost love, life and death and
- yes - the supernatural spirit, THE GHOST LOVERS
aptly anticipates such later Far Eastern bouts of spooky
awesomeness as A CHINESE GHOST STORY. However,
many fans would perhaps argue that it is this original
model that remains the most macabre and maudlin... even
when seen today. Directed by South Korean genius Shin Sang-Ok, who was kidnapped by North Korea shortly after the release of THE GHOST LOVERS and forced to make films for the regime in Pyongyang (including his legendary GODZILLA take-off PULGASARI) - this bout of Shaw Brothers brilliance demands to be a part of your Asian cinema collection. After all, if it was great enough to impress the Hermit State - and no less than Kim Jong-Il himself - then it deserves to razzle and dazzle a new generation of British fright-fans as well! *** Long before South Korea became a pop culture phenomenon the country still possessed a fascinating pool of filmmaking talent and few were more prolific than the late Shin Sang-ok. Creating several genius genre efforts, such as the early K-horror creeper THE SNAKE WOMAN (1969), the director helmed one of his most famous and acclaimed creep-shows with THE GHOST LOVERS (1974). Made in Hong Kong for the Shaw Brothers, this ghoulishly effective supernatural horror classic has a beautiful babe from beyond-the-grave reach out to her beau... but, unfortunately for our feisty femme fatale, the struggles and shocks of a romance that includes outer-body terror and spirited surprises is difficult to contain! Both deceivingly romantic and eerily effective, this five star spine-tingler has been remastered for Blu-ray by the Asian cinema junkies at 88 Films. THE GHOST LOVERS has returned to British shelves in colourful and creepy HD condition to once again steal your soul!!! |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: March 14th, 1974
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Review:
88 Films - Region 'B' - Blu-ray| Box Cover |
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| Distribution |
88 Films |
| Runtime |
1:31:57.929 |
| Video |
Disc Size: 21,978,210,945 bytes Feature Size: 21,838,467,072 bytes Average Bitrate: 27.86 MbpsSingle-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video |
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Bitrate:
88 Films Blu-ray
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| Audio |
LPCM Audio Mandarin 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit |
| Subtitles | English, None |
| Features |
Release
Information: Studio: 88 Films
Disc Size: 21,978,210,945 bytes Feature Size: 21,838,467,072 bytes Average Bitrate: 27.86 MbpsSingle-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details:
Chapters: 8 |
| More of the 88 Asia Collection on Blu-ray |
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Bewitched |
Black Magic |
Black Magic 2 |
The Bride From Hell |
The Enchanting Ghost |
The Ghost Lovers |
HEX |
The Oily Maniac |
The Seeding of a Ghost |
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The Dragon Missile |
Five Element Ninjas |
The Flying Guillotine |
Gifted |
Killer Constable |
The Mighty Peking Man |
The One-Armed Swordsman |
Sea Fog |
The Spiritual Boxer |
The Super Inframan |
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| Comments |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. 88 Films' transfer is on a single-layered, Blu-ray and has the typical thick appearance we see from most of these 70s and 80s Shaw Brothers films. This 1080P transfer exports a fairly consistent image - reasonably brighter with some depth to the colors. It has the inherent softness (almost as if shot through a soft-focus lens) but in-motion looks fine. It, of course, doesn't have the crispness of more modern films but is probably a decent replication of its original appearance.
The audio transfer offers linear PCM - 24-bit - in original Mandarin. There aren't many effects at all but a comparatively-subtle score by Yung-Yu Chen (Black Magic 2, The Mighty Peking Man, The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, The Five Deadly Venoms) that comes through with a modicum of depth supporting the shadowy atmosphere. 88 Films add optional English subtitles on their Region 'B' Blu-ray-locked.
There are no extras but the package has a reversible sleeve featuring
original Hong Kong poster art and a liner notes booklet featuring
writings from Calum Waddell. The Ghost Lovers is more romance than supernatural although has elements of the latter - and some smiles. It's a basic Shaw flic without any nudity or spookified make-up but is a kind of sweet film with nice charcaters. 88 Films Blu-ray package offers this mid-tier Hong Kong effort that will appeal mostly to fans and collectors of the genre.- Gary Tooze |
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
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| Box Cover |
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| Distribution |
88 Films |
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Gary Tooze
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Thank You!
