THE GHOST LOVERS (1974, original title Yan nu huan hun) is a restrained and melodic ghost story from Shaw Brothers. It was shot in South Korea with a relatively unknown cast aside from lead actress Ching Lee. The story sees Lee ailing on her deathbed with chronic illness and waiting the arrival of a man, Han, who was betrothed to her when they were both kids some 14 years previously. Unfortunately he's robbed en route and unable to arrive before she passes away. A local couple restore Han to health but he refuses to visit his betrothed's home until he gets back the one thousand silver dollars he owes.
What follows is a tale of tragic romance and ethereal spirituality as Lee's ghost is unable to ascend to the heavens before she's been properly married to her suitor and their love's been consummated. It's a slow-paced and relatively low budget affair with good visuals although none of the martial arts mayhem Shaw is world-renowned for. It's not a horror film either, despite some mystical and ritual elements that would become a mainstay of Shaw horror from BLACK MAGIC onwards. It's more a story of metaphysics and a good exploration of the afterlife from a Chinese perspective. Very different from anything we know in the West.
What follows is a tale of tragic romance and ethereal spirituality as Lee's ghost is unable to ascend to the heavens before she's been properly married to her suitor and their love's been consummated. It's a slow-paced and relatively low budget affair with good visuals although none of the martial arts mayhem Shaw is world-renowned for. It's not a horror film either, despite some mystical and ritual elements that would become a mainstay of Shaw horror from BLACK MAGIC onwards. It's more a story of metaphysics and a good exploration of the afterlife from a Chinese perspective. Very different from anything we know in the West.
