10th Old School Kung Fu Festival: The Ghost Hill Review

This will be one of many reviews during the 10th Annual Old School Kung Fu Fest: Sword Fighting Heroes Edition by Subway Cinema. To keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

In a continuation of The Swordsman of All Swordsman storyline, 1971’s The Ghost Hill finds the hero, Tsai (Tien), after reclaiming his family’s heirloom, Spirit Chasing Sword, from Yun Chung-Chun, he is now thrust into a developing war between two clans at the hands of the evil King Chin (Han) assumes the role of Sword Master after having several masters killed and the mystic Purple Light Sword stolen in order to rule over them all. As Tsai is recruited for this fight, he is reunited with Flying Swallow (Shang-Kuan) and the Black Dragon Warrior as they unite the rival clans in an effort to storm Chin’s fortress, The Ghost Hill, and take revenge for what he has done.

While The Swordsman of All Swordsman included more emotional themes such as forgiveness and mercy within its narrative, The Ghost Hill is a large departure, offering a pulpy tale of vengeance that delves into the supernatural. While the two films share a common thread with their characters, their differing approaches perfectly complement one another and offer a highly entertaining arc for the protagonist Tsai as he battles even more bizarre foes serving King Chin. The added benefit of this specific entry into the series is that no prior knowledge of its previous films is needed to enjoy this installment which is welcomed because there are so many different characters here. With incredible names like Left and Right Judge, Ox Head Demon, The Murdering Wonder Child, Black and White Wuchangs, and Soul Hunter Yakasha, it can be difficult to keep track of everyone.

With The Ghost Hill, there is a clear increase in entertainment and non-stop action as the set pieces become more outlandish as the group ventures deeper into the 9 halls of Hell of King Chin’s fortress. Those looking for large metallic tigers breathing fire, poisonous flowers killing off unnamed extras, or a warrior carrying a spear being frozen in a block of ice only to be used as a weapon to stab others (my personal favorite), need not look elsewhere as this has all of it and more. Many are sure to find themselves leaning closer to the screen as each of the 9 halls was engaged as they became even more insane than the previous.

While The Ghost Hill is a slight regression from The Swordsman of All Swordsman in its emotional and narrative scope, it more than accommodates this through its entertainment value. The action set pieces are fantastically balanced with humor and risk while the characters, while plentiful, still help keep the plot in focus ultimately leading to the climactic finale viewers were hoping for.

still courtesy of Metrograph

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