Gwai Tung Nei Jyu
2021 / 107m - Hong Kong
Comedy, Horror
3.0*/5.0*
Coffin Homes poster

Watches

March 16, 2022

3.0*/5.0*

Fruit Chan's latest is a bonkers horror/comedy. Like Pang's Dream Home a decade ago, Chan is out to tackle the Hong Kong housing market through the horror genre (no doubt a testament to the limited impact of cinema), but he struggles considerably harder to combine excellent genre cinema with social critique.

The film follows a slumlord and a young realtor who both try to make money from the housing market. Most people can't afford to buy houses anymore, and so they're willing to live in haunted buildings and small homes that hold shrines for the deceased. But the ghosts are out to haunt the people making money off of their homes.

The idea is pretty solid and Chan makes a real effort to go well over-the-top, but it's just not his style. The gore isn't impressive, the ghosts look a little silly and the critique on the housing situation in Hong Kong has been done countless times before. It's good fun and there are some memorable moments, but I'd hoped for more, considering the film's illustrious predecessor.