My review was written in June 1989 after watching the movie on Prism video cassette.
This mixed-up attempt at a live-action comic strip heads to video stores with no warning on how fans are to react to an overly goofy fantasy effort.
With Japanese funding, American production and Toronto Chinatown setting, John Fasano's film is a mishmash to start with. He doesn't help things out by overlaying a noisy musical score and sound effects track that either drowns out or distract from the dialog exchanges.
Wacky premise concerns the Chinese undead known as Gyonsii, a group of vampire-like beings trapped in limbo on Earth (between heaven and hell). Heroine Marilyn Yokuda's toy store-owner dad (Handy Atmadja) joins the zombie ranks when he's murdered by sneak thieves, the leader wearing a Batman t-shirt (in timely fashion).
Yokuda and her Caucasian boyfriend Sal Viviano team up with a pair of young magicians to sort out the undead and avenge daddy's death. Gimmick of the vampires hopping along lets the viewer know quickly it's all tongue in cheek. A silly scene of a zombie suddenly turning into a reptilian monster is inserted as an excuse for the makeup effects crew to trot out pulsating bladders and dribbling goo.
Performances are hard to judge thanks to the soundtrack overlay. Best thing in the pic is a fancy cartoon opening credits sequence; end credits are unreeled slowly to pad the abbreviated running time.
