Before Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, True Blood, and of course Twilight hit our big and small screens, the public for the most part thought of vampires as the horrifying image that the late Sir Christopher Lee brought to life as Count Dracula with his bloodshot eyes and terrifying fangs, instead of the modern romantic version with teenage good looks and ripped abs who would be a dream to go out and make out with. And just as Sir Christopher Lee was memorable as the fanged demon, so was Sir Peter Cushing as his archenemy Van Helsing, the original slayer before there was Buffy.

The horrors of vampires, of course, are not limited to the West, that is, to Hollywood. Here in the East, we have our version, too, but instead of sharp-toothed demons, the Eastern vampires known as “jiang shi” (translated as petrified corpses) are leaping Qing dynasty zombies with arms outstretched. Based on Chinese legends and folklore, these nocturnal creatures may seem silly and ridiculous, but they are certainly not to be underestimated, as they kill any living thing to absorb their life essence or “qi”. As for his nemesis, ask any Hong Kong movie fan and you’re likely to get the same answer: the Taoist priest played by the late Lam Ching Ying, our very own “Van Helsing of the East.”

Beginning with the first Mr. Vampire film in 1985, Lam Ching Ying made the role of Gau Suk, the vampire-slaying Taoist priest, memorable, even receiving his first Best Supporting Actor nomination at the 5th Hong Kong Awards. Film Awards of that year. for the role. Thereafter, he continued to reprise the iconic role not only in the many sequels, but also in numerous spin-offs in both film and television that followed the film, so much so that it was solidified and some would say. they were typecast as the Taoist priest of all Taoist priests in the film world. His legacy was so memorable that the 2013 film Rigor Mortis which successfully revived the “jiang shi” film genre was heralded as a tribute to the Mr. Vampire film franchise and to him.

In addition to Lam, this film franchise was also responsible for launching the film careers of Ricky Hui, Chin Siu Ho, Anthony Chan Yau, Wu Ma, Pauline Wong, Loi Fong, among many others, who played Lam’s vampire fighting disciples. . companions or rivals, Taoist priests or ghosts in the film series or spin-offs. In fact, Chin and Chan even starred in the latest Rigor Mortis, now veterans, coming full circle to their original roles in the original 1985 film.