The Vineyard

The movie wasn't great, but it had it's moments. I think James Hong did a good job and found his character quite creepy. Some of the scenes including the spider scene were pretty scary! The fight scenes were quite good, especially when the preppy guy and his girlfriend were working together to defeat Po's big, burly bodyguards.

Most of the cast are one hit wonders (if you consider this movie to be a "hit"). They made sure to hire a young, good-looking cast including the gorgeous Karen Witter who played Jezebel. Dr. Po may have been 1000 years old, but his choice of a spouse was right on the money!

The Vineyard sees fan favourite James Hong return as one of his most loved characters Lo Pan (Big Trouble In Little China) of sorts, in his self directed horror comedy which has a number of Hong Kong stars on board as a vehicle to help kick start their career (which seems to have worked).

Reminding me of the classics like Mr. Vampire, Haunted Cop Shop, and We're Going To Eat You; this great wee flick oozes that same appeal as those horror comedy HK classics of the 80's which also features an early role from Michael Wong (Beast Cops, First Option, Royal Warriors) which is comical in itself!

Massive Hong Kong producer and director Gordon Chan (2000 AD, The Four Trilogy, Painted Skin) co-produces the feature for Hong, as he creeps out the visitors of his vineyard island, posing as a film producer with a great location.

The plot is crazy, yet that's what gives it the same charm of the 80's HK films I love. Zombies, gore, comedy, crazy SFX all come together in this unseen, underrated little gem that entertains without you having to think too hard!

James Hong plays here Dr.Elison Po,a famous winemaker who lives in a tropical island mansion.He is actually centuries old,but keeps his youthful appearance thanks to a jade amulet he stole from his mother(Vivian Lee)as a child.But the amulet is wearing out,and every so often Po ages hundreds of years unless he drinks human blood.To satisfy his needs,he has lots of women chained in his dungeon.One of his employees,a German film producer(Karl Heinz Teuber)brings a group of would-be actors and actresses and the slaughter begins!"The Vineyard" is an enjoyable horror-adventure filled with nudity and violence.There are zombies buried in the vineyard who keep rising from their graves every few minutes,crossbow battles,swordfights etc.I love the scene when a girl starts coughing up spiders while brushing her teeth!Despite rather amateurish acting this film isn't really bad(I've seen worse!)and I would highly recommend it to horror/zombie fans.

Famous winemaker Dr Po invites some young actors to his exclusive vineyard to audition for a film but in fact he is after their blood. Dr Po is actually a mad scientist with occult powers who is obsessed with immortality, for which he needs young blood. Throw in some zombies, martial arts, sex/nudity, dudes in tight tops with bulging biceps, a bit of gore, 80's fashions and music , this is quite a melting pot. Although it did get a limited theatrical release this movie is very typical of the straight to home video kind. I have the UK VHS which has a scary looking old hag on the cover, quite enticing though sadly her part is quite minor. The acting and script are far from Oscar worthy and the film is more fun than it is good but for me this is far more preferable than the majority of modern digitally shot CGI enhanced horror that is churned out these days.

This horror movie from 1989 really embodies the entire spirit and feel of the 1980 horror movies. It is hard to put a concrete example on what it is to it that makes it so, but it just is.

"The Vineyard" is fairly straight forward. A reclusive wine grower, famous for his unique wines, have invited a group of young aspiring actors to his estate for what they believe in to be a party and an audition for a movie. However, the wine maker has something else in store for the young people, as he needs them to brew his special wine; a wine that has kept him young and alive for centuries.

The effects in the movie were very 1980s. Just watch the movie, and you will know immediately what I am talking about here. The zombies weren't particularly detailed, but I assume for a movie from back then they were quite good.

The storyline is generic and stereotypical for late 1980s horror movies, being predictable to the core. But still, the movie is fun to watch because it is campy and cheesy. And it was fun to watch James Hong in this particular role. Being a fan of Hong Kong cinema, it was also fun to watch Michael Wong in this movie.

If you enjoy horror movies from the 1980s, then "The Vineyard" is definitely one to watch. And the ending is guaranteed to have you laughing...