Horror/comedies are notoriously difficult to get right. Too often the focus is on one or the other to the inevitable detriment of the overall feature. A recent re-release on blu ray of “The Trail” provides an opportunity to discover a forgotten contribution to the genre with some interesting names behind the camera.
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A pair of Taoist monks are leading a corpse train through early 20th century China. These monks (Kent Cheng and Ricky Hui) though, are fake as are the corpses who are pretending to be dead as they are part of an opium smuggling operation. When local magistrate Miu kills the husband of a singer he was attempting to rape, he tries to cover up his crime by getting them to take the corpse away. As they progress they realise that the corpse is now revived and killing the local farmlife. As they try to tackle the creature to keep up their pretence, the body count starts to rise.
The movie opens to the accompaniment of Ennio Moricone's score to “The Thing” which is an indication that this might play out a little differently from the standard horror/comedy we would tend to see around this time. Michael Hui who co scripts and produces here always had a darker element to his comedies and despite the presence of his brother Ricky in the cast, the focus is much more on the horror with occasional comic interludes.
The western influence can be seen with an “Evil Dead” vibe in the forest sequences but otherwise we have a play on the traditional Chinese vampire/undead types. To begin with, the Taoist monks and corpses are not what they appear, as they are part of a heroin smuggling operation. The tactics they use to tackle the creature are ineffective and ultimately result in the demise of most of the troupe. It plays with our initial expectations and whilst eventually settles into a set narrative, it continues to hold the interest.
An early undertaking by “Bride with White Hair” director Ronny Yu, he directs with flair and the movie has a consistency of tone which is unusual for this sub genre. Kent Cheng and Ricky Hui make for a deadpan double act, with little of the mugging to camera that often occurs. There are some genuinely suspenseful sequences during the movie and a conclusion to the main narrative that wraps up the tragic element nicely, with a surprisingly emotional beat. A final coda sees another western “homage” that leaves a smile on the face rather than a shudder which whilst feels out of place, is at least consistent with the characters.
“The Trail” is an interesting curio. More horror than comedy in execution and darker than most with an array of cynical characters. It combines both western and eastern influences to create something slightly different. Best watched with no expectations as this is not a Hui brothers comedy but certainly worth the effort to see.
