April Ghost Story

A Chinese Ghost Story (Chinese: 倩女幽魂; lit. 'Beautiful ghost woman') is a 1987 Hong Kong romantic xianxia horror film directed by Ching Siu-tung and produced by Tsui Hark. It stars Leslie Cheung, Joey Wong and Wu Ma in the leading roles. The plot is loosely based on the short story "Nie Xiaoqian" from Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio by Pu Songling, and is also inspired by the 1960 Shaw Brothers film The Enchanting Shadow. The film was popular in Hong Kong and East Asia. Although the film could not gain access to theatres in mainland China when it was first released, it became a cult film among younger mainland Chinese. At that time, the film generated a phenomenal cult following among audiences, especially the generation born in the 1980s. In 2011, the Hong Kong producers screened a restored version officially in mainland China. The film boosted the stardom of Joey Wong, increased Leslie Cheung's popularity in Japan, and sparked a trend of folklore ghost films in the Hong Kong film industry. In 2005, film was ranked number 50 of the Best 100 Chinese Motion Pictures. It was followed by two direct sequels, an animated reimagining, and two remakes.