Bio-Zombie (1998)

aka Hong Kong Zombie

Influenced by Romero's Dead films, this Chinese precursor to Shaun of the Dead follows two burnout losers as they deal with a zombie outbreak in their shopping plaza. With most of the runtime spent on the bro-mance between the main characters and their pathetic existence, the horror takes a severe backseat. The undead element, in levels of makeup effects and movement, is completely uneven. Some very inspired moments in the final act, which play on popular movie cliches, end up tightening the pace and compensate for the meandering first half.

3 Woody Invincibles out of 5

A Chinese Ghost Story: The Tsui Hark Animation (1997)

aka: Xiao Qian

Animated version of this. The basic plot is the same but the location has changed. It's now in a town very like Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, which it predates by four years!
It’s full of inventive creatures that would have been impossible to do in live action. The live action is much better. Still, it has the honour of being the first ever Chinese animated feature from Hong Kong.

2 death liners and tree demons out of 5