Part II abandons the quiet, Gothic horror of the temple for political satire and monster brawls. The Tree Devil is gone. In its place is a giant, glowing centipede that sheds human skin. The romance is secondary to the acrobatics.
This installment leans heavily into Buddhist philosophy and visual spectacle. It is arguably the most visually polished of the trilogy, benefiting from the advancements in HK cinematography by 1991. Jacky Cheung holds his own, and Tony Leung Chiu-wai makes a memorable appearance as a cynical scholar. While it repeats many beats of the first film, it does so with enough style and emotional resonance to stand on its own. A chinese ghost story I II III -1987-1990-1991-...