Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Ghost Nursing Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 26, 2023

1982’s “Ghost Nursing” sends an anti-“Ghostbusters” message, with the characters actually calling the ghosts when there’s something strange in the neighborhood. It’s a Hong Kong production from director Wilson Tong, who offers a heroic commitment to the wild and weird with the picture, showing little restraint when it comes to bizarre happenings involving supernatural and spiritual matters. The story follows a woman who’s down on her luck, introduced to the ways of ghost child adoption to solve her problems, keeping up with blood offerings to stabilize her seemingly ruinous life. The tale is out there, but Tong supports such extremity with a lively viewing experience, filling the run time with macabre events and bewildering battles between good and evil. “Ghost Mother” is a real ride, shedding concern for logic as it hits highlights of genre filmmaking.

Jackie (Shirley Yim) is not doing well in life. She’s a gambling addict, left with an extreme debt and no chance to pay it off, putting her in trouble with underworld types. Jackie seeks safety with her sister, Ling, who provides her with a place to stay in her apartment and employment at a local club, becoming an escort for gangsters and high rollers. Soon tangled up in the violent ways of crime boss Bing, Jackie remains in a dark place, in need of something extraordinary to help rescue her. Ling suggests a visit to a shaman, with the mysterious man of power presenting an opportunity to adopt a ghost child, giving Jackie the life and body of a deceased baby to care for in her home, tasked with sticking to a regular schedule of care and bloodletting to keep the spirit engaged. Jackie’s days magically brighten after erecting an altar, experiencing a change in her luck and her love life, catching the attention of Raymond (Norman Chu), a businessman who can’t resist her. While their relationship grows, Jackie starts to neglect her parental duties, testing the wrath of the “Good Boy,” while Raymond aims to explore such strangeness, joined by his M.I.T.-graduate pal, Sam (Melvin Wong).

Opening information on “Ghost Nursing” declares that “gods and ghosts are everywhere,” with the tale focusing on the “Maoshan school” of the supernatural. It’s a promise for bigness, but the production quickly settles on the saga of Jackie, a young woman making all the wrong moves in her life. Hong Kong has become too dangerous for her, as Triad violence seems to be coming her way, inspiring a move to Thailand, where she can hide out with Ling until things cool down. Ling is something of a sex worker, pulling Jackie into the lifestyle to help make money, and early conflict in “Ghost Nursing” involves her position between two customers. Kam is a seemingly respectable man struck by Jackie’s beauty, eager to pursue her. Bing is a brute who takes what he wants, forcing Jackie into his home, where a sexual assault takes place. Jackie chalks all this up to “bad luck,” and Tong establishes desperation, with a turn to dark magic not exactly unexpected when dealing with a character who can’t figure out how to get out of the hole she’s created for herself.

“Ghost Nursing” spends a lot of time with the shaman, finding his rituals capable of bringing the feature to a sellable run time. The whole concept of dead baby superpowers is potentially disastrous, but Tong manages to support such a grim odyssey, staying on Jackie as she commits to the whole concept, returning home to build an altar and stick with a tight schedule of offerings. “Ghost Nursing” examines her new experience, with the Good Boy making sure to protect her interests, especially when it comes to men. One street pervert is offered a banana peel to slip on, and love’s shining brightness emerges in the form of Raymond, a handsome, successful man who falls for Jackie, putting her in touch with a functional relationship. Violence returns with the reappearance of Bing, who won’t go quietly, and more ghostly happenings begin to collect in the final act, as Raymond is hit with visions and hauntings he can’t understand, newly determined to learn more about Jackie’s private life.

“Ghost Nursing” is filled with oddity (including a sudden interest in upskirt cinematography in the second half of the film), but it mostly holds together due to moviemaking confidence and appealing performances. Perhaps the most noticeable element of support is the score, which is mostly made up of selections from Hollywood hits. Tong forgoes permission to boldly use music from the likes of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Psycho,” and “The Amityville Horror,” making the picture a decent guessing game as excitable musical offerings bring energy to suspense and more physical scenes of horror. Obviously, some may view this as “cheating,” but when it comes to this bizarre endeavor, little blasts of familiarity do the trick.

Ghost Nursing Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is listed as "newly scanned and restored in 2K from its 35mm original camera negative." Colors are exact throughout the viewing experience, with inviting primaries on style choices and club lighting. Red blood is distinct, along with green laser imagery. Skin tones are natural. Detail is strong, offering textures on skin surfaces and supernatural tours. Costuming is fibrous. Interiors deliver a full sense of decorative additions, and exteriors retain depth. Delineation is satisfactory. Grain is film-like. Source is in good condition.

Ghost Nursing Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA mix is a straightforward listening event, with intelligible dialogue exchanges. Scenes of panic and ghostly battle don't slip into distortive extremes. Scoring supports with volume but not precision, reflecting its aged origin. Sound effects are blunt but effective.

Ghost Nursing Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "From the Big Boss to Ghost Nursing" (8:19, HD) is an interview with actor Billy Chan, who examines his time as a producer, working with partners to bring "Ghost Nursing" to production. As filming commenced in Thailand, Chan learned more about local prostitutes, with many of them believing they had ghost protectors. Casting is explored, along with the release of "Ghost Nursing," which was helped along by connections in the industry. The interviewee closes with his own supernatural experience while dealing with an injury.

• "Ghosts and Black Magic in Hong Kong" (18:33, HD) is a video essay by Samm Deighan.

• A Trailer has not been included on this release.

Ghost Nursing Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Ghost Nursing" begins with Jackie's hope for some form of stability in her life, and it ends with a knock-down-drag-out battle between forces of light and dark, with some Christian authority entering the war, and the shaman returns, armed with green laser-like powers and deadly sandals. Tong goes bananas with his climax (which leads to a welcomingly abrupt ending), bringing the world of "Ghost Nursing" to a boil, giving the picture the presence of an "Evil Dead" sequel at times. The production isn't always attentive to detail, with some technical mishaps along the way, but it's an entertaining ride with ghosts and curious boyfriends, with Tong refusing to dial down his nutso approach, delivering a brisk, unexpected understanding of hellraising and demon caretaking.