| Happy Ghost | |
|---|---|
 OriginalHong Kong poster. | |
| Traditional Chinese | 開心鬼 |
| Simplified Chinese | 开心鬼 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | kāi xīn guǐ |
| Jyutping | hoi1 sam1 gwai2 |
| Directed by | Clifton Ko |
| Written by | Raymond Wong[1] |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Produced by | Raymond Wong[1] |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Bob Thompson[1] |
| Edited by | Tony Chow[1] |
| Music by | Mahmood Rum Jahn[1] |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Golden Princess Amusement Co. Ltd. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Language | Cantonese |
| Budget | HK$ 1,000,000 |
| Box office | HK$ 17,414,334 |
Happy Ghost (released in the Philippines asMagic to Win 3: The Origin[2]) (Chinese:開心鬼) is a 1984 Hong Kong comedy film directed byClifton Ko. Produced and written by Raymond Wong, the film stars Wong, Boonie Law, Loletta Lee and Sandy Lamb. The film was the 12th most grossed film in Hong Kong of 1984.
The film is about three high school students, Bonnie (Bonnie Law), Juliet (Rachel Lee (actress)) and Venus (Sandy Lamb), in their last year in school together, go on their last picnic before their examinations. Taking shelter from a sudden storm in an abandoned temple, Bonnie finds a piece of rope and takes it home. With this rope she brings home a spirit of Scholar Pik (Raymond Wong Pak-ming), whose archaic ways of thinking obviously clashed with the values held by a twentieth century teenager. Yet, they began to make friends with each other. The three girls started to depend on Scholar Pik's magic for everything. After their exam, they realize it, the girls begin to derive a more positive and hardworking attitude towards life through his encouragement.[3]
Happy Ghost was a hit forCinema City and grossed a total of HK$17,414,334. The movie ran in theaters from 14 July 1984 to 3 August 1984.[5]
In the Philippines, the film was released by South Cinema Films asMagic to Win 3: The Origin on 12 January 1989, afterHappy Ghost II andIII (respectively released asMagic to Win andMagic to Win 2).[6]
In his bookHorror and Science Fiction Film IV, Donald C. Willis stated thatHappy Ghost was "fairly elaborate and inventive, but tends to run off in all directions".[7]
Still with Wong in this chapter are his reliable Golden Girls together with pretty and fresh faces like Loletta Lee..., Bonnie Law and Sandy Lamb.
The Box-Office Strength of 'Magic to Win 3 - The Origin' Has Been Proven in Southeast Asian Countries Outgrossing 'Magic to Win' 1 & 2.
Willis, Donald C. (1997).Horror and Science Fiction Films IV.Scarecrow Press.ISBN 0-8108-3055-8.