Gorehounds getting their hopes up for The First 7th Night being a splatter-fest, since it features The Untold Story's director Herman Yau and carries a Category III rating, will probably be disappointed. But, despite the lack of claret, this is a very solid movie that's a canny mix of the traditional Hong Kong ghost movie and a crime drama.

The First 7th Night stars Gordon Lam Ka-Tung as Map King, a taxi driver who can find any destination in Hong Kong. One night, he is contacted by Pony (Julian Cheung) to guide him to a remote village. Map King is hesitant, because the village is apparently haunted, but after Pony throws down a bundle of cash, he agrees to make the journey. As the trip goes on, it becomes apparent that Map King's trepidation at going to the village isn't just because of ghosts.

Herman Yau is one of Hong Kong's more interesting directors, having worked in just about every genre. He is best known for his Category III output, such as the deliciously sleazy Ebola Syndrome, but he has also shown that he can create good "straight" dramas, like 2001's From the Queen to the Chief Executive. The First 7th Night is another notable entry into Yau's filmography. Taking an unconventional narrative, the film's first act is a character-driven drama, then we move on to a ghost picture for the second act, and then finally, we finish up with a crime thread that is highly reminiscent of Ringo Lam's style.

Genre-mixing is, of course, par for the course in Hong Kong cinema, yet many directors cannot successfully pull the gimmick off. Thankfully, Herman Yau is up to the task, and The First 7th Night -- despite its' obvious low budget and rushed shooting schedule -- ends up being one of the better releases from Hong Kong over the past couple of years. There's nothing in here that's extraordinarily good, but everything, from the acting, to the cinematography, to the score, is done well enough that most viewers will be able to forgive any shortcomings that pop up during the running time.

RATING: 7