In the 1990's, Simon Yam, like many other popular Hong Kong actors, was working at a breakneck pace. Ghostly Bus was just one of eleven films Yam appeared in during 1995. As you might expect with those sorts of numbers, not every release is going to be a home run, and Ghostly Bus is a prime example of that. Forget the home run analogy if you're planning to watch this movie -- it's more like the cinematic equivalent of getting to take a base because you got beaned in the crotch with a fastball.

The titular ghostly bus is one driven late at night by Hero (Vincent Wan) who isn't scared of the spirits that inhabit it because he can see them due to his magical eyebrows. Ugh. I hate this movie already. Anyway, master pickpocket Michael (Simon in a total "rent/beer money" role) is interested in the bus because one of the ghosts that ride it is his dearly departed girlfriend, Ling (Valerie Chow), who he still want to propose to. Which, when you think about it, is either really touching or a bit creepy. I'm leaning towards the creepy end.

Ghostly Bus is just a mess from beginning to end, and not in an enjoyable way like some Hong Kong film-makers such as Wong Jing can produce. Hero and Michael have their own seperate stories that are meshed together with all the finesse of a hungover White Castle cook mashing out a case of sliders after bar close. When they are eventually put together (via a twist that gains the "No Shit, Sherlock" award for painfully obvious yet still belabored plot points) the movie does gel to an extent, almost threatening to transcend the pits of mediocrity and become a fan campy romp in the style of Evil Dead 2.

Sadly, those few fleeting moments of fun and excitement -- which are really only generated by the poor-quality special effects that'll give you a few chuckles -- are quickly dashed away, leaving the viewer (well, at least this reviewer) with the realization that, yes, they've wasted yet another ninety minutes of their life watching dreck like this. Even though I can dig on some low-budget cheese, Ghostly Bus isn't made well enough to be a good movie, nor badly enough to be a cult classic. It's just damn boring. I can personally forgive movies for a lot of transgressions, but not that.

RATING: 3