SEX AND BLOOD TOO

VAMPIRE'S ROMANCE. Starring Yvonne Yung Hung, Mondi Yau Yuet-ching, Lam Kwok-bun and Yuen Siu-cheong. Directed by Lau Kwun-wai. Category III.

RISING above the hype surrounding the bare flesh of former beauty pageant queens Yvonne Yung and Mondi Yau, Vampire's Romance is an above average thriller with an ample dose of all the right commercial ingredients: setting, story and sex.

There is also enough comic relief to please everyone, but then director Lau Kwun-wai did make his name with a series of excellent Chinese vampire thriller-comedies, some of which have become classics. However, viewers expecting to see acrobatic, Category III sex scenes will be disappointed.

Lam Kwok-bun plays Michael, a 500-year-old vampire. He and a companion called Julie (played by Yau) are the only vampires left on earth. A century ago, Lam was in love with Rainbow (Yung), but his lust for blood cost the woman her life. Since then Michael has tried not to harm other women, relying on the loyal Julie to supply him with blood.

Then he meets a blind prostitute who is the spitting image of Rainbow. To restore her vision, Michael sacrifices his own. It leads to a touching finale that is unusual in this genre.

Lam is still wooden, but Yung (Don't Stop My Crazy Love For You) shows she may just make it as an actress.