MCBASTARD'S MAUSOLEUM: PICTURE OF A NYMPH (1987) 88 Films Blu-ray Review + Screenshots

Friday, June 12, 2026

PICTURE OF A NYMPH (1987) 88 Films Blu-ray Review + Screenshots

PICTURE OF A NYMPH (1987)

Deluxe Limited Edition Blu-ray

Label: 88 Films

Region Code: Region-Free

Rating: Unrated

Duration: 97 Minutes 58 Seconds

Audio: Cantonese PCM 2.0 Dual-Mono with Optional English Subtitles

Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)

Director: Wu Ma

Cast: Yuen Biao, Wu Ma, Lawrence Ng, Elizabeth Lee, Joey Wang, Wah Yuen, May Mei-Mei Lo, Wai Lam, Zhilun Xue

The Wuxia infused Chinese ghost story Picture of a Nymph (1987) is dorected by Wu Ma (Kickboxer), in it we have Taoist monk disciple Shih Erh (Yuen Biao, Righting Wrongs) who inadvertently burns down the home of a scholar named Tsui Hung-Chuen (Lawrence Ng, Sex and Zen) after battling a long-haired elderly demon (Yuen Wah, Kung Fu Hustle). His demon-battling master Wu Men-Chu (Ma Wu, Kickboxer) is none to pleased when he returns home and finds that his young disciple has been disobeying his demon-hunting rules, and even worse, has brought a stranger into their home. The film opens with a prologue with a stoic unnamed swordsman (Wai Lam, A Chinese Ghost Story) depositing his infant son Tsui into a basket and sending him down river after their village had been decimated and burned by an unknown enemy. From here things get weird pretty quick, we are taken down stream where the Taoist monk Wu Men-Chu is taking a bath in the river, we get a pretty upbeat song about cleaning yourself, which sort of gives the sequence a weird TV commercial vibe, especially in the way it's shot, I kept expecting it to it end with a plug for a bath soap pop up, but it did not. Instead the monk finds the child in the basket and declaring it the will of the gods takes him in. We also get another prologue of a young bride-to-be Mo Chui (Joey Wong, A Chinese Ghost Story) who is attacked by the Ghost King (Elizabeth Lee, Long Arm of the Law: Part 3), sacrificing herself by jumping off a waterfall to her death, becoming a ghost spirit. What transpires is the scholar Tsui, who initially does not believe in the supernatural world, falls in love with the spirit Moi Chui, painting a portrait of her, in which she can hide from the Ghost King, which incurs the wrath of malevolent spirt. The angered spirit unleashes demons upon them, with Tsui being protected by Shih Erh and his master Tsui Hung-Chuen to thwart the Ghost King.

The film is very echoey of A Chinese Ghost Story, sharing storylines and even some of the same actors playing the same characters, but it is delivered with even more humor and bonkers weirdness throughout. The was produced by Sammo Hung's production company and is chock full of Hung's signature fight choreography and wire-work, it's a dazzling and kinetic flick in that respect. The ghostly and supernatural elements are also top-notch, managing to handle both the humor, whimsy, and fantasy-romance and tragic elements rather well, striking that perfect balance, with terrific turns from the main cast as well, this is a solidly entertaining and quite humorous watch from start to finish.

Audio/Video: Picture of Nymph (1987) arrives on Blu-ray from 88 Films with a new 2K restoration derived from the original camera negative presented in 1080p HD in 1.85:1 widescreen. The source looks wonderful with nicely resolved grain throughout; the period texture and details look very pleasing throughout. A highlight of this release is the abundance of vibrant colors seen in the colored lighting gels during the supernatural sequences with eerie blues, red and greens, it's very moody and shadowy, with strong black levels and appreciable depth to it. Audio comes by way of remastered Cantonese PCM 2.0 dual-mono with optional newly translated English subtitles. I did detect some distortion in the higher registers but generally found it quite nice we get plenty of cool sound design flourishes, be it the sound of fighting, the soft babble of a brook, or the sounds of a demon, plus a synth score. Character dialogue is nicely prioritized as well and nicely prioritized in the mix.

Extras include an Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival), plus a second Audio Commentary by David West. Disc extras are finished up with a 2-min Image Gallery with stills and movie posters, and the 4-min Original Trailer.

This Deluxe Limited Edition set includes a stunning Limited Edition Rigid Slipcase and Slipcover with new artwork by Sean Longmore, plus a Reversible Wrap with the Longmore artwork, plus the Original Hong Kong Artwork. Inside there is a Limited Edition 40-Page Perfect Bound Book with writings by Paul Bramhall and Fraser Elliot, which examine the Golden Harvest fantasy folk horror era and the rich Chinese folk horror that inform the film, as well as plenty of pictures, plus cast and crew credits. Also tucked away inside the slipbox is a Limited Edition Premium Artcard.