Among the group is also Zhang Jie, who was framed by the robber Zhou Qian Tai and his own boss Bi Ying Heng and sentenced to life in prison and is now a fugitive from the law posing as a jianghi.

When Master Chen Wu is injured in a fight at a local gambling, he asks Fan Zheng Yuan and Ah Fei to continue herding the corpses for him.

"[4] The review concludes, "The story and the comedy aren't as sharp as the first Spiritual Boxer (or Sammo and Ricky Lau's films, for that matter), but it remains remarkable entertainment despite this.

The action is well beyond what is seen in The Spiritual Boxer, and the two films combine to make an interesting document of Lau Kar-Leung’s progression and evolution as a choreographer in the four years between them.

"[5] The review of the film on sogoodreviews.com reads, "It set the stage for the kung-fu comedy while also blending in elements of spirit boxing but ultimately in itself was an uneven effort.

[...] Lau's action directing, while accomplished obviously, never truly ignites and Wang Yu's Vampire Fist technique is more of a neat idea on paper rather than an exciting on screen fighting style.

The Shadow Boxing and The Spiritual Boxer should be among your low priorities while exploring Lau Kar Leung's tremendous filmography as director and even he is allowed low-points.

Author Michael Thomason wrote, "It should be pointed out that, though often cited as the first major jiang shi feature, Shaw Brothers studios preceded Mr. Vampire by six years with Liu Chia Liang's martial arts-horror-comedy The Spiritual Boxer II (1979) (aka: The Shadow Boxing), which not only showcased the jiang shi but also delved into the ritual of corpse-walking and the world of the corpse herders.

His Shaws production, The Spiritual Boxer 2 (1979), predates the Golden Harvest film by six years and stars Wong Yu as a young student of necromancy who must impersonate a missing corpse, under his sifu's orders, so as to placate the man's grieving relatives.

"[11] Andrew Heskens of easternkicks.com wrote, "Sammo Hung directed himself in the film that took the idea of hopping vampires/deceased from The Shadow Boxing (aka The Spiritual Boxer II) and turned it into a phenomenon with Encounter of the Spooky Kind, and things were never the same.

"[12] In the book Draculas, Vampires, and Other Undead Forms: Essays on Gender, Race, and Culture (2009), author Wayne Stein wrote, "With Spiritual Boxer II, Leong adds an important ingredient that Jackie Chan’s success had helped to inaugurate: humor.

Nonetheless, Leong's absurdly funny but completely fresh action sequences would later become a fundamental tradition of this future genre of horror.