Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013)

Slapstick that turns, without warning, into body horror.

The demons in this novel eat people. Play that straight for one scene and the comedy afterwards has teeth.

You want the demons to be genuinely frightening again, and you can take a comedy that means it.

What it keeps and what it changes

Keeps: the recruitment of the disciples, and a Tripitaka who is a genuine novice rather than a saint — closer to the book than the tone suggests.
Changes: the safety. Stephen Chow directs, and the film swings from a musical number to a village being devoured inside a single sequence.

Whose story is it?

the monk’s, unusually — this is the version where the human being in the party is the protagonist.

How much time does it ask?

A feature, written and directed by Stephen Chow.

The only version on this list where the monsters are played as horror.

Where to find it

Find where it’s streaming — JustWatch →

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More ways west: Journey to the West (CCTV, 1986) · Havoc in Heaven (1961/1964) · Monkey (1978–1980)