Vampire Buster (1989) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Cheung threw the vase into the sea because his son Siu-bo led Cultural Revolution supporters to seize it. As an exorcist, Cheung knew the vase contained a demon spirit, a renegade disciple of his own ancestral line. Rather than let the revolutionaries use the demon for dark rituals, Cheung chose to discard it by tossing it into the ocean, hoping to permanently separate the artifact from anyone who might unleash its power.

• cheung
• vas
• demon
• cultural revolution
• siu-bo
• exorcist

The demon escaped when Chan Pak-tung, a fraudulent fortune teller, carelessly scattered cigar ashes into the vase during a fake Taoist ritual. This act provoked the demon, causing a hand to emerge from the porcelain. When Chan was knocked aside by a supernatural force, he returned the vase to Steven Kay, not realizing he had already triggered the demon's release. Later that night, the vase began smoking and the demon fully emerged.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Steven's mother sensed something wrong with the vase but was dismissed.

• demon
• vase
• chan pak-tung
• cigar ash
• possession

The demon switched hosts multiple times throughout the film, first possessing Steven Kei, then briefly taking over Stephen (another family member), then Cat, and finally Micky (Jacky's younger sister). This behavior suggests the demon sought stronger vessels or was responding to threats, each time Cheung attempted an exorcise, the demon fled to another body to survive. The demon appeared particularly drawn to Micky because her brainwave activity was unusually strong, making her an ideal host.

• demon
• possession
• micky
• steven kei
• cat
• host switching

Cheung explained that the only way to banish the demon was to use two sacred items hidden within the vase: a spiritual pole and a Taoist mirror. These objects had been trapped inside when the demon was originally sealed. Jacky and Cat located the pole in the crashed car at a vehicle pound, while Steven and Chan retrieved the mirror from the vase. The combination of these artifacts, used during a coordinated exorcism ritual, provided the spiritual power needed to drive the demon out of its final host.

• spiritual pole
• taoist mirror
• exorcism
• cheung
• vase
• ritual

Jacky had to drive the fatal blow because the demon was possessing Steven Kei at the time. The spiritual pole was the only weapon capable of destroying the demon, but using it required striking the host's body. Despite the risk to his father's life, Jacky made the painful choice to stab the demon through Steven, knowing it was the only way to save his family and banish the entity. The demon was destroyed in the process, and Steven survived the attack.

• jacky
• steven kei
• demon
• pole
• exorcism
• father

The demon targeted Micky because her brainwave activity was unusually strong, a fact noted by doctors at the hospital. Strong brainwave activity made her an ideal spiritual vessel, giving the demon more power than it had in previous hosts. When the demon possessed Micky, it used her body to kill a nurse and threaten others, escalating the danger significantly and forcing the protagonists to accelerate their exorcism plans.

• micky
• brainwave
• possession
• demon
• host

Cheung illegally crossed the border from Jiangxi into Hong Kong to pursue the vase and stop the demon. Using his supernatural abilities, he evaded police detection and eluded a pursuing traffic cop who was made to hallucinate under Cheung's spiritual influence. This allowed him to reach the Kei mansion in time to attempt an exorcism, though the possessed Steven shot him with a sniper rifle and forced him to retreat.

• cheung
• hong kong
• border
• illegal crossing
• exorcist

Mabel was killed because she witnessed the demon's true form and tried to warn Chan Pak-tung. After seeing the entity's actual appearance during a thunderstorm, Mabel attempted to expose the supernatural threat. The demon eliminated her to prevent her from revealing its identity or helping the heroes understand how to defeat it. Chan fled and hid in fear, unable to prove the danger to anyone else.

Foreshadowing: The demon briefly revealed its true form to Mabel during a thunderstorm.

• mabel
• demon
• killed
• chan pak-tung
• witness

The demon was provoked into action by Chan's careless ritual, the cigar ashes scattered into the vase awakened the entity. The vase began smoking at the Kei residence, and the demon emerged fully, striking Steven and knocking him unconscious before possessing him. A shrine's glow initially repelled the demon, but the chaos and panic in the household allowed it to overcome this barrier and possess Steven.

Foreshadowing: Chan's fake ritual with cigar ashes directly provoked the demon.

• steven kei
• possession
• vase
• cigar ash
• demon awakening

After the demon was banished, the vase became harmless. In the final scene, Stephen received the valuable vase delivered to him on the day the ordeal began. Exhausted by the events, he tossed it aside, but Jacky and Cat jumped to catch the priceless relic, saving it from shattering. The vase was preserved as a memento of their ordeal, its demonic power finally extinguished.

• vase
• saved
• shattered
• jacky
• cat
• relic

The demon trapped inside the vase was revealed to be a renegade disciple of Cheung's own ancestral line, meaning Cheung's ancestor had originally sealed the demon centuries ago. This family connection is why Cheung felt responsible for guarding the vase and why he alone possessed the knowledge and spiritual ability to ultimately defeat it. The demon's origin tied directly to Cheung's heritage as an exorcist.

• demon
• cheung
• ancestor
• family
• sealed
• exorcist lineage

The demon, possessing Stephen, met Councilor Lee, who noticed Stephen's abnormal behavior. The demon triggered a hallucination that made Lee's belt appear as a snake. Startled by this illusion, Lee lost control of his car during a thunderstorm, resulting in a fatal crash. This demonstration of the demon's power showed how it could manipulate perceptions and directly endanger lives beyond the Kei family.

• councilor lee
• demon
• car crash
• hallucination
• snake