Hellfire Video Club: Hong Kong Horror
For their film picks this month, Hellfire video Club are getting stuck into the phantasmagoric and bonkers world of the 1980’s horror films churned out between Kung Fu films by the legendary Shaw Brothers Studio of Hong Kong.
Zhong Gui (Seeding Of A Ghost)
Kuen Yeung, 1983, Hong Kong.
A taxi driver visits a black magician for help with vengeance when the men who murdered his girlfriend walk away scot-free. The results are disgusting and amoral — and features plenty of floating corpse sex, entrails, no discernible good guys, and an absolutely brain-melting The Thing rip-off finale with a demonic fetus sprouting tentacles and a head and running amok!!
You Gui Zi (The Oily Maniac)
Meng-Hua Ho, 1983, Hong Kong
A young, down-trodden disabled man develops the ability to transform into oil-slick/super strong avenging hero. He uses these powers to reek righteous justice on his town. Unfortunately he is a puritanical idiot and uses his powers to stop abortions etc (?!). The special effects in this cheesy gem alone make it worth seeking out…
Gu (Bewitched)
Chih-Hung Kuei, 1983, Hong Kong
A man becomes possessed by an evil spirit and brutally murders his daughter. The police investigating also become possessed. A monk helps fight the evil spirit. From the same director as huge HFVC-fave “Boxer’s Omen” (as featured in a previous selection of our film picks), this is one of the jewels in the crown of 80’s hong Kong horror. Features the often-used trope in these Hong Kong-produced films as an old from of magic (usually depicted by scenes set in rural Thailand), colliding with the modern world (often depicted as Hong Kong’s more modern capitalist/ Western lifestyles). the outcome is extremely bizarre, grotesque and bananas! Features spell-casting, insect-puking, hair-raising gore, sex, sleaze and more eye-popping gore. some of it has to be seen to be believed. It’s not quite as mental as “Boxer’s Omen” (nothing is), but it is pretty bloody close…. Seek it out.
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