hong kong horror

Since discovering the mystical, black magic of Hong Kong Horror Films in 2015, I have busied myself in collecting these Bizarre old Chinese films. Fortunately for me, or us, most of the films have English subtitles hardcoded into them because of a British law passed in 1963 requiring all their films to have English subtitles.

But yeah, it's still fun to watch even without English subtitles as these films are very similar to Filipino horror movies of old: campy, heavy on visual storytelling, and don't really require much thinking.

Hong Kong Cinema is known for its Chopsocky (Martial Arts and Kung Fu) films with Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee films always getting the spotlight. Buried underneath those films though, is some B-movie treasure. Categorized as CAT III, which meant 'Adults Only' in the 80s and 90s, these films are characterized by their gross-out and intensely weird scenes/ imagery which had a sense of anarchy and unpredictability.

Another fun fact: The Philippines and Hong Kong did a lot of crossover films during the 80s and 90s.

Since it's impossible to list a top 5 (they're that good!) I'm going to list the top 10 films I've seen so far, if you're interested send me a pm. We can arrange some things :)

These are in absolutely no order:

The Black Magic With Buddha腦魔 by Lo Lieh (1983)

The story is about two explorers who invade a temple in the dark of a jungle. They find a mummy, remove its brain, and return to the mainland. The blood and fluid from the brain are used in black magic rituals that result in a series of bloody murders throughout the city… committed by the brain!

Also known as Black Magic with Butchery. Is an HK horror film with over the top splatter effex and a workable story that you'd want to see in a cheesy 90s horror movie.

Brains galore! The first time I've ever seen a man made out of brains.

色鬼投胎

Unlisted Director (1990-ish)

A Qing's wife A Yuhuai finally gave birth to a daughter, the child grew up with strange behavior, violent, and brings a lot of trouble at home. The daughter is possessed by a demon.

It's hard to find a copy of this film with English subtitles. The movie is so obscure, imdb can't even list what year it specifically came out of. The title doesn't have an official English translation (Ghost Reincarnation and Possessed by a Horny Ghost are strong contenders) so we'll just go with the internet recognized title which is Goat Reborn.

I saw this in its entirety without any subtitles. It is actually the film that sparked my interest in the subgenre. It also reminded me of a long lost television show called Kagat ng Dilim which was made of nightmares.

Centipede Horror

蜈蚣咒 by Keith Li (1982)

A crazed evil wizard uses his powers to take revenge on beautiful women by making them vomit up live centipedes, which then proceed to eat their victims.

I've always been terrified of Centipedes. They're my only weakness. Haha. This movie was f*cked up yo. Comes with all the elements you'd like to find in a top notch HK B-movie. And if I remember it correctly, this was shot in the Philippines. Highly recommended.

Red Spell Spells Red 紅鬼仔 by Titus Ho Wing-Lam (1983)

An evil dwarf sorcerer sealed in a stone coffin of good magicians. After many years, a television crew to the scene to investigate the legend, and happen to open the chest again.

A rare movie to find according to B-movie enthusiasts. I wasn't happy with my copy so I'm glad I found a soul willing to share a DVD-rip of it. A bizarre story with the flow akin to old school Filipino horror movies (we never made one this unique locally though) perfect for beer and pizza nights.

Devil Fetus 魔胎 by Hung-Chuen Lau (1983)

After a couple purchases an antique vase at a market, the woman is possessed and killed by a demonic creature. Twelve years later, the demon returns to possess the woman's nephew and wreak more havoc.

Had some amazing visual effex. The english title doesn't really make much sense and has an epic final boss battle.

Spirit of the Raped 索命 by Chih-Hung Kuei (1976)

A poor woman is mugged, losses her fiancee and gets taken advantage of before turned into a sex slave. Her spirit delivers whats coming to them, all the way back to the original muggers.

This was from 1976? A rape (more than physical rape though) and revenge ghost story.

The Rape After 淫種 (Devil Fetus 2) by Tom Lau (1986)

The figure of an evil genie is stolen by a photographer. At night the genie comes to life and rapes his girlfriend while both of them are drunk.

If you ever wanted to see a legitimate Junji Ito styled story come to life, then this is for you.

Daughter of Darkness

滅門慘案之孽殺 by Ivan Lai Gai-Ming (1993)

The police suspect a young teenager who was horrifically abused by her family and raped by her father of finally snapping and slaughtering them all.

Some of the most absurd things I've ever seen in an HK horror film. Definitely recommended.

Seeding of a Ghost

種鬼 by Richard Yeung Kuen and Yang Chuan (1983)

A Hong Kong taxi driver suffers after being cursed by a sorcerer he accidentally hit with his cab. After the driver's wife is raped and killed by teenage hooligans, he pleads with the sorcerer to lift the hex and restore his wife to the land of the living. Otherworldly zombie chaos ensues.

Most of these Hong Kong horror films have the element of rape in them, I think it was the topic of terror of the milieu during those times.

Curse of Evil

邪咒 by Kuei Chih-Hung (1982)

13 family members are murdered and then dumped in a well. 30 years later their descendants are cursed…

I did a review for this film on letterboxd.com, It just said "That was crazy. 4/5".

These films are essential viewing for me, along with famous underground classics like The Eternal Evil of Asia where a man turns into a penis and gives an appropriate answer to the question "What the flying f*ck!?" and The Boxer's Omen which is recognized as an art film by Mubi.com.

I will end this post with some of the Filipino-HK crossovers I've already seen:

Curse

處女降’ by Patrick Kong Yeung (1987)

A woman tries to attract her reincarnated lover from her previous life but eventually turns to the aid of an evil sorcerer who rules over a tribe of cannibal midgets.

This movie starred Maria Isabel Lopez and It sucked (no double entendre) but it's worth a watch.

Troublesome Night 4

陰陽路4與鬼同行 by Herman Yau (1998)

The fourth installment in the "Troublesome Night" series. As in the previous films, the film winds together an anthology of comedic horror tales all loosely linked together. In this one, all the stories involve tourists from Hong Kong visiting the Philippines on holiday.

This one starred Aya Medel, Ana Capri, Pia Paula, and Via Veloso as sensual ghost sirens.

Remember, if you would like some information on where to watch these films, then leave a comment or send a pm. If you can't be bothered then.. Happy Hunting!

-Outré-