THE NINE DEMONS is one of Master Chang Cheh's lesser efforts, to be sure, but that doesn't mean it's unwatchable: it has its moments, but obvious budgetary constraints hamper it. Joey (Joy?) (Choi?) (Oy...), played for all he's worth by Chien Tien Chi, quite literally goes to Hell, where he proceeds to make a deal with you-know-who... In exchange for his soul, Ol' Scratch promises to help Joey exact some revenge- which he does, with the aid of the Nine Demons of the title: eight kids with a thirst for human blood and their beautiful babysitter (my take on it, there). The great Lu Feng turns up and turns out to be Number One on Joey's hit list, but manages to take out Joey's brother, Gary, before the final showdown. It's this final showdown that makes THE NINE DEMONS worth watching: it takes place on a pond, with Lu Feng and his minions surfing around on mini-skis, and there are some genuinely interesting moments (a la, FIVE ELEMENT NINJAS). The use of Western names for the leads, however, has never seemed so ridiculous. It would be interesting to see a subtitled (rather than dubbed) version.
Review of Jiu zi tian mo
