Cult Cuts Volume 21 (80s Horror Retrospective #5)
#4/4: Seeding of a Ghost (1983)
(8/10): A Shaw Brothers Production that's been one of their many dives into the Horror genre.
Shaw Brothers was a company that emerged in Hong Kong the latter part of the fifties and throughout the sixties and seventies became increasingly well known for their Martial Arts films but they also had been making comedy and also horror films as well and many of their later horror outings became well known in the horror community as they were branded with the Category III label, and here we have one of their most famous horror films.
Seeding of the Ghost is the story of a taxi driver who accidentally hits an old man with his car, later finding out that the man was a sorcerer who had hexed him.
His wife walked out on him and is brutally raped and killed by a bunch of mean spirited teenagers.
The man then begs the sorcerer to lift the hex and bring his wife back to life.
Then they begin a series of Black Magic rituals that then lead to zombie and spiritual chaos ensuing.
This film has what I have very much appreciated in the Hong Kong horror films I've seen so far, it's deep rooted in heavy cultural atmosphere and it's not structured like western horror films, it's not afraid to be a little crazy.
It has many scenes of different visions,mysteries injury or possession plaguing the families of the teens who killed his wife when all concludes in a birth scene that is, in my opinion, worth the wait.
It's not like nothing happens before the birth scene, it's just slower but the creature is like something out of a John Carpenter movie but with added, elongated tentacles.
It's crazy cool.
The gore effects are great, they're gooey, slimy and gross.
It's also got another thing that I absolutely loved about the other two Shaw Brothers horror films I've seen from the eighties, the presentation is top notch.
It's foggy, dimly lit and just feels so quality.
I can't believe that this one is still out of print, but I hope a reissue is on the horizon, tons of Shaw Brothers stuff is coming back in print so hopefully more of their horror films will come soon.
If you can track a copy down, I recommend it, but it's probably going to get a reprint so you could probably wait until then.
Highly recommended though, if you're into Asian Horror.
#4/4: Seeding of a Ghost (1983)
(8/10): A Shaw Brothers Production that's been one of their many dives into the Horror genre.
Shaw Brothers was a company that emerged in Hong Kong the latter part of the fifties and throughout the sixties and seventies became increasingly well known for their Martial Arts films but they also had been making comedy and also horror films as well and many of their later horror outings became well known in the horror community as they were branded with the Category III label, and here we have one of their most famous horror films.
Seeding of the Ghost is the story of a taxi driver who accidentally hits an old man with his car, later finding out that the man was a sorcerer who had hexed him.
His wife walked out on him and is brutally raped and killed by a bunch of mean spirited teenagers.
The man then begs the sorcerer to lift the hex and bring his wife back to life.
Then they begin a series of Black Magic rituals that then lead to zombie and spiritual chaos ensuing.
This film has what I have very much appreciated in the Hong Kong horror films I've seen so far, it's deep rooted in heavy cultural atmosphere and it's not structured like western horror films, it's not afraid to be a little crazy.
It has many scenes of different visions,mysteries injury or possession plaguing the families of the teens who killed his wife when all concludes in a birth scene that is, in my opinion, worth the wait.
It's not like nothing happens before the birth scene, it's just slower but the creature is like something out of a John Carpenter movie but with added, elongated tentacles.
It's crazy cool.
The gore effects are great, they're gooey, slimy and gross.
It's also got another thing that I absolutely loved about the other two Shaw Brothers horror films I've seen from the eighties, the presentation is top notch.
It's foggy, dimly lit and just feels so quality.
I can't believe that this one is still out of print, but I hope a reissue is on the horizon, tons of Shaw Brothers stuff is coming back in print so hopefully more of their horror films will come soon.
If you can track a copy down, I recommend it, but it's probably going to get a reprint so you could probably wait until then.
Highly recommended though, if you're into Asian Horror.