Titled Shawscope, Volume 4, this Blu-ray set is almost totally devoted to the Hong Kong-based Shaw Brothers studio’s horror, sci-fi and fantasy films produced between 1976 and 1984.
What is included in this treasure trove of genre-fan films from the vaults of the Shaw Brothers? We will do the reveal in the chronological order of their theatrical debuts in the United States … yes, these are theatrical classics from the late 70s and early 80s! However, if you were living in a major city — or even in rural America — other than Honolulu, Hawaii, you were unlikely to have known of their existence until they showed up in the world of VHS way, way back in the mid 1980s.
The residents of Hawaii had an almost exclusive look at these genre treasures from the Shaw Brothers (occasionally the Kim Sing Theatre on Figueroa in Los Angeles would also get access to a print for exhibition). If you missed them theatrically (living on the mainland), then circle Dec. 9 on your Blu-ray release calendar and get your order in the mix ASAP and be ready to discover these sci-fi, horror and fantasy films for the first time (a Limited Edition).
The kick off was on Mar. 8, 1976, when the Empress unveiled director Meng-Hua Ho’s spell-casting horror tale, Black Magic. Infra-Man opened in the Pittsburgh area in June (and marched out wide after that), filmmaker Meng-Hua Ho was back with the offbeat horror release of Oily Maniac as the Christmas-season release at the Empress (Dec. 13, 1976) and then it was once again back to Honolulu on Mar. 21, 1977 for Black Magic 2.
Also included with Infra-Man are two featurettes — “Shaws’ Little Dragon” and “Super Ultra Infra Action.”
Black Magic features commentary from film critic James Mudge (easternkicks.com) and Black Magic 2 has commentary from film critic Samm Deighan (“The Legacy of World War II in European Arthouse Cinema”) … both films can be viewed with the original Mandarin soundtracks or with English-dubbed audio.
Oily Maniac features Mandarin (with English subtitles) and English-dubbed viewing options and commentary by film critic Ian Jane.
There was then a three-year gap and phase two kicked in with the Hex trilogy, which kicked off with director Chih-Hung Kuei’s creepy ghost story at the Empress on Oct. 20. He followed that up with Hex vs. Witchcraft at the Empress Theatre on Mar. 31, 1981, and then capped it off with Hex After Hex on Sept. 21, 1982.
In the middle of the Hex trilogy run was the June 1, 1981 debut of director Shan Hua’s supernatural horror tale, Bloody Parrot. Film critic Samm Deighan provides commentary for the film, which is presented in Mandarin with English subtitles.
There are five more horror, sci-fi or fantasy films in the Shawscope, Volume 4 ten-disc Blu-ray collection. Arrow Video could have wrapped it up with the Bloody Parrot and this would have be a very good presentation, but more … yes more!
Director Chih-Hung Kuei’s Bewitched was the Jan. 11, 1982 arrival at the Empress Theatre, which carried the warning in the movie section of the local Honolulu papers, “Scenes in this film may be too horrifying to some viewers.” Excellent, that should pack them in … and if you weren’t in Honolulu at the time, you can catch the “horrifying scenes” on Blu-ray for the first time on Dec. 9.
On Mar. 28, 1983 the Empress Theatre presented Hong Kong New Wave director Kwok-Ming Cheung’s (aka: Alex Cheung) space alien abduction tale Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, starring Cherie Chung … a wild send up of contemporary America sci-fi films. Just a couple of weeks later (Apr. 11), the Empress showcased filmmaker Shan Hua’s fantasy/horror story, Portrait in Crystal, which is about a work of art that comes alive and goes on a murderous rampage.
For Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, martial arts cinema expert Frank Djeng provides commentary, plus there are newly-prepared video sessions with filmmaker Alex Cheung and film scholar Victor Fan. Both Mandarin and Cantonese language tracks are included here (with English subtitles).
On Sept. 16, 1983, the Empress Theatre opened writer/director Tak-Cheung Tang’s fantasy fairytale, Demon of the Lute, which requires a special bow and arrow to bring down this “demon” manufactured from left-over dinosaur parts … a demon who has fellow demons that must be overcome first! In short, Demon of the Lute is a wild ride!!
Director Kuen Yeung’s Seeding of a Ghost surfaced at the Empress on Mar. 12, 1984, which is a cautionary tale about not hitting a wizard/sorcerer with your taxi cab. Film critic James Mudge provides commentary … Mandarin and Cantonese language tracks are available (with English subtitles).
And finally, we have two films that don't quite fit in the genre mix ... these are writer/director Yuen Chor’s 1980 mystery film, Bat Without Wings (commentary by film critic Samm Deighan) and director Liu Chia-Yung’s 1982 comedy, The Fake Ghost Catchers.
That’s 16 Shaw Brothers productions on Blu-ray, 14 of which fall into the horror, sci-fi and fantasy world of motion pictures released theatrically in the United States. Talk about a bonanza for genre fans … take note, Arrow Video will be shipping Shawscope, Volume 4 on Dec. 9!
