Terracotta Recommends

Welcome to the Terracotta Asian blu ray store. From Shaw Brothers to Akira Kurosawa and everything in between, all the labels like 88films, ArrowVideo, Eureka, Third Window, in one place for a convenient shop.

This month, we will be recommending different horror films each week.

To start with this week, Hong Kong horror. 

Starting with one of the best known and beloved Hong Kong horror comedies, MR VAMPIRE was an introduction, for many, into the folklore of Chinese hopping vampires, aka jiangshi (geung see in Cantonese). These undead beings can be neutralised with a lucky charm (a spell written on a yellow piece of paper written by a Taoist priest) stuck to their forehead and they follow the movement of sound, usually a bell held by the priest, and they can be controlled in that way.

But of course, nothing is ever that simple in life and hilarious situations arise in MR VAMPIRE when things start to go wrong. This classic spawned sequels which you get in the HOPPING MAD boxset.

More jiangshi madness can be found in a film that was before MR. VAMPIRE, Sammo Hung's ENCOUNTER OF THE SPOOKY KIND (1980).

Moving to a creature of a different kind, THE OILY MANIAC (1976) is wonderful creature feature from the late seventies from the Shaw Brothers studio. Taking the popular themes in kung fu films of revenge and justice and set in modern times, a cripple has the ability to transform himself into an oily monster superhero to take revenge on criminals.

We round off, with a varied selection of supernatural films.

Both EROTIC GHOST STORY and the SEVENTH CURSE deal with dead spirits and syren-like characters. The difference being EROTIC GHOST STORY, as the name suggests, is pure titillation whereas SEVENTH CURSE has elements of large action set pieces, lost tribes and black magic.

And to end this week's recommendations, a more gentler Ann Hui directed VISIBLE SECRET, where a girl with amnesia (played by Shu Qi) can see dead spirits.

Enjoy!