Movies of War

One of the most intoxicating things about golden-era Hong Kong cinema, especially when it comes to its genre efforts, is how much of a shock to the senses it can be. The films that came out of studios like Golden Harvest and Shaw Brothers were insane in the best way possible, throwing Western film conventions out the window in favor of a blend of tones and styles that forced viewers unfamiliar with their particular brand of alchemy to keep their heads on a swivel. When you pop on one of these pictures, you know two things are likely going to happen: you’re going to see at least one thing you’ve never seen before and, most importantly, you’re going to be entertained. A good example of this is 1980’s Hex, the first entry in the popular fantasy-horror trilogy from veteran director Kuei Chih-hung. It tells a familiar story of the kind seen in the legendary anthology Tales from the Crypt in that it involves a morally bankrupt asshole receiving some deadly comeuppance from beyond the grave. However, the way it gets there is anything but traditional, and the film offers up a climax that’s unexpected as it is deliriously gratuitous. In other words, it checks off many of the boxes of what makes Hong Kong horror so appealing and addictive. Hex’s story starts out simple enough. Chan Sau-ying (Ni Tienis) is a woman on the brink: her body is wasting away from tuberculosis while her spirit is withering thanks to her abusive gold-digger husband, Yeung Chun-yu (Jung Wang). One night after being pushed too far by his cruelty, Sau-ying and her maid Yi-wah (Chen Szu-chia) kill the bastard and dump his body in a nearby pond. Unfortunately, he then begins to terrorize Sau-ying from beyond the grave…or so it appears. Kuei Chih-hung personified the versatility showcased by many Hong Kong filmmakers of that time. He could work in any genre, be it comedy (Mr. Funnybone), action (Killer Constable), or crime drama (The Teahouse), but it was his efforts in horror that many remember him for today. There, he crafted some of the strangest, most revolting fright flicks to come out of Hong Kong. What’s more, he did so with style, pushing the boundaries of “good taste” for audiences both domestically and abroad. Hex came at a point when Kuei Chih-hung was transitioning into the final phase of his career, which would be made up primarily of a long residency in horror. It wasn’t his first foray into the genre – that would be 1974’s Ghost Eyes – but it did mark the beginning of what would be a seven-film tenure in it. In Hex, we see a blending together of the many types of films Chih-hung had worked in previously, which is why it’s such a solid example of Hong Kong horror’s unique flavor. The first third of the film is a marriage between the subgenres of melo- and societal drama, with the characters of Chan Sau-ying and Yeung Chun-yu embodying the two. The former represents the trope seen for decades in both the literary and film mediums of the morally pure woman ravaged by tuberculosis, while the latter is a brutal reflection of the patriarchal structures seen in society both then and now. If that second part seems like a stretch, then you’re not familiar with Kuei Chih-hung’s work. Described by author Grady Hendrix as “a pissed-off perfectionist with proletarian sensibilities,” the director often injected his stories with scathing social commentaries. As Andy Willis points out in his essay From Killer Snakes to Taxi Hunters: Hong Kong Horror in an Exploitation Context, horror “was an arena where these concerns could be explored in a commercially viable form, keeping [Chih-hung] within the Hong Kong film system even if on its more interesting fringes.” The murder of Chun-yu signals Hex’s brief crossover into psychological thriller territory. After Sau-ying and her maid/accomplice Yi-wah cover up the killing, the newly minted widow starts suffering from horrible nightmares where the bloated corpse of her husband comes to terrorize her each night. These visions, which appear to be the embodiment of her guilt and psychological trauma, eventually result in her death. It’s then revealed that this has all been an elaborate plan by Chun-yu (who’s still alive) and Yi-wah (his secret lover) to gain the poor woman’s estate and riches. Next, we swerve into full EC Comics-style spookiness as Sau-ying’s ghost returns to get some otherworldly payback on the ones who have betrayed her. She first pushes their sanity to the edge, leading to a memorably comedic sequence in which Chun-yu (who’s become a cleaver-wielding lunatic by this point thanks to the haunting) kills a local merchant. Then, after the unceremonious dispatching of her husband, Sau-ying goes to work on the woman who betrayed her trust. It’s here where Hex enters its final form: a supernatural sexploitation extravaganza. A shaman is brought in to try and cleanse Yi-wah of the spirit that’s latched onto her, and we’re presented with one of the most memorable exorcisms ever committed to celluloid. As the New Essential Guide to Hong Kong Movies puts it, “a kind of expressive dance-ritual, performed by a naked woman covered in painted symbols and letterforms” takes place where the lady in question “capers about and is slapped by an older exorcist lady with a shoe, as the prolonged dance routine simply goes on and on.” Dog’s blood is then used to great effect by the shaman before the scene barrels towards a sequence ripped (pun intended) straight from Masaki Kobayashi’s Kwaidan. Two loosely connected sequels (both were directed by Kuei Chih-hung) came in the wake of Hex’s success: 1980’s Hex vs. Witchcraft and 1982’s Hex After Hex, both also currently streaming on Shudder. Unlike their predecessor, the pictures landed squarely in the horror-comedy subgenre and get progressively weirder as they go along. Two years after the trilogy was completed, in a twist more surprising than anything found in his movies, Kuei Chih-hung left Hong Kong and filmmaking behind forever. He moved to San Francisco and opened a pizza parlor, where he would work until 1999, when he passed away from cancer at the age of 61. It was a strange and unexpected end to a fascinating career, but his legacy as a cinematic craftsman and rebel makes Kuei Chih-hung a titanic figure in both Asian film and cult movie weirdness. Related Topics:HexShaw BrothersShudder Patrick Brennan Advertisement You may like Ride Along with Police in Ominous ‘Bodycam’ Clip ‘The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs’ Series Finale Airs Tonight; Four New Specials Coming This Year ‘The Mortuary Assistant’ Gets Toe Tagged with New Poster Ahead of Shudder Debut ‘1000 Women in Horror’ Official Trailer – Shudder Documentary Streaming March 20 All the Horror Heading to Hulu, Netflix, Tubi & Other Streaming Services in March 2026 ‘Crazy Old Lady’ Is Harrowing Horror That’s Both Familial & Familiar [Review] Click to comment