By Eric Myford
In 1988, Hong Kong introduced the Category rating system, with the most horrific of subject matter falling under Category III, meaning: No persons younger than 18 years of age are permitted to rent, purchase, or watch this film in the cinema. Nothing new as most places have some sort of rating system, but this one was strict and rigorously enforced. However, from this, some of the gnarliest horror movies ever made came from this system, and some were so abhorrent they were retroactively added to Category III. So today we're going to take a look at twelve very memorable Category III Hong Kong horror movies.
Devil Fetus (1983)
Director – Hung-Chuen Lau
A monster is released from an antique vase and takes possession of a woman, resulting in her death. Twelve years later the creature is back and taking possession once again. What this movie lacks in cohesion and general sense, it more than makes up for in visual style. Gory and gross are the best descriptors here. Includes sex scenes with monsters, birth of a little monster and murder galore. This is one for gorehounds, aficionados of the bizarre, practical FX freaks and those who don't mind a nonsensical tale in favor of insanity on screen.
Seeding of a Ghost (1983)
Director – Kuen Yeung
A taxi driver seeks revenge of those who killed his love, requesting aid from a sorcerer who puts the most extreme of curses upon the men responsible, at the expense of the taxi driver's life. I could see that, sacrificing everything in favor of vengeance, and this movie does it exceedingly well. It's a lovely balance of violence, humor, martial arts and horrific visuals. I loved this movie, and then the last fifteen minutes or so hit and pushed it up and out of the stratosphere with insane gore, monster FX and just absolute madness thrown onto the screen. Easily one of my favorite on this list, every 80s horror fan needs to see this.
Centipede Horror (1984)
Director – Keith Li
An evil wizard forces women to vomit up centipedes which in turn eat the flesh of the women who bore them. Yeah, this one is ridiculous but totally a must see if you're into gross out horror. The story, well the story is what it is, but I will say there really isn't anything else quite like this out there. You're coming here for the visuals and this movie is just flat out nasty, but fun, oh so much fun. We might have different definitions of fun though.
The Seventh Curse (1986)
Director – Ngai Choi Lam
A cop rescues a young woman from being sacrificed by an evil cult, and for his efforts, he is cursed, and now must do battle against an ancient priest or his life is forfeit. When I think of action/horror hybrid movies, I think of a movie like this, not so much what's churned out by Hollywood. This has heart, martial arts, violence, murder, gore, nudity and bazookas. And it's just a hell of a lot of fun. So why aren't you watching it right now? Bazooka!
Men Behind the Sun (1988)
Director – Tun Fei Mou
And then there's this movie. The movie that actually happened. This movie chronicles Unit 731, a Japanese group that committed unspeakable acts against Chinese and Russian prisoners of war. This movie is absolutely unforgettable and easily one of the most horrific looks at war ever committed to celluloid. The visuals here put all modern “torture porn” movies to shame, which is made even more traumatizing considering that it's all based on fact. Were liberties taken to make the movie even more terrible than the actual events? Possibly. Or maybe they barely scratched the surface. Something to think about.
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)
Director – Ngai Choi Lam
A man with superhuman strength is sent to a prison run by the most corrupt individuals imaginable and stalked by the most violent people, so he uses his strength and martial arts prowess to clean it up. And now for something a little more lighthearted. And I say that just because even though this movie is a crazy gore fest, it's so over the top that it really enhances the natural humor of the film. Lots of fighting, almost non-stop violence and that bloodshed, wow, just pure insanity.
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Dr. Lamb (1992)
Director – Danny Lee, Hin Sing 'Billy' Tang
A serial killer targets women and kills them in exceedingly brutal and perverse ways, taking pictures of them to keep as mementos. Fun fact, this movie is based on real life serial killer Lam Kor-Wan, and they didn't pull any punches when it came to showcasing his crimes. The movie has some incredibly violent scenes and filthy perversion. Definitely a shocker to some of the less seasoned horror fans out there, so viewer beware.
The Eight Immortals Restaurant: The Untold Story (1993)
Director – Danny Lee, Herman Yau
The new owner of a restaurant comes under suspicion when no one can figure out how he came to own it, what happened to the previous owner, and why the new pork dishes are just so delicious. Spoiler, but not really, the main ingredient is people. This is an incredibly intense movie with uncompromising violence and absolutely brutal rape scenes amidst all the cannibalism as well. Absolutely unflinching in its displays of violence, this is definitely one of the more disturbing horror movies ever made.
Red to Kill (1994)
Director – Hin Sing 'Billy' Tang
A psychopathic rapist targets women in red and his latest victim is a student at a school for kids with learning difficulties, which causes the girl's social worker to seek revenge. This rape/revenge movie is a pretty sick one and never shies away from showing probably more than it should. The sheer violence in the multiple rapes on screen easily show why this movie was categorized as it was. This is truly a difficult watch at times.
Ebola Syndrome (1996)
Director – Herman Yau
A murderer hiding out in South Africa contracts Ebola after raping a native woman, only to go on a killing spree while spreading the deadly disease as far and as wide as he can. This is one of the more multifaceted movies on the list because not only do you have brutal violence with many murders and multiple rapes, but you have the whole infection sub plot and most bizarrely of all, this is a comedy. Like it's genuinely hilarious and you'll feel like you're going insane laughing with all that is going on. But honestly, it's a pretty amazing movie that never gets dull.
Human Pork Chop (2001)
Director – Benny Chi-Shun Chan
Based on a true story, a group of men kidnap a prostitute and proceed to abuse, rape, murder and mutilate her. While this is one of the more uneven movies on the list, it does bear inclusion just because of the third act, which is where the majority of the violent acts take place and blend into a non-stop gore fest. And to think this based on one of most horrific murders in the history of the country makes it that much more horrible.
Dumplings (2004)
Director – Fruit Chan
A woman is known for her dumplings that cause physical rejuvenation in those who consume them, making her very popular amongst aging women. But what's the secret ingredient? This is one of the more refined and elegant movies on this list and it was also released in the US in the anthology film: Three... Extremes. I won't say what's in the dumplings, but damn, and for such a finely made movie, it's probably the sole reason it is Category III. Such a great film though.
Of course there are many more but these are just some notables from my own viewing and collection and I must say, nobody really blends together sex and violence quite like Hong Kong horror. They literally do not restrict themselves in the slightest, making for some of the most extreme horror the world has ever seen. But it's not just shock factor, most are legitimately well made, and that may be the most horrifying aspect of all.
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