“Human Lanterns”, one of the most controversial and infamous Shaw Brothers titles gets another airing on DVD thanks to Image Entertainment. Directed by Sun Chung (who made a number of hits for the studio, including his classic “Rendezvous With Death”), the film was originally unleashed back in 1982 during the final years of the production house’s reign, when it was branching out into wilder and wackier genre mixtures in an effort to compete with the likes of Golden Harvest. The film has remained a cult favourite ever since, and its reputation has only grown over the years, not least due to the ongoing debate as to which of the available versions was the most complete. As such, likely to be of particular interest to fans is the fact that this new outing boasts the inclusion of several skin peeling scenes removed from the original Asian release. The DVD also comes packaged with a number of other extras, including an alternate (though shorter, and as such rather pointless) version of said scene, plus an interview with actress Shawn Yin Yin.

The story focuses upon Tan Fu (Chen Kuan Tai, the “Boxer from Shantung” himself) and Lung Shu Ai (Liu Yung, also in the Bruce Lee hits “Fist of Fury” and “The Big Boss”), two rival noblemen who are both desperate to win the upcoming annual lantern contest. Lung employs the services of master craftsman Chao Chun Fang (Lo Lieh, who in his glory days was one of the top Shaw Brother stars, headlining the likes of “King Boxer”), a man who many years ago he scarred in a vicious duel. Unbeknownst to him, Chun Fang is hell bent upon revenge, and he stirs up the battle between the two men by kidnapping the various women in their lives, dragging them down to his lair where he removes their skin for use in his lantern making.

It’s easy to see why “Human Lantern” has become such a cult item over the years, boasting a wonderfully sick premise that sets the skin crawling even before the opening credits roll. However, whilst it certainly has its fair share of grotesque moments, even in uncut form, which basically translates to a slightly longer skin peeling sequence, the film is not as gruesome or wildly disgusting as other Shaw Brothers nasties such as “Seeding of a Ghost”, “Boxer’s Omen” or “Corpse Mania”. Still, it is shocking enough in its own way, and whereas the above-mentioned films worked in most of their unpleasantness via black magic ceremonies and weird rites, here the gore is inserted into a more traditional, if somewhat nihilistic martial arts tale of rivalry and revenge.

This is made all the more effective by director Sun Chung’s rather ruthless approach to his characters, with neither Lung nor Tan being likeable protagonists, with Chun Fang being too insane for his vengeance to generate any sympathy, and with all the female characters basically being around only to part company with their skin. As such, the film is a pretty grim affair, meditating upon the pointlessness of fame and fortune, and as a result it never quite descends into trash delirium, playing out instead almost as a kind of cautionary Grand Guignol fable.

Another reason why the film is so effective is Sun’s excellent direction, which sees him making clever use of the familiar gorgeous Shaw Brothers sets. The film is very atmospheric, and actually manages to be quite creepy in places, with some judicious use of dry ice and with Chun Fang’s workshop making for a suitably sinister lair. As a villain he himself is hard to top, donning a fantastic skull mask, complete with wild mane of hair, plus bear-like fur boots and gloves when he stalks his victims, moving acrobatically in eerie silence. Of course, when he gets back to the relative safety of his hideout, like all good Shaw Brothers evildoers, he is prone to fits of cackling, though this only adds to his nefarious charm.

Certainly, Lo Lieh’s bizarre appearance and over the top performance help to make “Human Lanterns” entertaining and fun, despite its subject matter and downbeat approach. Although not as crazed as its reputation might suggest and not offering anything particularly new, especially for those viewers who have seen a few of the truly demented Shaw Brothers films, it still stands as a must see cult item for the uninitiated, and this new, more complete edition definitely comes as a welcome release.

Chung Sun (director) / Kuang Ni, Chung Sun (screenplay)
CAST: Tony Liu … Lung Shu-Ai
Kuan Tai Chen … Tan Fu
Lieh Lo … Chao Chun-Fang
Ni Tien … Lung’s Wife
Linda Chu … Yen Chu
Hsiu Chun Lin
Meng Lo … Kuei Szu-Yi
Chien Sun … Sergeant Pan