88 Films UK Blu-ray Synopsis:When Dr.Yuen (Chin Siu Ho) attempts to rescue a girl about to be sacrificed by the Worm Tribe in the middle of a jungle in Thailand, he is damned with seven 'blood curses' and must return there to find a permanent cure. Though he finds a temporary antidote this will only last a year and he must return to the jungle to find a permanent cure. The Seventh Curse is an adventurous story of lost tribes and deadly magic. Featuring strange locales, evil sorcerers and monsters, this bonkers thrillfest is a rollicking Asian oddity. A must for collectors of exotic Hong Kong cinema. (83 / 80 Mins)

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Universe DVD Synopsis: Yuen Cheung-ha save Bachufrom being sacrificed by the wicked priest in Thailand, but is stricken with seven blood curses. Soon, Yuen's veins start to burst. Wales Lee sends Yuen, Maggie and Bachu's boyfriend back to find Buddha's Eye,which can cure Yuen. The wicked priest has directed the blood demon to attack Yuen and his friends. Wales Lee comes up with the weapon to destroy their wicked enemies. Peace and love return to a troubled land. (81 Mins)

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Hong Kong Classics UK VHS Synopsis: This supernatural adventure movie is a classic example of Hong Kong cinema at its most crazy, imaginative and bloodthirsty. Gorgeous femme fatale Maggie Cheung plays Sally, an impetuous reporter who gets mixed up in a violent siege at a hospital. Here she meets up with heroic Doctor Chester Yung (Chin Siu Ho), who is fighting a tribal blood spell which is about to kill him. With the assistance of his friend Wisely (Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun Fat), Chester goes to Thailand to confront the tribe which has put the spell on him. Here he must battle against an evil sorcerer – that's if the worm demon, the reanimated corpse and the giant stone Buddha don't get him first! Mayhem ensues, with a rocket launcher-wielding Wisely kicking off some of the wildest action sequences you'll ever see! (93 Mins)

 

Views: After a trip to Thailand, Doctor Yuen discovers that he now has a mysterious blood curse. Advised by his good friend Wisely to seek out its origin, the young doctor returns to the Thai jungles in search of the Worm Tribe before all seven blood vessels burst and kill him. Once there, Dr. Yuen finds problem after problem as the tribe try everything in their power to stop him – from armed warriors to deadly traps, and reanimated corpses to kung-fu monks. Joining forces with Wisely and some new-found friends, Yuen fights for his life in a battle against a crazed witch-doctor and bloodsucking demon in a gore-filled, action-packed finale around a giant stone Buddha!

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Although I have numerous copies of The Seventh Curse, from VHS to Blu-ray, this crazy and entertaining film is not one I often go back to time and time again - although not for any particular reason I guess - but that is going to change since I got my hands on the beautifully restored Blu-ray release from 88 Films. Along with cinematic powerhouses Wong Jing and Raymond Chow, the film was co-produced by Chua Lam who brought us lots of fun titles such as the Erotic Ghost Story Trilogy, The Peacock King 1 & 2, Vampire Vs Vampire, Robotrix, Crime Story, City Hunter, Mr. Nice Guy and Story Of Ricky, the infamous live-action manga starring Fan Siu Wong and Yukari Oshima. Of course, many of these very same titles were directed by The Seventh Curse director Lam Nai Choi who started life in the Hong Kong film industry as a cinematographer in the mid 70s. It was here that he would captured the images for titles such as Carry On Con Men, The Drug Connection, Avenging Eagle, The Kid With A Tattoo, and Rendezvous With Death, before making his directorial debut in 1981 with One Way Only starring Robert Mak and Danny Lee. For the next decade, Lam would continue to shoot many of his own films with Erotic Ghost Story being one of his last and although I've often enjoyed his directorial efforts, I think it's fair to say that Lam Nai Choi isn't the greatest director in the world, with most of his films flawed in one way or another respectively. While the prolific and late Ni Kuang provides the story – as well as making a cameo as himself – the script is written by the aforementioned Wong Jing and Yuen Kai Chi, with the former also making a fun cameo at a party at the beginning of the film. And while we all know very well what talents Wong holds as a writer and director, it's worth noting that Yuen has been credited for writing many of Hong Kong's cinemas finest films including A Chinese Ghost Story, Pedicab Driver, She Shoots Straight, Once Upon A Time In China, Drunken Master 2, and more. That said, The Seventh Curse isn't exactly perfect and still feels a little uneven at times in its story – focusing more on Dr. Yuen rather than the infamous character of Wisely - but it still proves to be highly entertaining.

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Although he had been entertaining audiences for a number of years and was fast becoming a superstar with the success of John Woo's A Better Tomorrow in 1986, Chow Yun Fat took on the smaller role here of popular adventurer Wisely – leaving the leading role for the awesome Chin Siu Ho. Mind you, this was only 1 of 11 roles Chow would star in that year alongside Dream Lovers, The Lunatics, 100 Ways To Murder Your Wife, A Hearty Response, and the aforementioned gangster flick that went on to be one of Chow Yun Fat's most memorable roles ever. Chin Siu Ho, brother of the equally incredible Chin Kar Lok, stars as doctor Yuen Chen – the student of Wisely and hero of the piece. Having made his film debut at the Shaw Brothers studio in the late 70s, appearing in titles such as The Boxer From The Temple, Ten Tigers Of Kwantung and many other Venom titles, Chin went on to star in modern hits such as Mr. Vampire, In The Blood, They Came To Rob Hong Kong, Blonde Fury, New Kids In Town, Fist Of Legend, Tai Chi Master and so much more. Although his career saw somewhat of a lull after the turn-of-the-century, Siu Ho would see a revival of sorts after starring in films like A Battle Of Wits, Let's Go!, Rigor Mortis, Vampire Clean-up Department, and Hand Rolled Cigarette. As Dr. Yuen, Chin does a great job as always and looks fantastic when in action, getting to kick ass a number of times on his adventures as random parts of his body explodes in the search for a cure. The lovely Maggie Cheung joins him for the ride in what would have been her 7th or 8th role after in 2 years after starring in films such as Prince Charming, Police Story, It's A Drink! It's A Bomb! and Rose. She plays a troublesome reporter who insists on joining Yuen no matter what, eventually getting in on the action with disastrous results. The brilliant Dick Wei plays a member of the Worm Tribe who helps the doctor on his quest, while saving his girlfriend along the way and landing some powerful kicks on the enemy as the pair fight side by side in the grand finale. Of course, this wasn't the first time Dick and Chin worked together, with the two of them sharing the screen a number of times during their days at the Shaw Brothers studio. The outrageous Elvis Tsui Kam Kong stars as the witch-doctor of the Worm Tribe, painted-up to add a little more crazy to the character he's playing. Following the same steps as his co-stars, Tsui began his career at the Shaw Brothers studio and starred alongside Maggie the year before in the fun It's A Drink! It's A Bomb! before going on to work with Chow soon after in City On Fire, Tragic Hero, Prison On Fire 2, and God Of Gamblers Returns. If you are watching the uncut Hong Kong version, the film opens with the late Ni Kuang swirling a glass of brandy as he looks into the camera and talks about telling a good story. For some bizarre reason he is surrounded by a host of ladies, each of whom are known as Miss Asia 1986 and include Nina Li Chi, Elsie Chan, Wong Lai Ying, and Shirley Ng in some of their earliest appearances. The author of over 300 stories and 400 screenplays, Ni was the creator of Wisely who brought him to life in many stories and films with stars such as Chow Yun Fat, Sam Hui, and Andy Lau each delivering their own version of the character along with many others over the years. Unfortunately Kuang passed at the start of July (2022) due to skin cancer, leaving behind a legacy of highly regarded literature and film work. The Seventh Curse plays like a who's who of cameos – and mostly from popular Shaw Brothers stars who were just making the transition to modern-action in the mid-80s. These include prolific directors Chor Yuen and Derek Yee, Wong Yu, Kara Hui, Wong Chi Ming, Steve Mak, and others. The great Johnny Wang Lung Wei appears as a bandit leader in the films opening action scene, with the legendary Yasuaki Kurata cameoing as the captain of the police force in charge of stopping him. I also think it would be fair to say that both Chow Yun Fat and Sibelle Hu's roles are more or less extended cameos in the grand scheme of things, and word has it that Joyce Godenzi pops-up briefly in extended Hong Kong cut of the film...

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While The Seventh Curse may be a little uneven at times, there's no denying its entertainment value with a grand collection of martial arts action and gory horror. From deadly forest traps that see people getting spiked through the chest and ripped in half by trees to bloodthirsty skeletons with glowing eyes, it's easy to see why the film fell into the infamous Category 3 genre which will no doubt please 80s horror fans with what's on offer. These moments include those with the flying maggot-like creature that sports a baby's face, and the Pumpkinhead-esque demon - both of which are handled by the wonderful Keizo Murase, a Japanese SFX artist who worked on some of the original Mothra, Godzilla, and Gamera movies, as well as Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters and Mighty Peking Man. And the great Yuen Bun delivers some fantastic action scenes, along with some painful looking stunts that includes a memorable run-in with a jeep that sends one stuntman flying. From the opening fight scene against Johnny Wang Lung Wei and his men, to the many forest fights that see Chin Siu Ho and Dick Wei deliver some powerfully sweet moves, Yuen Bun keeps fans thrilled right to the end with an impressive 20 minute finale that begins on a giant stone Buddha - complete with deadly traps and a small army of kung-fu monks. It's an exciting showdown, backed by a a great score, that reminded me a lot of Cynthia Rothrock's Prince Of The Sun and even Armour Of God to some degree. The fight then moves into the ritual caverns where the team go up against the flying demon, where things really go off the rails and get pretty damn bloody. All in all though, The Seventh Curse is a highly enjoyable piece with plenty to offer and enough craziness to leave a lasting impression. As mentioned, the film has never looked better than it does on the 2K restored Blu-ray released by 88 Films, which offers fans the chance to see both the Hong Kong version and slightly shorter export version with optional audio commentaries. This new print also reveals just how amazingly gorgeous most of the cinematography really is, courtesy of cinematographer Lam Wah Chiu – the same guy behind the lens of titles such as The Golden Lotus, Five Superfighters, The Tigress Of Shaolin, The Peacock King and Demoness From 1000 Years. Supported by lighting director Lau Tit Chi – who honed his craft on Hong Kong horrors like the Hex Trilogy, Bewitched, Corpse Mania, and modern hits such as A Chinese Ghost Story, Peacock King, A Terracotta Warrior, and Blue Jean Monster – the pair deliver a host of memorable visuals that look even more stunning, restored in full HD!

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Overall: Gore-filled fun and action-packed, The Seventh Curse is a wild action-adventure film and a lot of fun!

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88 Films Blu-ray Extras: 2K Restoration, Extended Hong Kong Version & English Import Version, Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng & Marc Walkow, Audio Commentary by Mike Leeder & Arne Venema, Interview with Chin Siu Ho, Patricia Wong on The Seventh Curse, Trailers

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Universe DVD Extras: Trailers, Stars Bio's

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Watch my unboxing video of this 88 Films release HERE

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