88 Films UK Blu-ray Synopsis: Martial arts action icon Donnie Yen (John Wick: Chapter Four, Ip Man) plays Cheung, a kung fu fighting Chinese Indiana Jones forced to taken on the challenge of an ancient supernatural foe, Ken Lo (Drunken Master II) is our hero's nemesis as he tries to protect a magically empowered tribal princess (Pauline Yeung, Dragons Forever). Cheung must also contend with Sgt. Hu, a Hong Kong lady cop determined to crack the same case (Sibelle Hu, The Inspector Wears Skirts). Shot mainly on exotic Thai locations, The Holy Virgin Versus The Evil Dead is a fast-paced genre-blending mix of fierce Hong Kong fistfights and over-the-top horror flick effects. (93 Mins)

 

Eastern Heroes UK VHS Synopsis: During a mid-autumn festival night, a university lecturer Mr. Sword Sheung (Donnie Yen) and a few of his female students go to the beach for a picnic. Their tranquillity however is destroyed by the arrival of a terrifying force from the dark universe. Using strange and cold blooded martial arts skills the killer wounds Sword Sheung and rapes and kills his girl students. It now remains for Sword Sheung to pursue the nocturnal killer and enter the world of black magic and evil ceremonies in order to vanquish his foe. An excellent and unique blend of fantasy, horror and action with a twist of Eastern erotica. A definite must see for those tempted by the Category III label and who like their Hong Kong films well over the edge... (90 Mins)

 

Views: Released in Hong Kong cinemas for only one week in June of 1991, the outrageous and wildly entertaining Holy Virgin Vs The Evil Dead has long been ignored as an worthwhile piece of Donnie Yen's ever growing, and globally celebrated filmography. While on a nighttime barbecue with his female students, professor Sheung Chin Fei becomes the only survivor of a vicious attack. The attacker is the blood-hungry Moon Monster who brutally rapes each of the girls before tearing them apart, limb from limb. Hounded by Hong Kong police officers and blamed for their murders, Sheung makes it his mission to hunt down the real killer, no matter what it takes. Along with his his brother, estranged wife, and the cop she is sleeping with, the team head to Cambodia in search of the High Wind Tribe who have been attacked by the Moon Monster for over 1000 years. Assisted by the tribe leader's daughter and her magical sword, they soon come face to face with the bloody beast in a fight to the death!

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It's worth noting that, during production, there were two versions of Holy Virgin Vs The Evil Dead shot for different territories – one for the more conservative audience that saw most of the actresses keep their clothes on, and the other more extreme version full of violence and sex that would find it slapped with the infamous Hong Kong film rating of Category 3. But what more would you expect from a campy soft porn-action horror with a title like that?

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Delivered under the Cheung Yau Martial Arts Direction Company and the T& M International Film Company, independent production companies who were also behind exciting femme fatale action flicks such as Dreaming The Reality, Mission Of Justice, The Big Deal, and The Lady Punisher. Of course, many of those titles would also come from popular director Tony Lou Chun Ku – the talented actor/writer/director who made his debut in 1974 with The Black Dragon starring Ron Van Clief and Jason Pai Piao, with its sequel following soon after. A number of fun independent hits such as The Dragon & Tiger Kids, Tiger Over Wall, and Toothless Vampires would follow before Lou got the chance to direct a few memorable titles for the Shaw Brothers studios such as The Lady Assassin, Holy Flame Of The Martial World, Bastard Swordsman, Return Of The Bastard Swordsman, Secret Service Of The Imperial Court, and How To Choose A Royal Bride. But as the studio found itself coming to a close with film production, Lou found a new lease of life in the girls-with-guns sub-genre of Hong Kong action cinema. Often starring the amazing Moon Lee, Yukari Oshima, and Sibelle Hu, Tony Lou would deliver memorable flicks such as Killer Angels, Devil Hunters, Dreaming The Reality, Mission Of Justice, The Big Deal, and Angel Terminators 2 as well as many others. Joining him as the films' presenter, executive director, and action-choreographer, is his regular cohort and film journeyman Tsui Fat – director of the underrated 13 Cold Blooded Eagles and martial arts director of many, as well as making an appearance in over 150 films including this one as the white-suited villain and evil priest in the grand finale. Between them, Lou and Fat deliver yet another crazy adventure full of wild set-pieces, insane ideas, outrageous effects, and exciting martial arts action!

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Shot mainly in exotic Thailand and bearing some similarities to The Seventh Curse starring Chin Siu Ho and Chow Yun Fat, the film's script was provided by Lee Ho Kwan, a recognisable face who also appears here as the challenging young tribesman who fights the Princess to win her hand in marriage. Aside from writing and appearing, Lee would also serve as the assistant director to Tony Lou and Tsui Fat, a role he would achieve on most of their team-ups such as Fire Phoenix, Dreaming The Reality, The Mighty Gambler, The Dragon Fighter, and Mission Of Justice – most of which he also wrote along with Lou's fantastic Angel Terminators 2 which would also be his last. Holy Virgin Vs The Evil Dead would be the 8th film role for superstar Donnie Yen, or 11th if you count his roles in television shows such as The Crime File, Flying Squads, and File Noir. Of course, fans had already been impressed with his performances in films like Drunken Tai Chi, Tiger Cage 1 & 2, In The Line Of Duty 4, and even lesser appreciated titles such as Mismatched Couples, Crystal Hunt, and TV movie The Last Conflict alongside the wonderful Stephen Chow Sing Chi. While not it may not be considered as one of his greatest moments, Donnie does a fantastic job as the fast kicking teacher of vengeance, oozing the same energy and coolness as seen in most of his productions around this time. He is joined by a couple more super-kickers in the shape of Ben Lam and Ken Lo – two members of the Jackie Chan Stunt Team who have become action movie legends in their own right...

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Having starred in 19 films prior to this including Chan flicks such as Heart Of The Dragon, Police Story 1 & 2, and Project A 2, Ben Lam quickly became a fan favourite with his good looks and impressive martial-arts skills. With more prominent roles in films such as Long Arm Of The Law 2, I Love Maria, A Punch To Revenge, and Dreaming The Reality, Lam would next co-star with Yen in Donnie's awesome directional debut, Legend Of The Wolf, in 1997 and 10 years later again in Flash Point before their latest pairing in the late Benny Chan's fantastic Raging Fire. Of course, I can't forget that they both made an appearance in Wong Jing's fun action-comedy, The Saint Of Gamblers, back in 1995. Here, Lam stars as the tough-as-nails-cop that is now dating Yen's ex-wife; proving to be on par with the main star and just as impressive with his action skills. Ken Lo, however, whose filmography triples that of his Stunt Team co-star, has shared the screen many times with everyone involved such as with Donnie Yen in Crystal Hunt; an exciting action-adventure that was shot alongside this in 1991. He would join Yen again the following year for the action-packed Cheetah On Fire then later again in Circus Kids. Although he would work with both him and Jackie behind the scenes on Shanghai Knights, it would be a good 25 years before we would see Yen, Lam and Lo cast together again in the aforementioned Raging Fire – which is highly recommended. Here, Ken plays the brutal and blood-thirsty Moon Monster; a role he delivers brilliantly blending brutality with campiness, while firing off some impressive kicks and moves that never fails to entertain.

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Shaw Brothers star Robert Mak joins the team, starring as Donnie's younger brother. While he never did reach leading man status in modern-day Hong Kong action cinema, Mak is always a joy to watch and still gets to partake in the wild action. They are joined by Drunken Master co-star and fight director Hsu Hsia, brother to Tsui Fat and a legend of martial arts cinema in his own right with over 180 films to his name and director of films such as Lion Vs Lion, Kid From Kwantung, Ghosts Galore, Thunder Run, and Donnie's aforementioned Crystal Hunt along with his brother Tsui. Here, Hsu plays the master of the High Wind Tribe and father to the ass-kicking princess, here, played with grace by the wonderful Pauline Yeung. Having only been on the scene for a few years prior to Holy Virgin Vs The Evil Dead, it's fair to say that fans of Hong Kong cinema would mostly connect Yeung Bo Ling with her role in the awesome Dragons Forever. However, soon after that, she would share the screen with a young Donnie Yen in the popular television show Flying Squads for a moment. As the princess of the Cambodian High Wind Tribe, Yeung impresses on the action front, aided by wires and stunt-doubles to allow for a more fantastical watch. It's also worth noting that Yeung also lends her vocal talents to the catchy theme song that accompanies the film. Balancing out the girls corner is the lovely and late Kathy Chow who plays the museum curator, the feisty Chui Hei Man who stars as Donnie's ex-wife and Lam's never lover, and the ever reliable Sibelle Hu in yet another cop role that, unfortunately, is kept out of the action this time and provides more of a guest-star role.

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Although it may be wild and bloody with some crass SFX by today's standards, Holy Virgin Vs The Evil Dead still delivers plenty of gorgeous Thai locations and comic book visuals captured by prolific cinematographer Wong Chit – the man behind over 180 movies that began back in the early 1950s and included many incredible Shaw Brothers titles including the 14 Amazons, Killer Clans, Clans Of Intrigue, Shaolin Prince, Demon Of The Lute, and more. After making his move into modern action with the aforementioned Seventh Curse, Wong would join forces with director Tony Lou and would see his career out shooting his films such as The Haunted Madam, Killer Angels, Dreaming The Reality, Mission Of Justice, The Big Deal, Angel Terminators 2, and The Lady Punisher among others. And while it may seem a little off-kilter for Donnie Yen around this time – a sex filled, violent, over-the-top, brutal, kick-boxing supernatural horror, Holy Virgin Vs The Evil Dead still proves to be one of his most entertaining pieces from the 1990s. And although it would be the only Cat. 3 movie of this type on his filmography, we can't forget that Yen would dip his toes back in only a few years later with his role in the stylish and underrated Wong Jing thriller, Satan Returns; a film that – had they really thought about it – would have made for the perfect sequel in the journey of Yen's kick-ass and super cool teacher. Regardless, this comic book action-horror is definitely one of a kind for the actor, and a far cry from what this global superstar of action cinema is starring in today!

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Overall: Wild and brutal with fast-paced martial-arts action, Holy Virgin Vs The Evil Dead screams early 90s Hong Kong cinema and totally entertains!

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88 Films Blu-ray Extras: Extended Uncut Cat. 3 version, Interviews with Lee Ho Kwan & Robert Mak

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