When it comes to weird, few people did it as weird as Hong Kong horror in the 1980s. Teleport City closes out our Rubber Soul contributions with David’s look at…
The Seventh Curse
If you’ll pardon my very clumsy analogy, The Seventh Curse is a bit like the blood curse in the movie. Once you have seen this film, it slowly infects your whole body, and while your veins don’t explode, there is a certain amount of ‘verbal’ eruption. I have told so many people about this film since I have seen it. I just want to infect everyone with it’s dynamic exuberance. And I hope by reading this review, that some of that ‘infection’ has rubbed off on you. If you haven’t seen The Seventh Curse, track down a copy, switch on your lava lamp, pull up your candy coloured beanbag, pour yourself a decent measure of Scotch (you’re gonna need it) and prepare to be thoroughly entertained!
#1 by The Rev. D.D. on May 13, 2008 - 10:45 am
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I will always be indebted to Dr. Freex for leading me to this movie. It’s Evil Dead II with kung fu and Chow Yun Fat. I adore it.
I mean, really, it has something for just about everyone: gore, kung fu fights, “man in a suit”, humor light and dark (admittedly it doesn’t always work), one of the biggest “Oh. My. GOD.” moments in cinema (made even more so when you realize its connection to an earlier little detail), Chow in a tux (right Ms. Kingsley?), Chow with a rocket launcher, and (sweet Jeebus) Sau-Lai Tsui in a cheesecloth shirt popping out of a river.
And, if you’re lucky, those riotous subtitles as the icing on the cake.
Truly a movie to inflict on friends with pride, joy, and absolutely no remorse.
#2 by Blake Matthews on May 13, 2008 - 12:16 pm
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I remember reading about this in “Asian Cult Cinema” and trying to compare reviews of this one with “Story of Ricky” to decide which one was more graphic. I’ve seen clips from it and Yuen Bun’s (The Blade, Running on Karma) choreography wasn’t bad.
#3 by hman on May 13, 2008 - 12:18 pm
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I remember reading about this in “Asian Cult Cinema” and trying to compare reviews of this one with “Story of Ricky” to decide which one was more graphic. I’ve seen clips from it and Yuen Bun’s (The Blade, Once Upon a Time in China IV and V) choreography wasn’t bad.
#4 by Todd on May 13, 2008 - 12:31 pm
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“I remember reading about this in “Asian Cult Cinema” and trying to compare reviews of this one with “Story of Ricky” to decide which one was more graphic.”
I’m glad to see that people here are seeking to make informed, sober decisions about how to best spend their graphically violent insane Hong Kong movie entertainment dollars.
(BTW, I think “Ricky” still beats “The Seventh Curse” on that scale, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen either of them.)
#5 by KeithA on May 13, 2008 - 1:42 pm
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Ricky lacks the outlandish sexual aspects of 7th Curse, but it makes up for that by having a guy get his eyeball slapped out then use his own large intestine to strangle another guy.
Plus, for a while, it was the most popular animated gif on the internet.
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/4014/gross4qm.gif
#6 by Todd on May 13, 2008 - 2:28 pm
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You know, now that you mention it, you’re right. For a Cat III film, The Story of Ricky is bizarrely chaste.
#7 by The Rev. D.D. on May 14, 2008 - 10:16 am
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I will always be indebted to Dr. Freex for turning me onto this film. I adore it.
And what with the gore, kung fu and stuntwork, comedy both light and dark (not always successful, I grant you), monster muppets and skeleton puppets, man in a suit (on wires no less), weird sex stuff, giggling antagonist, Chow in a tux (right Lyz?), Chow with a rocket launcher, and (sweet Jeebus) Sau-Lai Tsui popping out of a river in nothing but a cheesecloth shirt, it’s got something for everyone! And if you’ve got the version with the crazy dubbing, that’s just the icing on the cake.
Truly a movie to inflict on everyone you know with absolutely no remorse.
I mean, absolutely no reason to feel remorse.
I know we inflict movies on others with no remorse, but that’s due to the nature of our sickness. We’re like a pack of Sadakos, really.
#8 by lyzard on May 14, 2008 - 8:06 pm
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Sigh.
#9 by The Rev. D.D. on May 15, 2008 - 10:51 am
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I thought I was finally going to see Story of Ricky, but the place I saw it at sold its copy before I could afford it, damn it all.
Worse, they actually seem to have sold their copies of Warning From Space and Violent $#!+ 2 and 3, which I could not imagine being sold before I got to them.
At least I was able to pick up a decently-priced copy of D-Wars and a film I’ve only read one review of, and that was from our beloved Mad Scientist from Down Under, which means she will be solely to thank.
Or blame.
#10 by lyzard on May 15, 2008 - 8:48 pm
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Uh-oh. I hardly dare ask.
#11 by The Rev. D.D. on May 16, 2008 - 11:21 pm
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I think it’s more likely to be “thank.” I haven’t reread the review lately, but I recall it being along the lines of, “Some wasted potential, quite a few unfilled plot holes, but not that bad all things considered.”
I’ll simply say my deep interest in world mythology is the main driving force in wanting to see it, and leave it at that.