THE NINE DEMONS
(九子天魔)
dir. Chang Cheh, 1984
Hong Kong/Taiwan. 99 min.
In Mandarin with English subtitles.

TUESDAY, MAY 7 – 7:30 PM
SATURDAY, MAY 11 – 10 PM
FRIDAY, MAY 17 – MIDNIGHT
SUNDAY, MAY 26 – 7:30 PM

A young martial artist journeys to the underworld where he sells his soul to the devil for supernatural powers, in the form of a chain of skulls containing nine ravenous demons willed to do his bidding. He vows to use these powers to avenge the death of his father and see his house restored to order, but soon learns that with this great power comes an insatiable thirst for blood.

A criminally underseen masterpiece and the most ambitious of Chang’s independent features. The film is a loose adaptation of the tale of Faust adopting characteristics of traditional Chinese folk horror and jiangshi fiction, filtered through the aesthetics of Peking opera, and teeming with brutal, bloody action. The horror and opera elements that began took shape in his later Shaw releases like HEAVEN AND HELL (1980), THE SWORD STAINED WITH ROYAL BLOOD (1981), and FIVE ELEMENT NINJAS (1982), arrive here fully formed, giving the distinct impression of a filmmaker taking full advantage of his newfound creative freedom. Combined with the superb practical effects and stellar fight choreography— once again courtesy of the trio of Lu, Chaing, and Cheng— the film a must watch for fans of kung fu, horror, opera, and everything in between.