The Oily Maniac (1976)
"You gui zi" (original title)

A cripple takes revenge on criminals by using a magic spell that transforms him into an oily monster/superhero.

Director:

Meng Hua Ho

Writer:

Lam Chua

Stars:

Ping Chen, Tien Lung Chen, Alan Chui Chung San

Cast

Credited cast:
Ping Chen	...	Lin Chung Yue
Tien Lung Chen
Alan Chui Chung San
Hsia Hsu
Lun Hua
Pei Chi Huang
Feng Ku	...	Lin Yang Ba (Chung Yue's father)
Chiu Lee
Danny Lee	...	Shen Yuan (as Li Hsiu-hsien)
Sau Kei Lee
Lily Li	...	Xiao Ly
Wen-wei Lin
Hui-Ling Liu
Terry Liu
Tsun Liu

Storyline

A cripple takes revenge on criminals by using a magic spell that transforms him into an oily monster/superhero.

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Plot Keywords:

spell | magic spell | monster | execution | covered in oil | 

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Genres:

Horror

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Details

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

18 September 1976 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

The Oily Maniac

Filming Locations:

Malaysia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shaw Brothers

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

References Jaws (1975)

User Reviews

So bad it's great!

I saw this Meng Hua Ho's film "Oily Maniac" (You gui zi, 1976) few days ago then and I loved it. It is a terrible film but it's so bad that it's good.

The main character is a gribble named Shen Yuan (Danny Lee) who works for a slimy prosecutor. Job is terrible and relationship with the girl he's loved since childhood is not working. Then one day Shen's friend accidentally stabs a man to death and is sentenced to be executed in half an hour (talk about a legal system!). As his last wish the man asks Shen to copy a tattoo from his back that is supposed to be a spell that Shen's father, who was a shaman, put there (why he did so, is never revealed). Later on as Shen curses how bad his life is he remembers the spell. As a part of the spell you must dig a hole in the middle of your house. Good thing Shen doesn't live in a storehouse or any decent looking house either, so the digging is pretty easy. When the spell is completed Shen turns into Oily Maniac, a super powerful monster. After done the spell the first time Shen can turn to Oily Maniac by washing himself with oil. Shen decides to use his powers to kill all the bad people in the world (or in the neighborhood area at least).

The monster in this film, Oily Maniac, is one of the most cheapest and ridiculous looking film monsters ever: dressed in black overalls and with yellow eyes. His movements sometimes are so slow and clumsy that he resembles a turtle on his back (which makes other actors panicked reactions all the more hilarious). Oily Maniac also only has one roar that then is repeated over and over again. He can also turn to a puddle of oil that can move under doors (some of the worst special effects I have ever seen!) and when he moves he is accompanied by a rip-off music from "Jaws".

This film is just about as bad as it can be, but if you watch it with humor then you'll be rewarded with great laughs. The illogical plot alone would make me smile any day, but when the film is also added with bad special effects, self-ironic acting and a decent amount of nudity (I imagine the film is mainly directed for guys) the result was truly enjoyable. Not to mention that not all of the humor in the film was accidental: the court room scene was obviously meant for laughs and works perfectly.

Want to see a film so bad you won't believe it? Want to have great laughs at the expense of cheap movie? Want to see a clumsy monster killing a rapist and then decently covering the unconscious victim's breasts? If so then "Oily Maniac" is your film!!!