The Dead and the Deadly

"Ren xia ren" (1982), also known as "Human Lanterns," is a peculiar blend of martial arts, horror, and drama that showcases both the creativity and excess of Hong Kong cinema in the early 1980s. Directed by Wu Ma, this film offers a unique viewing experience that, while flawed, manages to leave a lasting impression.

Set in ancient China, the story revolves around a rivalry between two wealthy men, Tan Fu and Lung Shu Ai, who compete to create the most beautiful lantern for an upcoming festival. Their competition takes a dark turn when they enlist the help of Chao Chun-Fang, a skilled lantern maker with a sinister secret. Chao, seeking revenge for past humiliations, begins crafting lanterns from human skin, leading to a series of gruesome murders.

Wu Ma's direction is ambitious, if not always successful. He attempts to balance elements of traditional wuxia films with horror tropes, creating a unique atmosphere that sets "Ren xia ren" apart from more conventional martial arts movies of the era. The film's visual style is often striking, with vivid colors and imaginative set designs that enhance the otherworldly feel of the story.

Chen Kuan-tai delivers a standout performance as Chao Chun-Fang, the vengeful lantern maker. His portrayal of a man driven to madness by his desire for revenge is both chilling and oddly sympathetic, providing the emotional core of the film. Chen's ability to shift between calm craftsman and deranged killer is particularly impressive and contributes significantly to the film's unsettling tone.

One of the most memorable scenes in the film involves Chao's workshop, where he creates his macabre lanterns. The sequence is a masterclass in building tension, with Wu Ma using clever camera work and lighting to suggest the horrific nature of Chao's work without resorting to excessive gore. This scene encapsulates the film's ability to create horror through implication rather than explicit violence.

The martial arts sequences in "Ren xia ren" are competently choreographed, though they sometimes feel at odds with the horror elements of the film. When they do work, however, they add an extra layer of excitement to the proceedings, particularly in the film's climactic confrontation.

Despite its strengths, "Ren xia ren" is not without significant flaws. The pacing can be uneven, with long stretches of dialogue and character development interrupted by sudden bursts of action or horror. This inconsistency can make the film feel disjointed at times, potentially alienating viewers expecting a more traditional martial arts or horror experience.

The film's treatment of its female characters is problematic by modern standards, with women often relegated to roles as victims or objects of desire. While this was not uncommon in films of this era and genre, it does detract from the overall quality of the narrative.

The special effects, while ambitious for their time, have not aged particularly well. Some of the more fantastical elements of the story are undercut by unconvincing practical effects, which may take modern viewers out of the experience.

For fans of martial arts cinema looking for something off the beaten path, or horror enthusiasts interested in exploring the genre's manifestations in different cultures, "Ren xia ren" offers an intriguing, if flawed, viewing experience. Chen Kuan-tai's performance and Wu Ma's creative direction provide enough highlights to make the film worth seeking out for cinephiles interested in the more obscure corners of Hong Kong cinema. While it may not reach the heights of the best examples of either the martial arts or horror genres, "Ren xia ren" remains a fascinating cultural artifact that demonstrates the willingness of Hong Kong filmmakers to push boundaries and blend genres in unexpected ways.

The excellent physical humour of Sammo Hung really comes through in this supernatural comedy of escalating errors. Complicated, or if you like to say messy plotting thick with a conspiracy narrative (which as a viewer you're in on it watching Sammo's Fat boy trying to put the pieces together of his friend's death - Wu Ma. Then finding himself in an even worse predicament). This is where the laughs are centred around. Eventually it does change course in the last half hour where the over-top-eccentrics meets the atmospheric spirit world. Cartoonish fx, glowing greens and levitating objects. That's when the imagination comes into the picture. After somewhat of a less interesting set-up. The film's energy sorta comes and goes, and it's noticeable whenever Sammo is not on screen. Some scenes can linger on too long. As for hoping for some martial arts. It had its moments. Cue in the slow motion, but mainly its put on the back burner in favour of the buffoonery and last minute FX.

this movie was funny at times and the few fight scenes were actually well-done. one of the things i really liked about this movie was its strange and original story line. if you are into strange comedy movies, check this one out.

I figured that this film wasn't as known or popular as Spooky Encounters from the number of votes this film had got, compared to the previous one. I hope we'll get to see a proper bluray release of this film, because there are parts in it that really deserves to be seen by fans of Sammo Hung as well as the HK Horror Comedy subgenre, especially the part where Sammo is dressed up as a doll and also Uncle (Ching-Ying Lam) is carried by ghosts through the town.

One thing however that drag this film down compared to Spooky Encounters is the directing, this time it's actor/director Wu Ma instead of Sammo and it's very noticeable, the film is lighter in tone and much more silly. I have no idea why Wu Ma's character in the film needed to have such a large prosthetic nose, I was sure that by any time during the film the nose would get pulled off and reveal someone in disguise, but no. The film follow a similar narration as Spooky Encounters with a "scary" intro and then followed by a typical ghost story narration with The first night, the second night and so on. Wu Ma's big nosed character take up way too much time with this story too when I think most people rather want to follow what Sammo's character is up to. It was typical of the 80s HK films to always have an irritating/dumb character, which always have been the part I disliked most.

Sadly this film wasn't as focused and took many strange paths that made me confused over the whole plot of the film, fake death turned into murder followed by haunting and then possession and then accidental death and soon I wasn't sure who was the bad guy any more, what happened with the pregnant bride? The plot takes a U-turn towards the third act and we got to see a lot more of Sammo's love interest and what was closest to a ghost story where she was protecting the corpse from "Death Guards". The design of these costumes they were wearing looked awful, like a B-film version of E.T. - they looked more like dumb aliens than something from the underground. The animaton of the guards harass the girl also felt a bit off - the way the green spirits of the ghosts moved reminded me of the early Disney Silly Symphony short films, I would probably have loved this really much as a child.

Still, there's a couple of amazing fight scenes throughout the film that Sammo, Yuen Biao, Ching-Ying Lam and Billy Chan choreographed. So even if the plot is all over the place, I would still recommend it for the special effects and martial art.

What the hell is this all about? Here's a choice cut of dialogue "you have to catch him, then wrap him in, turn around, (whispers) a sanitary towel!" What? I think that they make these things up as they go along!