88 Films UK Blu-ray Synopsis: IT HAS RETURNED! A decade after Cheng Shu-ching was possessed and killed by a demon, it comes back to claim the rest of her family – in the most unpleasant ways possible. The only way to defeat it is with traditional Taoist magic, but that will prove harder than they realise. A maximalist Hong Kong horror in the tradition of The Boxer's Omen and Black Magic, Devil Fetus blends extreme imagery with esoteric lore for something a bit wilder than western horror movies. 88 Films are proud to present a true classic of Asian fantasy cinema on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK. (92 Mins)

 

Fortune Star HK VCD Synopsis: The Cheng, a rich family, deals with business about real estate in Hong Kong. During the Ghost Festival, senior Mrs. Cheng's second daughter-in-law bought an old jade from her highest bid at an auction sale. However, she changed a lot after that. One night when her husband returned without informing her, he found her making love with a monster that later turned out to be a creature from the jade. He broke the jade into pieces angrily and his body rotten after the dense smoke disappeared. He then jumped out of the window and died. When his wife also committed suicide on the seventh day of his death, the senior Mrs. Cheng got a wizard to have an enchantment in order to release the souls from suffering. During the enchantment, the wizard found out the woman was pregnant with an evil fetus. Fearing this might bring misfortune, he asked them to cover the coffin with yellow charms and warned them not to touch or move any charms within the coming 12 years. 11 years later, when the grandson Kwok Kuen and his girlfriend Ngon come back to the old house to pick up the senior Mrs. Cheng, they enter his uncle's room as Hgon is curious at those charms. The charms are moved and strange things come to pass one by one from then on... (89 Mins)

 

Views: As the gates of hell open during a Hungry Ghost Festival in Hong Kong, a woman attends a street auction with her mother-in-law – eventually leaving with a phallic jade vase that is said to bring wealth and luck to anyone that owns it. But once home, the young woman starts to get frisky with her new ornament, rubbing the jade vase around her body that soon draws out a grotesque green, white-haired demon that lives within it. As the days pass and her time with the vase becomes more frequent, the woman's mood shifts, turning her into angry, horny mess. But things soon take a turn for the worst when her husband returns home early to catch her in the act. In a fit of anger, he snatches the vase and smashes it on the floor, causing an explosion of smoke that turns his skin mouldy and demon-like within seconds. Scared, her husband throws himself out of the bedroom window! As the family grieve their loss, a cat causes the widow to fall over the upper banister- falling to her death as her husband had done before her. But it is only at their funeral does a Taoist priest recognise that the deceased woman is pregnant with the demon's baby. Sealing her coffin with charms and spells, he warns the family – mother-in-law, sister-in-law and nephews – not to break the seal for 12 years to allow for reincarnation to occur. But 11 years later, when the nephews have grown and while visiting grandmother Cheng, break the very seal they were to stay away from. Naturally, all hell breaks loose and the Demon returns to finish off the Cheng family!

​

I'm not really even going to get into what comes next – as Devil Fetus has so much madness and horror to offer, it wouldn't be fair for me to ruin it for you. Produced by the prolific Lo Wei – director of many Shaw Brothers classics as well as Bruce Lee hits The Big Boss (1971) and Fist of Fury (1972) as well as Jackie Chan's New Fist of Fury (1976), Shaolin Wooden Men (1976), To Kill With Intrigue (1977), Magnificent Bodyguards (1978), Spiritual Kung Fu (1978) and Dragon Fist (1979), not to mention Jimmy Wang Yu titles like A Man Called Tiger (1973), The Tattooed Dragon (1973) and Seaman No.7 (1973) – Devil Fetus is one of 50 productions under his name and was the directorial debut of Lau Hung Chuen, a cinematographer-turned-director who lensed films such as Tsui Hark's We're Going To Eat You (1980), Taylor Wong's Return Of The Deadly Blade (1981), John Woo's Plain Jane To The Rescue (1982), Ching Siu Tung's Duel To The Death (1982), Iron Angels (1987) and 90s hits like Queen's High (1991), Undeclared War (1990), Full Contact (1992) and Thunderbolt (1995) among many others. Of course, Lau would handle that very same job here on Devil Fetus alongside his directional duties, which would explain why it does look quite nice. He would follow this up with The Ghost Informer (1984) and a couple more before attempting to remake A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) in 1991 with A Chinese Legend – ironically starring Joey Wong, Wu Ma, and Jacky Cheung who all appeared Tsui Hark's originals. It's also worth noting that both of these Lau Hung Chuen titles were also produced by Lo Wei as was his next one, Her Judgement Day (1993). His final film was in 1996 with Louis Koo's drama, Those Were The Days, which would also see Lau retire from the industry once and for all.

​

I always found it interesting that, given the career and pulling power Lo Wei had at this stage, Devil Fetus never really had any bigger stars involved in it. Instead, we get little known Taiwanese actress Shirley Lui, Shaw Brothers performer and prolific actor Lau Dan, Hsu Meng Kuang, Chin Yung Hsiang,and an extended cameo from the fantastic Ho Pak Kwong; an incredibly recognisable face of Hong Kong cinema and an actor with 490 film credits to his name – which is just amazing! Of course, the main leading man is none-other than the handsome Eddie Chen who had only just won the Golden Horse Award for his performance in Alex Cheung's Man on the Brink in 1981. Going onto star in films such as Energetic 21 (1982), The Accident (1983), Law With Two Phases (1984) and The Story of Dr. Sun Yat Sen (1986) among many others, Chen stepped away from the film industry in the late 1980s and made the move to the USA. Over 25 years later, his old friend and director, Alex Cheung, convinced him to come out of retirement with Eddie going on to appear in Port of Call (2015), The Fallen (2019), and the fantastic Where The Wind Blows (2022) alongside Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung.

​

But viewers didn't come here for the cast, let's be honest! Devil Fetus is in most peoples players because of the gore value, the shock horror, the outrageous nonsense and practical effects that are involved – and then some. And while there really isn't a lot of screen time with the titular fetus, we all get the gist that hell has come home and this particular demon loves to rape, murder and rape some more. But it is the practical effects and camerawork that really help brings these moments to life, with director Lau utilising colour, shadows and handheld shots to keep you watching. As mentioned before, Devil Fetus is far from perfect, but for a low budget debut film it certainly entertains. Although I've had this on VCD from Hong Kong for some time already, I was really surprised to see it get a Blu-ray release both in the UK and North America (by Vinegar Syndrome) and love what 88 Films have put together for it's release. I've never seen the film look better which helped make this viewing of Devil Fetus, the most enjoyable to date!

​

Overall: Crazy and dated it may be, but Devil Fetus is a fun indie horror that entertains without taking itself too seriously!

​

88 Films Blu-ray Extras: 2K Restoration, Audio Commentary by David West, Excerpts from Alternate Version, Trailer, Stills Gallery

​​

Watch my unboxing video for the 88 Films release HERE

​​

Support the website by getting your copy HERE