Xie mo (1981)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Jen Chieh Chang

Writer:

Pak Sang Luk (writer)

Release Date:

6 May 1981 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

A hideously ugly witch casts spells on her victims which turns their insides into snakes and worms. |

Plot Keywords:

Witch | Spell | Snake | Supernatural | Occult

Cast

Hung Lieh Chen
Mei Hua Chen
Shao Tung Chou
Wai Hung Ho
Wen-pin Liu
Yin-shang Liu
Pin Lo
Di Ou
Yuan Shen
Ming Tien
Bao Yu Wang

Also Known As:

Devil's Express (USA) (DVD box title)
The Devil (Hong Kong: English title)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

Hong Kong | Taiwan

Language:

Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Ultra-gross Chinese horror includes worm-puking

Unrelentingly bizarre Hong Kong horror movie about an ancient curse which causes victims to vomit worms, maggots and slime. There's a rather convoluted murder mystery as well, but who cares about that? It's gore you want to see and its gore that you get--and it's some of the messiest ever to ooze across the screen. There are several scenes of ascending repulsiveness in which a victim flails on the ground as (real) worms, maggots, centipedes, eels, slime, blood and pus erupt from their mouths and skin. It's even more disgusting than it sounds. But the strangest thing about this movie is how light and cheery it is between the puking scenes. People laugh, ride through the park, go to the movies together, and there's an obnoxiously spunky little bellboy named Ding Dong (!). And, of course, there's the ridiculous dubbing job which is sure to annihilate any hint of scariness or atmosphere. There's a creepy opening in which a woman is mugged and has her face bashed in with a rock, followed by a scene in which a witch cuts open a sick man's stomach and scoops out all the maggots and worms infesting his guts. Yuck. After that, the aforementioned happy-go-lucky nonsense kicks in, and we have to wait a while for the next bout of nastiness. Be prepared to fast-forward through the incoherent plot and inane dialogue, but if you're a fan of Asian horror with a concentration on worm-puking, this is the movie for you. Worthy of note is the fact that a muzak version of Billy Joel's "The Stranger" plays during a bar scene.