Erotic Nightmare
Sex and guilt often go hand in hand like young
lovers and no more so than in this edgy Molotov cocktail mix of a film
that straddles the line between being a mystic horror film and being a
perverse Japanese sex and fetish film. The director Steven Cheng (Troublesome
Night, Horoscope I & II) mixes all these elements together to create
a fast paced, erotically charged thriller that becomes quite involving
as the film progresses. The film breaks down almost into two acts – the
first focuses on sex, blood and guilt, the second on revenge. Both in their
own way are quite satisfactory.
As the film opens one senses immediately that
this is not your ordinary HK horror film – as Anthony Wong walks into a
doctors office and the camera pans over to the nurse behind the counter
performing fellatio on someone. The camera then ducks down and goes around
the desk to shoot up the nurse’s skirt. Wong acts as if nothing is askew
and walks blankly into the doctor’s office where the female doctor and
the nurse then seduce him. But before Wong can consummate this opportunity,
the doctor shows him a police badge and arrests him. Wong wakes up shivering
out of his wet dream to find himself lying next to his wife.
Wong is just your every day ordinary businessman
in this film that for no clear reason terrible things begin happening to.
His wife suffers from a heart condition and so is unable to participate
in sex – leading to Wong’s nightly release – but his love for his wife
and guilt over his dreams prevents him from ever consummating them. Another
time he is interrupted when a principal comes after his manhood with a
large pair of cutting shears. One day a magician comes to Wong and offers
to provide Wong with beautiful dreams. Wong eventually accepts and begins
having erotic dreams with a young school girl. These scenes are quite graphic
in nature and I am not really sure if Cheng is making fun of the school
uniform fetish genre or playing into it. The actress – Kei Heung – is amazing
though as the nymphet that Wong can’t say no to – as she metamorphasizes
from schoolgirl innocence into man eating succumbus and her smile changes
from shy and sweet into one of an evil demon.
Once Wong finally finishes the sex act though
– and breaks the Lolita taboo - things start going horribly badly – as
his dog loses its head and his mother gets mutilated and stuffed into a
box while he was asleep. The dream maker (Ng Ting Yip – in a wonderfully
malicious performance) has gained control of Wong through his dreams and
his desires and is out to take everything from him.
Ng's battered wife Pinky Cheung is frightened
to death of him – and later is instrumental in fighting him. What a grueling
performance Pinky gives here as she is constantly beaten and tortured –
but how sweet is her revenge. In a later duel of dreams – where staying
awake means staying alive – she quietly sings a soft lullaby to Ng – a
perfect moment.
This is clearly not a film for everyone’s taste
– not normally my own – but Cheng does a terrific job of pulling you into
this bizarre blood soaked supernatural tale and makes it thoroughly entertaining.
My rating for this film: 7.5
DVD Information:
Distributor - China Star
Chapters - 6
The transfer is terrific for what was clearly
a low budget film.
Letterbox
No trailers, previews, star files
Subs -English, Chinese and None
Subs are quite easy to read