Trash Menagerie

Dir. Herman Yau Being a fan of splatter movies, more than any other genre, seems to invite people to demand an explanation as to one’s enjoyment of them. No one will roll their eyes at you for watching a period drama, no one will think your sick or depraved for seeing the latest comic book movie, and romantic comedies seem to always squeak by as a guilty pleasure. Even more mainstream horror movies will get a pass if they’re “artsy” enough. But many people still seem to have this puritanical aversion to gore films and the people who enjoy them. I can’t really explain why I like gore movies. Maybe it helps me process my anxieties regarding death. Maybe I find it cathartic to see such extreme displays of bodily carnage. In any case, I don’t need to explain it to you. I like em’ and that’s reason enough. With that out of the way, Ebola Syndrome is a completely indefensible film. Within the first five minutes there is dick stabbing, head crushing, tongue cutting, and an attempt...

Dir. Kieth Li Love. Death. Mystery. Vengeance. The sins of our ancestors. These are the ingredients of compelling melodrama. But what about spirits, wizard battles, exorcism, astral projected reanimated chicken skeletons, and centipedes? Lots and lots of centipedes? It all goes hand in hand in the world of Hong Kong Category III Exploitation, where bugs and black magic reign supreme. Wai-Lum is called to Southeast Asia (that’s as specific as the movie got regarding location) after his sister falls ill and eventually dies, with doctors having no idea why, saying only that her condition was indicative of radiation poisoning. Of course the audience knows already that she was attacked by a horde of carnivorous centipedes after encountering a man who can only be described as “clearly the movie’s villain”. Investigating with Yeuk-Chee, an old college friend and love interest, Wai-Lum eventually discovers that his family is the subject of revenge for a wizard crossed by his grandf...