Spotlight on Hong Kong Horror

A glimpse into the wild cinema of Hong Kong horror: a unique blend of spooks, vampires and monsters served with a heady dose of mind-blowing martial arts.

Tales of the supernatural and the uncanny have always been a highly popular genre in Chinese cinema right from the start. The 1920s and 1930s saw the emergence of wuxia shenguai films that combined fantasy, the macabre and elaborate martial arts action. However, their popularity in mainland China came under fire for encouraging superstition and therefore being a hindrance in the government's push to modernise the nation. Their banning continued through the communist revolution in the late 1940s, but the genre found a new home in the British colonial port of Hong Kong.

It was here that the genre thrived and evolved, finding a place with iconic film studios such as Shaw Brothers and Golden Harvest – all happening far from the disapproving eyes of mainland censors. Here, horror became bold, kinetic and visually inventive, blending the wuxia genre with tales of black magic, vengeful ghosts and strange monsters. It would peak with its golden age in the 1980s and 1990s as Hong Kong horror became globally recognised for its unique take on classic horror icons. This spotlight season is a snapshot of this weird and wonderful pocket of cinema history, highlighting one of Hong Kong's most enduring exports.

– Spiro Economopoulos, Film & TV Curator