Red Spell Spells Red (1983) User Reviews

Tasteless Yet Slow Going Hong Kong Horror Film

[jrd_73 · 5/10 · 5 June 2019]

Like many Hong Kong horror films, Red Spell Spells Red goes for the gross out. Squealing pigs are killed on camera. Chickens are ate live. And, of course, scorpions crawl over the background, including on the actors. Anyone with a fear of scorpions should avoid this film like the plague. Viewers with no such fear will enjoy seeing how far the actors will go for their art. Unfortunately, also like many Hong Kong horror films, Red Spell Spells Red suffers from awkward pacing.

A Hong Kong camera crew doing a story on The Red Dwarf Ghost, an evil sorcerer who was killed in 1919, travels to a less developed country in South East Asia. There, the crew ignore the warnings of the locals and go into the tomb of the sorcerer. In the name of good footage, the crew unseals the sorcerer's casket and a red mist comes out. The producer is satisfied with the footage and rushes back to Hong Kong, leaving the news presenter (also his lover) and the crew behind to film local color. Soon, odd things begin to happen as the crew members seem to be under a curse. If they bleed, they die. In the special case of the news presenter, she finds that scorpions will crawl out of any drop of blood she spills.

This is a gooey film that delivers on its freak show set up. The wild ending features the lead actress going round and round on a waterwheel as cast members our possessed and holy men try to contain the Red Dwarf Ghost. Too bad getting to that climax is such a chore. The viewer feels like he is watching lots of that local color that the camera crew is supposed to be filming. Also, the film shoehorns in some flat comedy involving the antics of two horny crewmen. A few early set pieces stand out (an attack by film strip is one), but most of the fun is in the film's final twenty minutes, right before it (abruptly) ends. Overall, Red Spell Spells Red is worth watching for the last third but just barely.

Not for everyone.

[poolandrews · 4/10 · 22 November 2020]

A Hong Kong film crew travel to Malacca where they intend to make a fantastical documentary about an evil Sorcerer named the Red Dwarf who was killed and placed inside a sealed stone tomb many years before. Opening the Red Dwarf's tomb breaks the seal and unleashes the vengeful Red Dwarf spirit who sets out to kill the film crew.

This film from Hong Kong is your average Asian horror film dealing with black magic and evil/good Sorcerers and is only really remembered for it's animal cruelty as the other reviews on the IMDb testify as they can't resist mentioning it.

A Frog is cut up, some Pigs are killed and sliced up, there's a horrible slow-motion Cock-fight and the all to often mentioned scene of a guy eating the guts from a live Chicken.

When the only aspect anybody who has seen your film ever talks about is the vile animal cruelty you know you made a bad film lacking in anything else.

Rather slow going at times the jungle scenery and local customs and costumes add a touch of visual flavour but the story is standard fare and pretty predictable. Not enough happens and it's pretty forgettable.

There are a few OK scenes, some nice lighting effects and you can tell the director wanted to included some martial arts as there is a little bit that creeps into a few scenes especially the final exorcism which has the usual bizarre sound effects tagged on.

Little in the way of violence or gore outside the animal cruelty there's a very brief arm amputation, some guy is impaled on a branch and someone's back melts, I think. I guess it was just easier for the crew to film the killing of defenceless animals for shock value than set-up special-effects sequences.

If you like Asian horror Red Spell Spells Red is alright, I didn't hate it but found it a bit of a chore and it's not something I would want to watch again anytime soon.

Truly bizarre horror film from Hong Kong.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 9/10 · 3 January 2005]

"Red Spell Spells Red" is one of the rarest HK horror films in my collection.I managed to get this extremely obscure piece of gory horror on VCD whilst being in Kuala Lumpur.In a big cave an evil dwarf sorcerer is performing a bizarre ritual.Suddenly four righteous sorcerers enter the cave and attack him.In the subsequent struggle they wound the dwarf sorcerer fatally and throw him into a stone coffin.They carefully seal the coffin.The present time:a group of photographers investigate the legend of the evil sorcerer.They enter the cave and break the seal.Red smoke gushes from the coffin and ghastly things start to happen.A young man is killed by an unseen force,another is killed by the woods that came alive.When dozens of scorpions attack the people in the village,it seems clear that village is cursed.An old sorcerer tries to remove the powerful spell."Red Spell Spells Red" is a dark and suspenseful horror film that left me stunned.The tone of the film is serious,albeit there is a little bit of humor to be found here.The scenes of scorpions attacking people are creepy and horrifying.The film has some grisly scenes of animal cruelty thrown in for a good measure.Some pigs are killed with a knife and in truly disgusting moment a possessed man kills a hen by eating it alive in front of the camera.The gore effects are surprisingly effective for example a hand is cut off after the sting of the scorpion or a woman is attacked by a fishing net and wooden beams.The film is almost impossible to find,so don't hesitate to get a copy.9 out of 10.

Wild '80s HK horror/exploitation.

[BA_Harrison · 8/10 · 9 May 2023]

Some really crazy films came out of Hong Kong in the late '70s/early '80s, none more so than the horror movies that revolved around black magic and sorcery-- titles such as Black Magic 1 & 2, Centipede Horror, Seeding of a Ghost, The Boxer's Omen, Bewitched, Hex, and this totally bonkers effort from director Titus Ho, in which a documentary crew pays the price for opening up the coffin of the evil Red Dwarf Ghost sorcerer (despite signs clearly warning that anyone who does so will be cursed).

Like the other films I have mentioned, Red Spell Spells Red involves all manner of hocus pocus resulting in some truly insane scenes of Asian excess, including plenty of creepy crawlies (so many scorpions!), attacks by inanimate objects (a net, some wooden poles, a reel of film, and a leaf!), a fair amount of gore, and some nudity courtesy of the cute lead actress.

And it would be remiss of me not to mention the fact that there is also a hefty dose of animal cruelty in the film: a couple of pigs are slaughtered in the name of art, a frog and a scorpion get crushed, and in the film's most nauseating scene, a crazy old man chews on a live chicken, pulling out and eating the bird's intestines while it is still flapping. Gag!

In keeping with the general bizarre nature of the whole thing, Ho ends his film abruptly, leaving the viewer to pick up their jaw from the floor.

goes a bit further then Centipede horror

[trashgang · 8/10 · 16 October 2013]

I have seen a lot of Asian horrors but this one surely is weird. I came across this flick by reading old Fangoria magazines and one article (nr 107) was about weird Asian flicks. Secondly having the Centipede Horror VHS this was made one year earlier by the same writer and producer. The Centipede Horror was famous for the use of real Centipede and back then actors did their own stunts in those countries.

Gong Gui Zai is surely one to pick up if you can find it on a legal way for so many reasons. The use of real animals and real scorpions gave it a weird look especially when people are full of the real scorpions all over their body or even faces. But what made Red Spell Spells Red notorious is the amount of animal cruelty. If you have seen Cannibal Holocaust (1980) and thought that was cruel then watch this flick. Pigs are being slaughtered in a painful way. One scorpion is being smashed alive with a stone and there's more going on with animals but the most cruelty is done with a chicken being eaten alive, intestines first then the head. If you can't take that then please stay away from this flick.

It also did remind me a few times of The Evil Dead (1981) when the forest comes alive and one girl legs is spread to catch the spell.

Story wise it's rather simple as a TV producer and a journalist are out to Malaysia to shoot a feature surrounding a wicked dwarf. The story itself is told before the opening credits and is full of magick and spells and a must see on it's own. The dwarf was trapped in a stone grave by 4 sorcerers and killed but before the killing he casts a red spell that everyone should die who enters his grave. Stella, the journalist, and her crew stays in Malaysia but strange things begin to happen once entering a Borneo Long House.

I was also surprised that this flick had nudity or even shots of wet clothes revealing everything. The final again offers magick and Tibetan priests cursing out the spell, but just have a look at the sorcerer with the long white beard as he sits on the ground full of scorpions surrounded by real fire, you can spot easily that no effects were used. An ideal flick for horror buffs or exploitation geeks and of course the criticism. It can't be made nowadays with all the animals involved and the sorcerers but Red Spell Spells Red surely but on a spell on me.

Gore 1/5 Nudity 1/5 Effects 1/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5

Fun, wild Hong Kong horror with terrific, imaginative effects and stunts

[I_Ailurophile · 9/10 · 9 October 2023]

Even for a horror film, and recognizing that this made of, by, and for another culture, there are some facets that won't sit well with all viewers. There's no mistaking that this is a title made without modern, western conceptions of humane treatment of animals, and there are no few scenes that involve deliberate animal injury and death. In a broader sense, one should be aware of an element of exploitation; American and European filmmakers have more heavily explored notions similar to some that are touched upon here and have been lambasted for stereotypical and negative portrayals of other cultures that are deemed "primitive." And even setting all this aside, while 'Red spell spells red' fits in neatly with other contemporary horror flicks out of Hong Kong, it may not necessarily meet the preferences of all genre fans as the flavors here are, strictly speaking, less outright visceral and thrilling. On the other hand, as the picture leans considerably on notions of mysticism and black magic, and general supernatural flourishes, it's flush with ominous airs and gnarly imagery to satisfy our cravings. In some capacities it may even exceed some like-minded fare from more famous production companies like The Shaw Brothers or Golden Harvest, and for whatever distinctions one may make about the presentation, the overall experience here is delightfully sinister and fun. In fact, while it isn't wholly perfect, as far as I'm concerned this 1983 flick is a blast, and I think most anyone who appreciates its brethren will find a lot to love here, too!

There are points where the narrative feels a tad loose, or even divided, with thin connections between multiple ideas that add a needless measure of convolution. But by and large Suet Ming Chan penned a tale that's at once wonderfully dark, yet cheekily and grimly entertaining - the best of both worlds. The story is complete and compelling in depicting a film crew afflicted by the evil they unwittingly unleashed, and the scene writing is surely more robust still in providing the framework for a cavalcade of violence and bloodshed, and a wide variety at that. Just as much to the point, the narrative quite serves as a vehicle more than anything else, for 'Red spell spells red' is nothing if not a showcase of the terrific imagination of filmmaker Titus Ho and all those operating behind the scenes. With each passing moment we're treated to superb, inventive stunts and a panoply of practical effects, including blood, gore, and special makeup, that are earnestly creepy and gruesome. At the same time that Ho shows a keen sense for orchestrating scenes to maximize the impact of each beat and inclusion, he also illustrates a fine eye for shot composition, and some moments are weirdly beautiful in how they present. That is certainly made easier with beautiful filming locations, gorgeous and detailed art direction, and equal artful care applied to costume design and props. Sharp editing, and Wing-seung Chan and Yung-Lung Wang's smart and dynamic cinematography, are likewise outstanding in helping to shape the spectacle, and I could hardly be more pleased with just how well made this is in all regards.

This is definitely not to count out the cast, as from one to the next the roles are all rather demanding in terms of physicality and sheer intensity. No one necessarily stands out above another, but all the actors are firmly committed and give excellent performances befitting the overall tone and the needs of each scene in turn. Really, I'm hard-pressed to identify any specific flaws here, save for that the plot could have been tighter. It seems to me that the writing splits its attention a little too much in terms of giving an explanation for the course of events, and in the process it loses some cohesiveness. One might also imagine how, if the writing were tighter, the saga could have plausibly been taken on a more expansive path - but then, even if imperfect, it ultimately works just as well exactly as it presents, which again speaks well to the screenplay here. Otherwise I had a fantastic time watching, reveling in all the creative stunts, effects, scene ideas, and complex sequences. Him and haw all one wants about the particulars, at the end of the day this serves up horror that is both ghastly, and enjoyable in a somewhat playful way. As a matter of personal preference it won't appeal to all, yet when all is said and done I think 'Red spell spells red' is a marvelous slice of Hong Kong genre cinema, and I'd be happy to recommend it to just about anyone. As far as I'm concerned this deserves much more recognition!