HUMAN LANTERNS

Available at Amazon for $17.99 Most martial arts films dabble in the bizarre. Perhaps it's culture shock - or perhaps they're just weird - but I have rarely enjoyed my forays into the genre. Even the inimitable Bruce Lee came off like some kind of deranged, rabid monkey to me. I always found the situations contrived, the symbolism forced, and the acting beyond over-the-top. To me, martial arts films are like silent films with a crappy and very annoying soundtrack. But even by the extreme standards of the genre, Human Lanterns probably belongs in the rarest atmosphere. The film - like most, a tale of revenge - involves two wealthy young men, Lung and Tan, who are uneasy and competitive friends. During one of their braggadocios arguments, they decide to compete against each other in the annual lantern contest (?). In order to ensure his victory, Lung hires a mysterious lantern maker with a troubling habit: he kidnaps young women and skins them alive, using their torn flesh to make his unique lighting fixtures. Even worse, the lantern maker has a secret grudge against the men, which draws his him too deeply into their world. Made in 1982, the film contains many of the annoying attributes of the genre that Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon mercifully rendered obsolete; high-pitched screaming, repetitive clanking and slapping sounds, and jagged flash zooms. However, the film showcases some startling set design and cinematography, adding a sinister and mysterious air to the film. The much-ballyhooed gore, which was too shocking for audiences in the early eighties, is fairly tame in these times of Eli Roth and Takashi Miike. However, the torture scenes are shot with a surprising amount of verve and voyeuristic nastiness. And I must admit that the villain, who disguises himself as a white-faced ape, is fairly chilling as well. This was a nice surprise, for sure! EXTRAS There's not much included here, which is not that surprising given the fact that the film is nearly 30 years old. There is a lengthy interview with Shawn Tin Tin entitled Shaw's Baby Doll. There is also another, slightly grislier alternative take of the infamous skin peeling scene that I found rather surprising. OVERALL Any fan of martial arts films needs to see this, even if it's just a rental. It is truly a wildly different take on the genre. Horror fans might appreciate it as well. But for non-fans of martial arts films, this one has enough of the same old problems that might make it a pass.

rating: 3.5