Watches
May 09, 2016
It's remarkable to see that Chang's later films tend to be of lesser quality. The biggest problem with The Demons is that it looks like a typical 70s Shaw Bros film, even though it was released in the mid-80s. If you compare it to other Hong Kong action films of that time, the result is simply iffy. It's no surprise then that the studio would wither away during this decade.
Chen, a simple man, finds himself in the way of a female demon. A Taoist priest intervenes and manages to save Chen, but this just angers the demons even more, after which they launch a full-scale attack. They target Chen's son and manage to possess him, luckily the priest has a couple of tricks left up his sleeve.
I usually welcome more fantasy elements in Shaw Bros productions, but it's not really Chang's strong suit. The effects are ridiculous, and the film is rather loud and screamy, making the first hour quite tough to sit through. The final 30 minutes offer more straightforward martial arts action and are notably better, just not enough to make this is a good or safe recommend.