Reviewed by: ewaffle Date: 07/08/2007 One would think that working in Hong Kong for any part of the Thai tourist industry would be a very difficult job since so many of the tourist from the SAR to the Land of Smiles encounter ghosts, zombies and other versions of the not quite dead or at least not peacefully dead. Not that business people going to Bangkok or young singles headed for Phukete have much to worry about but every Hong Kong resident who strays from the typical tourist paths is set upon and sometimes followed home by evil spirits. Or so it would seem from the movies. The four guys in "Eternal Evil of Asia" are a good (or bad) example. They begin by looking for hookers; get chased from the bar by men with choppers and run into the nearby woods. They are lost, the full moon (what else could it be?) turns blood red and a thunderstorm starts. They take shelter in a convenient house where a wizard is preparing for a contest with two other wizards. The guys are told that it was predestined for them to be in this place at this time and they will get to watch the competition--and if the wizard they have encountered wins the contest he will return Elvis Tsui's head to its original form. So, partway through the movie the four friends have not only recovered from a night of machete wielding killers, transmogrification, insanely evil ghosts but they have made a new friend, the Wizard Laimi. And his beautiful sister seems like a nice person. Which means that things are about to go to hell very quickly. The love spell infects the wrong people, the sister falls on a knife and Laimi is now their worst enemy. Have a nice trip back to Hong Kong, guys. Which they do, but if they had been lucky they would have missed the flight and been run over by a taxicab. Naam turns from a poor father and husband into a raving maniac with a cleaver who is haunted by the ghosts of his mother and father. They are joined almost immediately by the spirits of his wife, son and neighbors, all of whom he has untimely sent to their ancestors. The spirits convince him to jump from the roof of his apartment building. His ghost wanders through the world with several fluorescent light tubes stuck through his remains, showing up to scare the hell out of his friends. Kent is enchanted by Laimi into becoming one of the hungriest of hungry ghosts, although this manifestation is not the classic large bellied, tiny throated being. His throat works fine as shown by the way he devours the limbs of patrons at a restaurant followed by the flesh on his own arm. Having already been changed (fittingly) into a dickhead and back, A Kong breathes his last with pins erupting from his head and face. Kong had the best chance of avoiding his fate—meaning, of course, none at all—since he knew what happened to the other two and consulted a Taoist priest for help. The Taoist fashioned a “Buddha Net” that ghosts couldn’t penetrate and Kong simply had to stay inside it for three days to be rid of Laimi. To no one’s surprise but his own he was lured out in about three minutes. There were a number of deadlines like that. In addition to Kong’s three days, if Bon was able to get through one night while covered with a magic cloth he would no longer be subject to enchantment. Laimi’s sister had a much longer but still definite period of detention—stay inside for her entire 23rd year since her father foresaw she would die at 23. Since none of these restrictions could be met—the movie would have ended right there if they had—their existence and impossibility of achievement emphasizes one of the main themes of “The Eternal Evil of Asia”, predestination. What happens is what is fated to happen and in the universe of loutish Hong Kong tourists and Southeast Asian enchanters what happens is horrible. Karmic resolution is quick—one minute you are yelling at your son the next you are chopping up your wife. You go to lunch with your girlfriend to make amends for ignoring her and wind up eating the fingers of the attractive woman at the next table. The other main theme is that everything and everyone has limits. Laimi is a fierce and expert demon, a being who can summon powers that are unimaginable to humans but if he goes too far even he can transgress and be punished. Stalking and killing the three men who were responsible for his sister’s death—they weren’t really since he had mistakenly hexed them—was expected. Going further and killing Bon, who had nothing to do with his sister’s demise, was at the extreme bounds of acceptable behavior by a self-respecting ghost. Killing him because he wanted to make May, Bon’s fiancé, his sex slave was way over the line and left him vulnerable to counter magic. There are a few touches of alternate reality, unreliable narration or changing points of view but the structure and plot are quite straightforward. For example, a movie within the movie to start which seems to set the scene for the type of horror film to follow—although it doesn’t--and dream within a dream in which Bon dreams he awakens to see the dead Naam and then awakens from that dream. Other than the necessary flashback to tell the story of the trip to Thailand these are the only hints of narrative complexity. Special effects were generally well done—ghostly apparitions were appropriately gory and frightening. None of the principals was called on to do any sustained acting, the lighting was properly garish and the set design was minimal but effective. "The Eternal Evil of Asia" has the right mix of sex, horror, gore and humor. And then there is THAT scene--Ellen Chan Nga-Lun performing fellatio on a phantom. The scene alternated between shockingly salacious and risibly ridiculous although she was a lot sexier than Chloe Sevigny in “Brown Bunny.” Recommended Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: Chungking_Cash Date: 06/02/2007 "The Eternal Evil of Asia" covers all four corners of the Category III subgenre; it is a cheap but eclectic mix of dirty jokes, sleazy special effects, gratuitous nudity, and B grade actors. The plot is arbitrary and will remind fans of the subgenre why they love these films. "The Eternal Evil of Asia" works if only because of its dicey nature a must for this brand of tasteless cinema. The film's highlight sees actor Tsui Kam-kong's head turned into the glans of a penis -- its artisanship replete with contours and attention to detail -- is a singular spectacle of lowbrow humor. Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: honloo Date: 12/24/2002 Summary: Ellen Chan - Sexy Seductive Gesture Eternal Evil of Asia is a master piece of Ellen Chan Ar Lun. Ellen Chan has a boyfriend who has problem rising his penis even with Ellen doing sexy dances in front of him! This Thailand devil is obsessed with the beauty of Ellen. At the end, Ellen was forced to pose sexy faces, body kissing and dick sucking to an invisible body. Just watch Ellen's face expression and your heart will drop.

Reviewed by: MrBooth Date: 02/19/2002 Summary: Cat III masterpiece What a fantastic piece of movie making! Given that we're in the exploitation horror genre, anyway :) Eternal Evil Of Asia is quite restless in its quest to bring the best/worst of sex, violence, spooky lighting and delirious camera work to our screens. The story is quite simple - a sorcerer follows a group of men home from Thailand to take revenge for certain things they did there, and begins using his magical powers to mess up their lives in extremely inventive ways. Of course it's up to the women to sort this out, with cutie Ellen Chan - sister of one and boyfriend of another - getting her hands mucky to compete with the sorceror's spells. Many scenes of hilarious lunacy are mixed in with a sprinkling of nudity and some fairly nasty gore, then blended to a satisfying finish with amazing camera work and generally decent production values for a low budget. It's the sheer creativity on display that will keep you entertained the most, however. The finale is almost transcendental :D If you're going to pick up a Cat III movie, Eternal Evil Of Asia is quite possibly the best place you could start. Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: mrblue Date: 02/09/2002 A group of four pals head to Thailand for sightseeing, swimming and, of course, having sex with nasty prostitutes. Wandering into a brothel, they find the girls a bit too nasty (one of them screams that she has AIDS) and wisely bolt out the door. Unfortunately, they "forget" to pay the bill, so the bouncers begin to give chase. The group manages to lose the thugs, but end up in a wizard's (played by Ben Ng) shack. One of the group, Kong (played by Cat III mainstay Elvis Tsui), calls the wizard a "dickhead" and gets turned into one -- literally. But the wizard seems to be a good guy, and agrees to turn Kong back to normal if they stay and watch a duel with a pair of evil wizards. Ng is successful in the duel thanks to the intervention of Bon (Chan Kwok-Bong), and to thank them, he invites the guys over for dinner. During the meal, Ng's sister (Chin Gwan) becomes enamored with Bon, but it is unreciprocated, since Bon is engaged to the lovely May (Ellen Chan). Little sis convinces the wizard to concoct a "love hex", but it backfires, and she ends up sleeping with Bon's friends instead. Upon waking up, Chin freaks out and winds up killing herself. Blaming the group of friends for his sister's death, the wizard sets out to Hong Kong to take his revenge. Now that you've processed all of that, realize that that rambling plot synopsis doesn't even really begin to touch on how twisted, depraved and, yes, funny Eternal Evil of Asia is. With the first five minutes, the viewer is treated to a man going nuts and chopping up several people, and then hurling himself off a building and onto a pile of flourescent lights. Though things slow down a bit after that, once the story proper (via a flashback) begins, Eternal Evil of Asia delivers a jackhammer of sex and gore onto your retina. For those of you who might be in doubt just how far Eternal Evil of Asia goes, some choice bits include: a man getting possessed by a "hunger ghost" and gnawing off his own arm, Elvis getting turned into a human pin cushion, and Ellen Chan's final face-off with the wizard, where aided by friendly witch Lily Chung, she uses her feminine wiles in one of the more, shall we say, inventive sex scenes ever put to celluoid. I guess only a Hong Kong Cat III movie could offer up such steaming piles of gratiutity and still manage to be treated seriously. But in a bit of irony, it is the movie's comic undertones which really cement it together. Much like Evil Dead 2, Eternal Evil of Asia pauses long enough to let you laugh, and then sticks another disgusting or shocking image in your craw. The movie's cinematic techniques also work to its' advantage. The cinematography is very well-done, using everything from an Evil Dead-style "spirit cam" (the movie also borrows a design from the dagger from ED1) to MTV-style editing -- all without going overboard. Eternal Evil of Asia's score -- consisting mostly of heavy guitars -- adds to the experience as well. It's kind of spooky and over-the-top, just like the movie. Finally, props must be given to the actors involved. They must have looked at the script and gone "what the hell?", but they manage to pull out some good performances. Special kudos are given to Elvis Tsui, whose role ranges from comic relief early on to pure evil later, and Ellen Chan, who manages to make having sex with an invisible ghost look erotic. It's solid performances like these that elevate Eternal Evil of Asia above other "cheesy" movies like Scream. When an actor lets you know that they're in on the joke, it ruins the effect for the audience. Even though the performances are done tongue-in-cheek, they never stick their tongue out. The actors obviously took their roles seriously, and that makes the movie more credible as a whole, which really helps, because there are some truly incredible things happening here. True, Eternal Evil of Asia is sleazy, but it's done -- dare I say it? -- almost tastefully well. The movie knows just when to go overboard and when to reign things in. It might jar you, but you won't feel like a sick pervert after watching, unlike some Cat III junk like Body Weapon. Eternal Evil of Asia is definitely worth seeking out if you're into exploitation movies, or just want something more than a bit different from the usual two-fisted Hong Kong action movie.

Reviewed by: ksbutterbox Date: 01/13/2002 Summary: Quite a Funny Movie I thought this was better than I had expected..it's almost better than a Stephen Chow movie..see (Out of the Dark). It even uses cameos of the famous Granny actress and Ng Man Tat from the above mentioned movie. The very beginning of the movie is really well done. Reels you in quickly for more silly depravity! This is one of the better movies to watch from 1995.

Reviewed by: danton Date: 01/03/2002 One of the more memorable Elvis Tsui Cat 3 sex/horror flicks. Him and a few buddies take a pleasure trip to Thailand and as is apt to happen to HKers when they travel to the dangerous world of Thailand, they run into a sorcerer. Following some hilarious antics involving spells that see Elvis literally turn into a "dickhead" (has to be seen to be believed), they eventually have a run-in with the sorcerer's sister that leads to tragic consequences. Back in HK, they start dying one by one. The movie is a cheap Cat 3 thriller with lots of campy but well-done effects, magic, superstition, horror, low-brow comedy, and a liberal dose of erotic scenes. In the latter category, I should mention the final scene involving Ellen Chan and the Thai sorcerer - it employs a rather novel perspective on the inevitable titillation required by genre conventions. Entertaining movie (although some may be turned off by the mixing of sex and violence so prevalent in these types of movies). DVD is bare-bones but acceptable.

Reviewed by: GlennS Date: 04/16/2001 Summary: Entertaining Trash In my PINK BOMB review, I stated that in HK movies, a trip to Thailand can be hazardous to one's health. Well, in ETERNAL EVIL OF ASIA four guys get bewitched by an evil wizard and they get killed one by one in entertainingly gruesome ways once they get back to Hong Kong. The evil wizard (Ben Ng) kills three of them and sets out to kill the fourth, Bon (Chan Kwok Bong). He also wants to nail (as in screw) Bon's hairstylist fiancee, May (Ellen Chan). With the help of a good witch (Lily Chung) and a taoist priest (the eternally cool Lo Meng), the couple try to stop the wizard. This movie epitomizes what one wants to get out of a Cat III flick: gory violence (done cartoonishly, which is a plus), gratuitous nudity and simulated sex, and Tsui Kam Kong. It's a hoot to see him turned into a dickhead and later in the film as a parody of Pinhead of the HELLRAISER series. The film also boasts a rocking theme song which plays throughout the film. 7/10 Reviewer Score: 7

Reviewed by: STSH Date: 01/22/2000 Entertaining and rather off-beat horror porn comedy and part rock video with a terrific opening scene, as scary as it is funny, and it includes a great quote : "Nam wasn't ready for his parents died". The low humour is either sexual (TsuiKK turned literally into a dickhead) or gallows (a guy is possessed by a hunger ghost and eats restaurant patrons). There's swaying camera angles and WobblyScope (like in NYPD Blue) everywhere, and the sound design is remarkably good and effective for such a cheapie. Not a film for everyone (CRWP evidently included !), but if you want something a bit different which never gets dull, check it out. The ultimate question on movie quality is "would you watch it again ?". For this film, I'd say "definitely, yes". Reviewer Score: 9

Reviewed by: hkcinema Date: 12/08/1999 This film was one of the best new HK films I've seen in the pastyear. The Eternal Evil Of Asia was great! I cannot heap enough praise upon this film. The comedy was funny, the action was funny, the horror was funny, and the category 3 elements were well, maybe I should give it 3 thumbs up if you know what I mean! Heh heh. 3 thumbs up it is! The best HK film of the year! [Reviewed by Anonymous]

Reviewed by: hkcinema Date: 12/08/1999 Au contraire! Based on the above unsigned review we rushed out to see "The Eternal Evil of Asia" and were pretty disappointed. While not without its saving graces, this movie is a lowbrow horror romp with an unpleasant, overwrought pace and set design. The general story: A mysterious warlock stalks our heroine and her boyfriend through Hong Kong. It seems that the boyfriend and his three horny friends "accidentally" raped and murdered this warlock's nubile young sister while on vacation in mysterious Thailand. After disposing of the friends in amusing and appalling ways, said warlock zeroes in on the heroine as the object of his supernatural lust. Not recommended by me. [Reviewed by Cynthia Rhae Woodard Perry]

Reviewed by: hkcinema Date: 12/08/1999 Sometime in the near future, a Thai wizard stalks the Hong Kong sex tourists who killed his sister. Spectacular trash with little redeeming value, although its MTV sensibility might constitute some kind of milestone in HK cinema. [Reviewed by Iain Sinclair]