HUMAN LANTERNS (Hong Kong, 1982)
Directed by: Sun Chung
Starring: Chen Kuan-tai, Lo Lieh, Lau Wing

A posh, polished, gruesome gothic, this Shaw Brothers production teaches us what happens when two martial arts dickheads get locked in a game of one-upmanship while a killer kung fu gorilla with a skullface murders maidens on the side. Master Lung (Lau Wing) and Master Tan (Chen Kuan-tai) compete over everything, including who has the best lanterns for the upcoming New Year’s celebration. Problem is, the best lantern maker is a deranged maniac (Lo Lieh) and his favorite material is human flesh, flayed from still-living victims. Also, he’s got a grudge against these martial arts martinets. Mist-drenched sets become eerie stages for epic kung fu battles in one of the creepiest, most rip-roaring movies ever made by the legendary Shaw Brothers studio.