Black Magic (1975) - Black Magic

Black Magic (1975) - Originally titled "Jiang tou" this Shaw brothers story of the consequences of the use of dark magic is a straight up tale for the most part. The Shaw brothers and their studio Shanghai were some of the largest producers of Martial arts films that made their way to Western audiences. Styling their studio like the old time studio, they signed some of the best talent in Asia to exclusive contracts and from 1925-85 produced over 1000 films. Noted by this writer for making one of my favorite martial arts film "Five Fingers of Death". Black Magic is the story of a practitioner of the dark arts who helps those who are willing to pay him with love potions and injury or death spells. His practice is successful since there is always someone looking to get a person to fall in love with them or seek vengeance of some kind. He is introduced through a scene calling for the death of a cheating husband and his mistress. The Magician Shan Jianmi (Feng Ku) needs primarily blood and hair from the victim and with his enchanter skull and some other ingredients can call upon the dark forces to make the spell happen. As we see him work we are also introduced to a good magician who seem stronger than Shan Jianmi and can stop him from succeeding. This dynamic will play an important role in the final confrontation of the film. We do see though that Shan Jianmi's magic is real and powerful in the opening scene.
The plot as it is involves a very wealthy woman Luo Yin (Ni Tien aka Tanny) who has her eyes on her construction architect Xu Nuo (Lung Ti), she is pushy and used to getting what she wants. Of course, he being engaged to Quming (Lily Li), Xu Nuo only spurns Luo Yin's advances which become ever more aggressive as she tries to create problems in his relationship. She is in turn sought by Lang Jiajie a shifty lout who brings our dark sorcerer Shan Jianmi into the picture. When Lang Jiajie (Lieh Lo) can not get anything but hostility from Luo Yin he seeks out Shan Jianmi for a love potion. The shiftless man does not have the money for the fee but figures once the wealthy widow falls in love with him he can use her money to pay. When the potion only last a day it is Luo Yin who has the upper hand. She then goes to the magician for a more potent potion to use on Xu Nuo.
 The story is mostly the repercussions of those actions. The pain and confusion of Quming and Xu Nuo's family as he first cancels the wedding and then takes up with Luo Yin. Through the middle section of the film it seems as if the family and his fiance can not pull him back from the power of the spell. With the help of a good magician there is an exciting and action filled third act where he is finally freed from the spell and the dark sorcerer is defeated.
  Although not the best film for special effects there are some that are noteworthy in the final scenes. A big drawback to the film is the strange soundtrack. Thrown presumably for western audiences it is a strange mix of horror tropes and sixties television movie tunes that strike all the wrong chords. When all is said and done this film though will get the nod from this blog. Nothing spectacular but just enough to keep the viewer engaged.

 

P (2005) Horror Witch

P (2005) - "Ghost" Thia movie that mixes magic and social commentary into a satisfying film. Dau (Suangporn Jaturaphut) is a Khmer orphan growing up in rural Thailand with her Grandmother (Pisamai Pakdeevijit). We see her as a young girl in school being picked on by schoolmates because her Grandmother is the village witch.
Flash forward to her teen years and she is initiated by her grandmother into the magics but with warnings, for when doing the magic.
1. Do not cross under a clothesline.
2. Do not eat uncooked meat and
3. If you teach the magic never take payment.
Unfortunately Dau's Granny gets sick and when Dau tries to get her medicine she does not have the money necessary. The shop owner says she can get Dau work in the city, but she will have to leave that night. So to earn the money she gets on a bus to Bangkok with nothing.
Arriving in the city she is met at the bus stop by Pookie. who is going to show her the ropes at a local bar for foreigners. The night she arrives introduced to the world of prostitution and how foreigners come to Thailand for sex with too young girls. She is bought buy a man who initiates her first sexual experiences and naturally she feels dirty after with only a little comfort by her roommate Pookie. The scenes although tense and sexually charged are tame in what is shown but not what is suggested. In fact all the scenes of the prostitution industry are very tame, even cleaned up from the reality. The film does draw a bit of a spotlight on an industry that still thrives as a tourist attraction but it makes it look like it is not so bad and cruel as it really is.
Then to get noticed, with flashbacks to her Grandmother teaching her glamour spells we see Dau using magic and it works for her as she gets more deeply into the go-go bar scene. There is quite a bit of slow hip shaking dancing to show her growing sensuality. May (Narisara Sairatanee) an older dancer at the club does not like losing customers to Dau and threatens her. Dau more interested in revenge with the first customer, the one who took her virginity and then spurned her next time he was in. She does a spell that does the poor bastard in in a bloody mess. Two things happen in one storyline Pookie and Dau have a bit of a relationship. It starts as Pookie teaching her the best ways to take advantage of the business. It becomes a caring friendship with some playful foreplay where without noticing they break the first rule of magic use rolling under the clothesline in their room. When she learns her audition was sabotaged by May she goes deeper into the magic to pay her back for that. May will have a horrible accident setting off the dual storyline of the rest of the film, really the second half. The first half is Pookie and Dau working out that the magic may have been to much or gone wrong. Before long all three rules of magic have been broken without Dau realizing it. The darkness makes her crave more raw meat. It is in her and she is losing control. At night the demon spirit of Dau travels out and she sleeps with Johns and then literally eats them. The other story is the friends of May the rival dancer who was hurt by the Dau's spell seek a witchdoctor to deal with Dau. Dau gets worse and worse scaring Pookie as she feeds and feeds. She senses something is amiss with the friends of May and starts to hunt them as well. Pookie wants to help Dau beat the demon inside her. They try by binding Dau in handcuffs to a bathroom wall and trying to starve the ghost out of her. At the same time the witchdoctor is trying to work his magic to counter. Dau tricks Pookie into releasing the demon and then she is killed, Dau goes after the witchdoctor. literally diving into his stomach. She then devours May's friend only to be confronted by the injured May. May takes the demon into herself and kills herself to end the demons reign of terror.

This is not a horrible movie but I am not convinced it is more than average as a horror flick. Certainly it explores the consequences of magic. Does a nice job of putting them in a real world setting. It does lack a bit though on the execution. I wish it was a bigger budget movie because I think as a story it works.

Rating (5.2) 5.0 and up are recommended in the Zombiegrrlz system Rent IT!