I usually watch Shaw Bros horror movie just to be entertain by the goofy special effect and the gross out cause these kind of movie never scare me at all so watch this movie Hex(1980)i'm not expecting anything new from it but the result is very refreshing.The plot is as old as ever,there still some slapstick humor when there nothing happened but the thing make it stand out the most is the movie twist.There some genuinely good jump scares and suspense in this movie.The makeup effect still cheesy as ever and a very memorable dance scene near the end make this movie a must watch for old fashioned horror movie fan

After about twenty minutes I was wondering if I was going to stay with this. We have an abusive husband bashing the maid and then when the sick wife interrupts, bashes her too. The he goes out drinking and comes back and does it all again. All with much screaming and shooting Cantonese style. Gradually, however, things change, we get to see a spooky pond, some wonderful interiors and a hint that something is going to happen. It does and there is just about enough in the various exotic scenes with all the potions and magic rituals to keep us engaged as things are gradually ramped up some more. The last twenty minutes or so are quite sensational. The naked witch dance is unbelievable and the subsequent naked calligraphy equally impressive. This is not the finest Hong Kong ghost mystery but it is certainly different and does have that final segment.

HEX is an intriguing and influential horror film from the Shaw Brothers studio. It was directed by Kuei Chih-Hung, of THE BOXER'S OMEN infamy, and it does feel quite low key and non-exploitational for the first half, especially given the director's pedigree. The story begins as a straightforward copy of the famous French horror film LES DIABOLIQUES before branching out in some very unusual directions.The first 20 minutes or so of the film is quite slow and repetitive, but once it gets going there's no stopping it. The film lacks the star power of other Shaw Brothers productions but Chih-Hung is the real power here and his direction is stylish and efficient, with lots of creepy interludes. The story is a lot better than expected by genre standards with many twists and turns that you won't see coming. As a horror film, it's not quite as graphic or disgusting as other Hong Kong movies, but there are still plenty of memorable scares involving mouldering corpses and bodily disintegration.Things gradually get more and more outre, building to an infamous, eye-popping climax which takes female nudity to a new kind of exploitational level. It's not a particularly funny film, but there are still some comic highlights that nicely offset the humour, with Yue Tau Wan's hilarious cameo being a real highlight. In the end, HEX is just as well made as any film of Shaw's, exuding a level of quality that films from other studios just can't achieve. Many sequels and rip-offs followed, including HEX AFTER HEX and HEX VS. WITCHCRAFT.

I watched this when I was a child back in 1980. Recently I got to watch it again and it brought back so many memories. The original premise of the movie is similar to Simone Signoret's Diaboliques, Les (1955) whereby the man is killed by his wife and her maid (in the original French versions, it's between the wife and the mistress). But it's paced faster to include the 2nd part of the story-line.Once the wife dies, it is revealed that the maid and the husband had been in cahoots all along to drive the wife to her grave. Then things start going bump in the night. Even in broad daylight, various people have claimed to have seen the dead wife. Thinking that the wife is pulling the same trick on them, the two adulterous villains get ready ready fight back. But they do not realize a 3rd element is at play here.The part where the scriptures are written all over the naked body of the adulterous "maid" is interesting but overly long. The dead wife manages to pull apart those ears because those are the only parts not covered with scriptures, very much borrowed from vintage Japanese movie.The ending is a cope out and extremely different from the feel of the opening shots. A real pity too. But since this is a Shaw Brothers movie, the sets are still wonderfully designed and the mood can be quite spooky. That pond is all misty and creepy. But the makeup for the film has not managed to stand the test of time.If you would like to have a taste of Chinese horror movie from the early 80's, this one is recommended.