Could it be the return of genuine Cat III madness? When I first heard about this film it certainly sounded like it, considering the involvement of director Herman Yau ("Ebola Syndrome", "The Untold Story") and the listing of several themes & keywords that are customary for this sub genre's certification. After seeing the film at the Fantasy and Horror Festival in Belgium, I must admit it's not a total throwback to the outrageous films of the early nineties, but a successful mixture between Cat III nastiness and a far more sophisticated kind of film-making. "Gong Tau" isn't as sickeningly gore and doesn't contain any absurd humor, but to compensate for all this, the script is actually coherent for once and even introduces some effective and plausible dramatic story lines. Next to the voodoo horror plot, there's a very engaging domestic drama sub plot, which honestly makes the horror far more intense, grim and disturbing. The titular term refers to the most nightmarish type of oriental voodoo that black magic artists inflict onto people for reasons of either love or revenge. The harsh Hong Kong copper Rockman Cheung loses his baby son and almost his wife when someone targets him for Gong Tau terror. The main and only suspect is a criminal Lam Chiu, who Rockman shot in the head ten years ago, but he survived and mysteriously vanished. But when the real culprit and motives come to the surface, Rockman actually depends on Lam Chiu's knowledge of the occult for survival. "Gong Tau" is reasonably nauseating and surely doesn't bother to avoid the most shocking taboo subjects (dead babies, bug vomiting, mutilation
) but the violence is never fully gratuitous and Herman Yau largely remains focused on story building and atmosphere instead of sickness. The Gong Tau characteristics may sound a little over the top, as it involves heads separating from the body and antidotes that require a hodgepodge of insect venom, sperm and grease of a human corpse. The special effects and make-up are fabulous and the set pieces are marvelously sinister. Yau's direction is still as stable and reliable as it was over ten years ago, but his cast members definitely improve. Especially Mark Cheng as Rockman and Maggie Siu as his emotionally wrecked wife deliver stellar performances. The climax is insanely gory and even provides a neat (albeit illogical) twist. See this thing if you crave for the good old days of horror cinema to return. After "Dog Bite Dog" last year, this is another modest triumph in the Asian horror industry!
