Zhong gui

Yang Chuan's "Zhong gui" (released internationally as "Seeding of a Ghost") represents Shaw Brothers' late-period foray into supernatural horror, arriving at a time when the studio was already beginning to wind down its legendary output. This 1983 offering attempts to blend noir-tinged crime drama with traditional Chinese black magic folklore, though the execution feels uneven throughout its 88-minute runtime.

The film opens with a compelling premise that immediately establishes its dark trajectory. Philip Ko delivers a committed performance as Chow Tung, a taxi driver whose mundane existence becomes entangled with forces beyond his comprehension. Ko, a former member of the celebrated Venoms troupe, brings a grounded intensity to his role that anchors the increasingly bizarre proceedings. His transformation from ordinary working man to grief-stricken widower seeking supernatural vengeance feels authentic within the film's heightened reality.

Norman Chu provides solid support as the mysterious sorcerer whose accidental encounter with Chow sets the narrative machinery in motion. The dynamic between these two characters forms the emotional core of the film, with Chu's performance walking the line between menacing and sympathetic. However, the supporting cast, including Maria Jo as Chow's ill-fated wife Irene, feels somewhat underutilized given the dramatic weight their characters carry.

Yang Chuan's direction shows flashes of atmospheric brilliance, particularly in the film's opening act where he establishes a palpable sense of urban dread. The Hong Kong locations are captured with a gritty authenticity that serves the story well, creating an environment where supernatural elements feel organically integrated into the city's shadows. The cinematography effectively uses darkness and confined spaces to build tension, though the visual effects work varies considerably in quality.

Where "Seeding of a Ghost" stumbles is in its tonal inconsistencies and pacing issues. The film struggles to maintain momentum during its middle section, with certain sequences feeling indulgent rather than necessary. The revenge plot, while emotionally justified, unfolds in ways that feel both predictable and occasionally exploitative. The supernatural elements, which should provide the film's most compelling moments, sometimes veer into territory that feels more sensational than genuinely frightening.

The film's treatment of violence and sexuality reflects the Shaw Brothers house style of the early 1980s, though modern viewers may find certain aspects dated or problematic. The practical effects work, while ambitious for its time and budget, doesn't always convince, particularly during the film's more fantastical sequences.

"Seeding of a Ghost" succeeds best when it focuses on the human drama at its center - a man's grief and his desperate desire for justice. The exploration of how loss can drive someone to embrace darkness provides the film with its strongest emotional beats. However, the execution of this premise feels somewhat hollow, never fully committing to either its crime thriller elements or its supernatural horror aspirations.

This weirdo tale revolves around lies and deception, lots of revenge, and even more black magic.

When our leading star's wife is killed he seeks revenge by acquiring the local Voodoo dude. Who for some weird reason, was played by two dudes, which they tried hiding up that fact by loading the second player with tons of make-up....pretty weird/funny. Anyways, when Mr. Voodoo comes into play all the people who were bad to the wife prior to her death "will never know peace again", or something like that. And ain't that the truth.

When you Seed a Ghost, you better know the results, because they're f@cked up. Just like this movie. And that's a good thing! With a high amount of nudity, some sex and even a fight scene for good measure, the movie delivers loads of entertaining qualities. It's like an action/horror/fantasy/comedy flick rolled into one. And when the end comes you're only treated to a sorcery fight with one of the most fun and silliest ending I've seen in a long time. There's a lotta blood flying.

I've gotta mention the direction and cinematography, for a flick like this (and I say that with love), it had some pretty inventive shots. Definitely surprising.

The flick unfortunately kinda dragged at parts though. You once in a while will realize that something entertaining hasn't happened in a little bit. But don't dismay, since the movie does entertain pretty consistently. And also, maybe fault to the writing, you just never really care for any character. But with a movie like this, I only came into it looking for the "goods" and that's what I got.

Seeding of a Ghost is a truly weirdo hybrid of a flick that should be watched if you like to watch different movies. It's really a recommendable flick just because it seems to be one of the best this whacky genre of action/horror/fantasty/comedy combo flick has to offer. Definitely one of the most bizarre times I've had in a while watching a movie.

High expectations can be a bad thing when it comes to viewing obscure exploitation films. The problem is, once you've finally seen the film in question, it's like all of the past descriptions and reviews of it that made you want to see it in the first place were for a different film completely. SEEDING OF A GHOST suffers from this very syndrome. While certainly odd and unique, I have to admit that I was disappointed by this. Don't be fooled by all the hype surrounding this in cult movie circles; it's not half as outrageous as you've probably been led to believe.

The plot is suitably contrived. A cab driver accidentally runs into a mysterious vagrant, who promptly scuttles off into the woods. Meanwhile, his wife Irene has begun an affair with a handsome married man; she asks him to marry her, he refuses, and later that night she ends up getting raped and murdered by a couple of hoodlums. The cabbie is inexplicably led to her body through supernatural means, and decides to take revenge. He goes to the aforementioned vagrant, who promptly digs up Irene's body and begins a series of black magic rituals that lead to all sorts of weird happening amongst the perps: one guy throws up worms over his dinner plate, another is tricked into eating brains, and the married man's wife is possessed. Without giving anything away, all of this eventually leads to a blood-soaked finale in which Irene sets out for a final revenge...

From all the reviews I had read about SEEDING OF A GHOST, I had been led to believe that it was an incredibly disgusting, disturbing and downright nasty little film. Well, only a portion of that is correct. This film is not bad at all, but it's hardly notable. It reminded me of an EC comic book like TALES FROM THE CRYPT: it's incredibly over-the-top and weird, but too silly to be taken seriously. And although not as comical as, say, MR. VAMPIRE or A Chinese GHOST STORY, this still has a sense of humor, albeit a very strange one.

One thing this film is is SLEAZY; there's an undercurrent of misogyny here that will not fly with a lot of Western viewers. All of the women are essentially dumb, slutty punching bags, and the film is packed with a number of leering, gratuitous nude scenes that are so blatant in their execution they're not even erotic. The truth is, by the one hour mark I was kind of fed up; I had been given nudity galore, sex, creepy atmosphere, explosions and multiple kung fu fights (!), but what I really wanted was some horror. This film's structure is totally disjointed; it's like the filmmakers were making it up as they went along.

Thankfully, there's the final ten minutes. As many other viewers have noted, the climax is worth viewing in itself. Think a more outrageous, blood-splattered Asian version of John Carpenter's THE THING, and you have the right idea. I wanted more of that! Overall, SEEDING OF A GHOST was hardly as off-the-wall, gross, and skin-crawling as I was hoping for. It's more in line with the rest of the Hong Kong films I've seen, in the sense that all it wants to do is please the viewer, not necessarily scare him or disturb him. Hong Kong fans should seek out the incredible (and very similar in tone) SEVENTH CURSE with Chow Yun-Fat over this one.

Perhaps the extreme cinema of the Far East simply isn't my cup of tea, but I can't possibly be as praising about "Seeding of a Ghost" as most of my fellow reviewers around here. Moreover, if it hadn't been for the excellent last half hour and the downright brilliant end-sequences, I probably would have rated the film negatively. "Seeding of a Ghost" is a difficult film to get into… It's all very hectic at first, with the introduction of numerous characters and the entire plot synopsis as described on the back of the DVD happening in the first 10 minutes already. Oh yes, the least you can say about this Shaw-brothers production is that it's a spirited and outrageous film! An amiable-looking cab driver accidentally runs over a sorcerer and this uncanny figure promptly informs him that very BAD things will happen to him as from that moment. He sure isn't lying, as the cabbie's wife starts an extramarital relationship with a gambler and shortly after she's raped and killed by a duo of thugs. The heartbroken cab driver, after being suspected of the murder by the police, attempts to get back in contact with the sorcerer and develops a plan to wreak havoc upon everyone who was responsible for his wife's death. The whole building up to the supernatural vengeance (which is, according to me, the actual point of the film) is very incoherent and contains too many redundant moments. Considering the available budget, however, it's an adequately made film with a solid director and fairly stylish camera-work. Even though you sometimes haven't got the slightest idea what's going on, you keep watching because it's intriguing and because you inexplicably know that somehow your patient will be rewarded. And, indeed, then comes the sensational finale that instantly causes you to ignore everything that might or might not had bothered you until then. The gambler's pregnant wife literally SPAWNS a grotesque and hideous monster that repulsively butchers a whole bunch of unrelated party guests. It's a non-stop series of splattering blood and guts and it kind of feels like a crossover between John Carpenter's "The Thing" and Peter Jackson's "Braindead". You don't have to be a horror specialist to realize there are far worse films to get compared with! The make-up effects are deliciously nasty and the smutty monster is a very engaging little creation. It's one of the greatest closures to an average film I ever saw and it forced me to rate the wholesome rather positively after all. Recommended especially to cult-hunters and other sick puppies.

First off this film is pure exploitation. This is sex and violence and really gross, even by todays standards. Its not the best film ever made, but if you want gore and worms and gross things with your beautiful naked women this is for you. This film belongs in the exploitation hall of fame.

A very bare bones explanation of the plot has a beautiful woman having an affair because she is bored with her husband of a couple of months. She wants to run off with her lover, who is also married, but he won't go. Getting out of her car on a lonely stretch of road she finds a phone and calls her husband who's cab driver. While she is waiting she is raped and killed by two guys. The husband uses the services of a black magician he once saved to get revenge on the killers and the lover. Its gross fun from that point on.

The sex is early on as we see the very beautiful wife naked in the shower and having sex with her lover. Proving that this is exploitation at its finest we have a slow motion topless jog along the beach.

This film has a reputation for being gross out royalty and its nice to report that this certainly is the case. This is a film that will have you going "yuck" quite often. Done before CGI this film is helped by knowing that what you see is what you get, people really are spiting up insects and such.

The problem for me was that it seems oddly paced. Don't get me wrong the plot moves, but at times it seems a bit talky, which is odd since what you see is what you need to see and hear.

See this film.

I rated it as a 7 out of 10, but thats for most people who want to see a gross out horror film from overseas. For hardcore exploitation film fans or those who love gross effects this is a classic and should be 10 out of 10.