Daughter of Darkness

DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS is a pretty sleazy Cat III "shocker" with themes of violence, rape, murder, incest, voyeurism, among other assorted nastiness, but before ya get too excited, this one is pretty mediocre. Lily Chung (who was Ming-Ming in the far superior RED TO KILL) plays another tortured soul (the type of role she seems to do so well...) who is the "black sheep" of her family. There doesn't appear to be any real rhyme or reason, but her mother, father, sister, and brother all hate her and treat her like complete garbage. Eventually she gets tired of the constant abuse (and the abuse takes many disturbing shapes) and flips the f'ck out. The rest is pretty typical Cat III history.

DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS isn't bad, but it isn't nearly as much of a stand-out HK "shocker" as THE UNTOLD STORY, RED TO KILL, or THE EBOLA SYNDROME, for example. Anthony Wong has another great performance - and even though he is a cop in this one, he is still a twisted, perverse, filthy f!cking scum-bag (and that's why we love ya Tony!!!). One of the big problems is that DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS starts as almost a straight-up comedy, then switches mid-film into a typical Cat III sleaze-fest when Chung begins to tell her story of abuse to the cops. I don't much mind the comedic aspects that tend to go along with even the most shocking of these types of films, but DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS switched from comedy to serious drama in a blink, and made for a disjointed feel. Regardless, still a decent entry and worth a look for all you pervert douche-bags out there (like me...) ; ) 7/10

"Daughter of Darkness" is a tale of a young woman's sexual abuse by her father.The film is very dark as it offers plenty of sex,nudity,gore and heavy violence.Lily Chung-who played Ming-Ming in Billy Tang's "Red to Kill"(1994)-is extremely convincing as titular heroine Fong.The film is pretty uneven,because it's filled with lame comedy and silly jokes.Still the scenes of rape and sexual abuse are very shocking and unpleasant.The final slaughter scene is extremely violent and bloody.Anthony Wong from "Ebola Syndrome"(1996)is also memorable as police captain Lui.The scene where he molests the female corpse totally cracked me up.Overall,"Daughter of Darkness" is a pretty good shocker,so if you like extreme stuff give it a look.7 out of 10.

A young woman is maltreated by her family an raped by her father. All her family is killed. The daughter is suspected by a mad inspector (a sort of trash Nicky Larson) who is more interested by sex (very "scatological") than the investigation. What a strange movie! In fact, it's a mix between stupid comedy and very violent trash scenes (murder, incest, rape). I think this movie is really disconcerting for the occidental public. There is no morality, they deal with glaucous subjects with absurd humor. So, if you like the trash Asian way of making movies, try this one.

Really fun.

One year prior to her excellent turn as Ming Ming in 'Bloody' Billy Tang's top Cat II shocker Red To Kill, Lily Chung played another hapless victim of violence and sexual abuse in Daughter of Darkness (also directed by Tang).

Chung plays Wei, a beautiful young woman who is tortured (mentally and physically) by her own family, until, one night, she finally snaps and sees to it that they will never harm her again.

After a gruesome opening scene, in which Wei reports the slaughter of her family to the cops, and the bloodbath is examined by a sleazy cop (ably played by Anthony Wong), the movie gives way to a series of lame comedic moments, which serve to belie the shocking nature of the movie as a whole.

However, once Wong's cop begins to unravel the truth about the grisly murders, the tone of the film shifts into much darker territory. Wei tells of her abuse and, in flashbacks, we see how, after being downtrodden by her mother and siblings, and repeatedly raped by her father, she savagely dispatches of her uncaring family.

Packed to the rafters with scenes of nudity (Chung isn't shy about stripping off), perversion, voyeurism, violence, and general sleaziness, Daughter of Darkness is a very good example of Cat III excess.

I see Daughter of Darkness as something of a practice run for Chung and Tang, whose next film together, Red to Kill, is the perfect Cat III experience. Daughter of Darkness isn't perfect, but fans of the genre will find much to enjoy in this ultimately dark and depressing slice of extreme cinema.

*** The Universe release, which I viewed, is the most complete official version of the film available on DVD, however it is shorn of some moments of violence which were in the original theatrical release. ***

Daughter of Darkness (1993) was one of the more brutal titles from Hong Kong to be released under the Category III rating. Originally, films received a Category III rating if they showed excessive nudity, strong sexual themes (even if they didn't show any sex or nudity), gay themes or violence. No one under the age of eighteen was allowed to view Category III films. But due to it's huge popularity, the rating became a whole new genre.

The movie is a police procedural film told in a non-linear structure. A young woman (Lily Cheung)is found in her home, a survivor of a family massacre. Someone has butchered the mother, father (William Ho), brother and sister of the lone surviving victim. A suspect is caught and brutally interrogated by the police. But a slovenly officer (Anthony Wong) is on the case and not everything is what it seems to be.

A vile and disturbing ride for all involved. Many of these police procedural films were based upon actual crimes. If you enjoy Category III films then this one has your name written all over it!

Highly recommended.