THE BRIDE FROM HELL

released OUt NOW! 1972 | 15 | blu-ray

Director Hsu chiang chou Cast Margaret Hsing Hui, Fan Yang, carrie Ku Mei

Compared to some of 88 Films’s previous releases in their 88 Asia Collection (such as Black Magic, Hex and The Oily Maniac) this latest Hong Kong horror from Shaw Brothers Studios is positively restrained, registering only four or five on the insane-ometer.

True, it features a young man marrying a ghost… or a zombie, or a victim of possession (the exact nature of the “Bride” is bafflingly unclear, and we’re not convinced this is entirely a case of different cultural traditions), who then takes her revenge on the rich men who murdered her family 20 years ago. Cue much swooping about on wires, bathed in grotty green light/ gliding about on whatever the 1972 equivalent of a hoverboard was, as someone furiously wallops the kettle drums.

Nerve-freezing terror is never on the cards, sadly, partly because the groom’s tubby servant/bestie is forever undercutting the scares by crashing to the floor in a comedy faint. The cultural details provide the most interest, particularly the supernatural lore: apparently you can drive ghosts away with a sword made of peach wood, and the best way to reveal one is to bite yourself, then spit a mouthful of blood in its direction. Think we’ll stick to dialling 555-2368 for the Ghostbusters, thanks.

Extras None. Ian Berriman