BLACK MAGIC (1977)

[The Burgomaster]

This is a bizarre, fun Chinese fantasy/horror flick that Anchor Bay just released on DVD.

Here's the gist of it:

A modern day sorcerer, who lives in a shack in the forest, makes his living by selling various spells (love, death, etc.) to anyone who is willing to pay him.  He uses severed heads, blood, skulls, voodoo dolls, and even breast milk (which he personally squeezes from his female customers) to cast his spells.

Some noteable scenes include:

* A woman who has a death spell put on her, resulting in worms appearing under her skin.

* A guy eats centipedes in order to counteract a spell that has been cast on him.

* A couple is killed during sex, while the evil sorcerer sticks needles into voodoo dolls.

* A wild battle erupts between the evil sorcerer and a good sorcerer (okay, the special effects during the fight are pretty cheesy, but at least they're ambitious).

All of this is crammed into a fast-paced 95 minute movie.

The DVD includes both Mandarin and English soundtracks (I watched it in Mandarin with English subtitles).  The widescreen picture and the sound quality are excellent.  I think you'll enjoy this one.

[lester1/2jr]

is the dubbed version on the DVD too?  This is one of my favorite movies ever, but i didn't want to buy the vcd because it only has the subtitles

[The Burgomaster]

The DVD I bought has both dubbed and subtitled versions.

[Andrew]

This is a bizarre, fun Chinese fantasy/horror flick that Anchor Bay just released on DVD.

I thought that this was an Image disc released as part of the Shaw Brothers collection?  They have been putting out a number of those discs and I've been meaning to get them.  Your post actually reminded me to put them on my wish list.

[The Burgomaster]

Andrew - you are correct.  It is an Image release, not Anchor Bay.  I must have been snoozing when I wrote my original comments.

[lester1/2jr]

I have 100 or so of the shaw bros reissues on vcd.  Oily maniac, Na Cha the Great, Boxers omen, Bastard Swordsman.  lots of cool non horror kung fu stuff too

[Fausto]

I had just gotten this movie back from a friend and was going to do a review, but you beat me to the punch. Damn.

What I learned from this movie:

*Internal parasites can be sucked out with a straw
*Necromancers are experts of female lactation
*If your girlfriend serves you a rice ball that has a "fishy" taste to it, you may be under a love spell
*Trying to cheat a necromancer is a bad idea
*In some places, flashlights are considered a deadly weapon
*Trying to stop a moving vehicle with pink powder is futile
*Never park your car where your ex can get to it with a baseball bat
*Burning the chin of a corpse can cause it to wake up
*Always check to ensure nothing is hanging outside your window or hidden under your bed
*Money is the key to everything

[zombie no.one]

The DVD includes both Mandarin and English soundtracks

lol, as soon as I started reading those scenes you mentioned I was thinking this has to be a oriental  movie.

sounds good though.