Corpse Mania (1981) 7/10

Back in high school I used to love cheesy kung fu flicks. Still do, but its been a while since i've made the time to check any out. My favorite studio was, and still is, Shaw Brothers. During their initial run they made hundreds of great kung fu flicks in all their cheesy glory. Until recently I thought all they did was kung fu, apparently they dabbled in horror too and Corpse Mania is one of em.

After a man's wife dies he decides to keep her in his house and make love to her corpse and stay with her always. He gets caught and flees and has become obsessed with sleeping with the dead. When a string of prostitutes are found murdered and raped Inspector Chang is called on the case to find the necrophiliac.

Corpse Mania is certainly has the most disgusting plot i've ever seen in a shaw film. Gone are the epic fight scenes and crazy weapons. No sorcerers or kung fu masters. Just a gritty thriller that borders on the perverse. We never see our killer befouling the dead, thank god, but we do see him caressing and fondling the dead. The film also sports a few graphic gore scenes as well, and the effects are pretty impressive. The pace of the film is quick enough and the directing is quite good for the grindhouse. Vibrant colors are found throughout, the influence of Italian giallos is clearly seen.

Surprisingly dark and creepy this pre-cat III Chinese horror flick is a wonderful surprise coming from the Shaw Brothers. Check it out if you dig extreme Chinese cinema like Dr. Lamb or to get a peek at the other side of Shaw Brothers Studios.

Gore-medium

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Overall - 7/10