88 Films have announced a bumper batch of releases for the coming months, the first of which is the Horror / Drama / Action hybrid Human Lanterns made by the Shaw Brothers Studio in 1982.
Though featuring the Shaw Brothers custom brand of martial arts mayhem, HUMAN LANTERNS also taps into the early 80s craze for the American slasher film and the earlier Hammer horrors by providing a grisly take on the serial killer feature in an inimitable Hong Kong style.
When an unbalanced craftsman decides to get revenge on two Kung Fu masters by creating special lanterns constructed from the human skin of their dead relatives, all hell breaks loose in this gruesome tale of bloody retribution.
Taking its inspiration from movies like Psycho and real cases like Ed Gein, HUMAN LANTERNS is clearly not for the faint-hearted with its over-the-top gore and sadistic qualities, but this slice of darker-than-dark fantasy still manages to be both wonderfully horrible and impressively entertaining. This will be the full uncut version, unlike previous DVD releases.
Extras:
Audio commentary by Kenneth Brorsson and Phil Gillon of the Podcast On Fire Network
Interview with Susan Shaw by Fred Ambroisine.
