Director – Juno Mak (Dream House)
Starring – Anthony Chan (Mr. Vampire), Siu-Ho Chin (Vampire Warriors), Kara Hui (Blood Stained Shoes)
Release Date – 2013
Last summer I made a promise to my readers that I would try to step out of my comfort zone and review more international films. I watched several Asian films and wanted to continue that route but requests have taken over all my spare time. However, that was until I finally got placed on Sony and Well Go USA’s mailing list.
Soon after being placed on that mailing list I received a copy of the Asian vampire flick Rigor Mortis. The trailer and poster artwork for the film looked fucking amazing and I couldn’t wait to see it but I had to take care of some personal matters before I could review it and that is why I would like to apologize to Well Go USA for having this up so late.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a former action star as he moves into an apartment complex after losing custody of his son to his son’s mother. The apartment he moves into is one with a dark history. At one time two beautiful young women were raped and before they were killed they killed the one responsible for raping them. Now their spirits haunt the apartment waiting for any opportunity they can to attack. They soon get their chance when the young man tries to kill himself before he is saved by a fry cook who just happens to be a martial arts master.
He fights off the spirits and takes the young man in under his wing. However, there is still evil in the building. A seamstress loses her husband and turns to the black arts to bring him back. This puts the two in danger, as well as, the entire apartment building. It is now up to them to use their martial arts skills to save their lives and the lives of everyone around them.**Spoiler Alert**
Last year and early this year I reviewed Gothic and Lolita Psycho, Helldriver, Gantz, and Mutant Girl Squad. What I really liked about these films was the fact that they were completely absurd and off the wall. The blood was flowing, the special effects were crazy, and the kills were completely shocking. However, the first few moments I saw of Rigor Mortis I immediately knew that this film would be nothing like the ones I was lucky enough to review before. This film was nothing like the others. It skipped on the humor and off the wall kills for a more realistic (as real as you can get with vampires) approach. The film also used an Asian mytho that I am not familiar with at all. The myth, the jumping vampire, is one that apparently does not have a very good track record in cinema. However, with all that being said, this movie was very impressive.
The acting in this one is solid but that is also hard to judge do to the film being dubbed. This is one of the few instances where I wished I had studied another language. The story for this one is fun and blends two different horror elements into one. It was also nice to see some martial arts in an Asian horror film. Many of the others I have reviewed actually did not have any in the film and that was a little disappointing.
Finally, the film has phenomenal special and visual effects. The practical looks great and rivals any vampire film from the 80s while the visual effects look great and definitely does not take away from the overall film. Overall, Rogor Mortis is a great supernatural martial arts film that blends smooth fighting scenes with a great story. If you like the martial arts films of the 70s and Asian horror then this film is for you. Check it out!
