Xiao hun yu

RETURN OF THE DEAD (1979, original title Xiao hun yu) is a horror anthology by the Shaw Brothers studio, consisting of three half-hour tales told by the residents of a mental hospital. The first is a straight adaptation of the W. W. Jacobs classic THE MONKEY'S PAW, transplanted to Hong Kong; the second is about the ghost of a prostitute haunting a lake; the third has a prostitute returning from her grave to play foul with the living.

This is one of those films that starts out on a very strong footing. The great Ku Feng plays in the first story, which is one of the best filmed adaptations of the story out there and a perfect fit for Shaw. The second story features Yueh Hua and a half-decent story, but gets bogged down in nudity and silly FX later on. The third story is all over the place, the sub-plot with Chan Shen's graverobber being the best bit. The emphasis does seem to be on female nudity here so at times this feels more like one of Shaw's erotic comedies than a horror, and given the quality of their other fare I expected better.