Picturenose

Going, going, Gong Tau!

James and I were lucky enough to be able to attend the Brussels International Fantasy Film Festival (BIFFF) earlier this year. We also gave away lots of tickets for their premieres and first European showings, so if you want in next year, keep it here.

Shameless self-promotion aside, one of the films that really piqued my interest was Gong Tau: An Oriental Black Magic (2007), the best Hong Kong-made horror I’ve seen this year. OK, it’s the only Hong Kong-made horror I’ve seen this year, but I reckon the rest probably don’t have the mix of gore, shocks and humour that makes Gong Tau what it is. It’s category III under the Hong Kong ratings system (similar to ‘NC-17′ in the US, or ‘18′ in the UK) so although it can be humorous in places, it’s not a family affair. 

The story revolves around a Hong Kong cop, Rockman Cheung (Mark Cheng) and his wife, Karpi (Maggie Shiu) who have recently lost a baby. Cop friends begin to be dispatched in a variety of unpleasant ways, and Rockman’s colleague and good friend ‘Brother’ Sum (Suet Lam) announces (with a surprising amount of gravity): “It’s Gong Tau.” James and I discussed this over a post-film drink and agreed that this sort of statement made elsewhere would be more likely to get you locked up than taken seriously, but this is also a fun facet of the movie - it really doesn’t take itself too seriously. I think the director, Herman Yau (A Mob Story (2007)), must have done this on purpose because throughout the film, there are a number of the most cheesy and strange lines, all delivered with the seriousness of an undertaker at a family funeral. Now, Gong Tau doesn’t happen by itself - oh no. It has to be initiated and controlled by someone, and Rockman thinks he knows who. Lam Chiu (Kenny Wong) was shot in the head by Rockman some time ago, and was left with the inability to feel pain. Unfortunately, Rockman’s guess is way out, and he ends up grudgingly calling on the talents of Lam Chiu to help rid his now-hospitalized wife of the curse.

It transpires there is more than one type of Gong Tau. There’s your common-or-garden, vanilla Gong Tau and then there’s Flying Head Gong Tau. Guess which one afflicts the unfortunate couple and their pals? Yep, got it in one. The flying head variety is, apparently, a lot more powerful and dangerous than the regular type. To give you an idea of what to expect, the Gong Tau practitioner can detach his head from his body and fly around, at first still trailing bits of spinal column and assorted viscera. When the mood takes him, he can attack, biting down and sucking the blood from the neck of the victim. Of course, having no body, the blood simply gushes from the hole in his neck where the body used to be attached. This is just one scene from a film full of unpleasantness and surprises. If you don’t like the idea of a cocktail comprising human fat, creepy-crawlies and semen, this may not be your cup of tea, so to speak. But, what makes it so fascinating is how well-shot it is. The camera work is very slick and the CGI gruesome and magnificent. The script is well-paced, if a little confusing at times, but overall, very good.

The laughs come from a very dark place too. Karpi tends to spend the majority of her on-screen time either catatonic or screaming hysterically. When Rockman finally shouts at her to shut up and calm down, an audible chuckle can be heard from the audience, along with a small cheer. You may also find that the phrase “need a hand?” will make you laugh when you probably really shouldn’t. 

So if you’re feeling brave and don’t feel the occasional blood-spattered infant will spoil your day, grab yourself a slice of marvellous Hong Kong horror that comes at you like a disembodied flying head.

97 mins.