Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Human Lanterns Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 8, 2022

For those who may be acquainted with the horrifying real life story of Ed Gein, the guy who later became the "inspiration" for Robert Bloch's creation of the immortal character of Norman Bates in Psycho, you may know of some of Gein's "handiwork" which might be described by this film's very title, and even more explicitly by what was evidently one of its video release titles, Human Skin Lanterns. Just that fact may alert prospective viewers that while this is in some ways a rather traditional Shaw Brothers martial arts effort, it also has a uniquely interesting horror aspect, one that gives things some decidedly gruesome presentational elements. There's also an almost folkloristic substratum to the story, at least insofar as one very badly scarred (both emotionally and physically) character likes to dress up in an outfit that makes him look like an evil yōkai cousin of The Monkey King (and that is of course said with tongue planted firmly in cheek). While that character is kinda sorta introduced in an evocatively spooky credits sequence, the actual narrative begins by introducing a rivalry between Lung (Lau Wing) and Tan Fu (Chen Kuan-tai), with Tan Fu causing Lung to "lose face" (as the subtitles overtly state) by inviting a prostitute named Yen Chu (Linda Chu) to a big shindig, since Yen Chu and Lung are evidently an "item", at least as evidenced by both rampant gossip at the party but also by Lung's own reaction to events. Interestingly, Mrs. Lung (Ni Tien) is also in attendance, but seems more concerned with the ramifications of Lung's response than to the underlying situation of an apparently dallying husband.

Considering the weirdness of some parts of this film, it's kind of a model of narrative succinctness, as evidenced by the very opening scene mentioned above, which almost instantly introduces the rivalry between Lung and Tan Fu while also making it clear that for whatever reason the big annual Lantern Festival is the focal point for perceptions of local success, and that Lung is intent on snatching what has evidently been a regular prize for Tan Fu. When Lung unabashedly insults Tan Fu for his taste in -- well, just about everything, Tan Fu responds by having Yen Chu introduced, which then causes further chaos. Even in this largely expository opening, though, there's some presentational whimsy when both Lung and Tan Fu, who had been "sparring" (verbally) on a balcony, descend to Yen Chu's ground level by some wire work aided flight which ends on outstretched fans held by courtier types.

In rather quick succession Lung's relationship with Yen Chu is shown to be on the rocky side, since Yen Chu wants to be an official (married) concubine, something she says Tan Fu has already offered her. But Lung wants to win the Lantern Festival to prove his manhood (?), and quickly sets off on a quest to find who is making some celebrated lanterns he's seen. That finally introduces him to Chao Chun Fang (Lieh Lo), who, it turns out, has a bit of "history" with Lung, having been soundly defeated by Lung in a sword fight that left Chao Chun Fang with a supposedly debilitating scar (which looks a bit like kanji). Lung urges Chun Fang to forget their previous rivalry and to assist Lung in his effort to unseat Tan Fu as the "appointed" Lantern Festival King (or whatever the winner might be called), and while Chun Fang seems to go along with this plan, his actual motives are much more vengeance based, as is almost instantly revealed.

What's kind of interesting about the tale is that while the rivalry between Lung and Tan Fu would seem to be the center of the story, Chao Chun Fang is indeed not a veritable third wheel and turns out to be the linchpin around which the story revolves. Chun Fang actually comes off almost as the ancient Japanese equivalent of The Phantom of the Opera, at least insofar as he's kind of surprisingly sympathetic even when he's abducting women and taking them to his cavernous lair. Unfortunately for the women, he doesn't want to give them singing lessons, which might be why in the long run none of the three main male characters comes off as traditionally heroic.

Human Lanterns Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Human Lanterns is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of 88 Asia Collection, an imprint of 88 Films, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. The back cover of this release offers only a generic "HD transfer from the original negative" as its sole mention of any technical data. Human Lanterns does show a few variances in brightness and grain resolution but is on the whole a really gorgeous looking transfer, especially with regard to an almost luminous palette which offers some absolutely vivid reds and purples in particular. The film's kind of misty, spooky ambience features quite a bit of dimly lit material, and for the most part shadow detail is actually quite good. There are some kind of peculiar changes in brightness that you can see almost morphing before your very eyes, as in the opening vignette with Lung Shuai and Tan Fu on the balcony. Grain can also be a little clumpy looking in some passing moments, as can be seen in screenshots 17 through 19. This is another Shaw Brothers effort where there are some anamorphic anomalies at various points, some of which are probably exacerbated by the use of things like fisheye lenses.

Human Lanterns Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Human Lanterns features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track in the original Mandarin. This has a pretty brash, thin and frankly harsh high end at times, as is almost immediately disclosed in the opening Shaw Brothers fanfare, but also even during the credits sequence every time lightning sparks across the sky. Other underscore later in the film can also be a little irritating in the upper registers. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout, though it certainly seems like at least some actors were post looped, and so "sync can be loose", as they say. Optional English subtitles are available. My score is 3.25.

Human Lanterns Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Kenneth Brorsson and Phil Gillon of the Podcast on Fire Network


• A Shaw Story (HD; 13:48) is an interview with actress Susan Shaw. Subtitled in English.


• The Beauty and the Beasts (HD; 14:39) is an interview with actress Linda Chu. Subtitled in English.


• Lau Wing - The Ambiguous Hero (HD; 51:11) comes with a warning about the audio for the interview, which is indeed quite bad (it sounds like it was recorded in an enclosed space with a lot of background noise, but there's also distortion in Lau Wing's voice). Subtitled in English.


• Original Trailer (HD; 1:33)

Additionally, this is another very handsomely packaged release from 88 Films. The slipcase features brand new artwork from R.P. "Kung Fu Bob" O'Brien, and the keepcase features a reversible sleeve featuring the original Hong Kong poster artwork. The keepcase itself houses a nicely appointed insert booklet which includes an essay by Barry Forshaw and a double sided foldout poster.

Human Lanterns Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Barry Forshaw's really interesting essay included in this release's insert booklet gets into some of the problems some viewers may have in being able to properly "pigeonhole" the film as one genre or another. Forshaw recommends letting go of any genre preconceptions, which is probably a good idea for a film as bizarrely plotted as this one. The more gruesome presentational aspects here may make more squeamish types squirm, but a pretty traditional rivalry plot device is rather interestingly deconstructed here, with the result being that you may not exactly be rooting for anyone to "win". Technical merits are generally excellent (video) to okay (audio), with some appealing supplements and very handsome packaging. Recommended.