Shawscope Volume Four Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		3.5

Shawscope Volume Four Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 18, 2025

Things seem to have calmed down a little from the gauntlet I experienced toward the end of 2024 where it seemed I was getting a Shaw Brothers title (or several) in my review queue virtually daily. Arrow has been curating its immense Shawscope collections for a few years now, and they're helping to alleviate any perceived deficit in high definition presentations of the venerable studio's output with this fourth volume which aggregates sixteen more films from the Shaw Brothers canon (some of them previously released in other territories, though Arrow advertises new 2025 restorations for all of the films in the set). Arrow has packaged all of these volumes consistently, and this latest volume shares the same basic dimensions as its shelf mates (if you have shelf space for such large boxes), and it also includes the wealth of bonus material that the previous releases from Arrow have offered.

For "rabid completists" who may want to peruse the immense prior volumes in this series from Arrow, please click on the following links:

Shawscope Volume One Blu-ray review

Shawscope Volume Two Blu-ray review

Shawscope Volume Three Blu-ray review

For reviews of the films in this set, please click on the following links:

Super Inframan Blu-ray review

Oily Maniac Blu-ray review

Battle Wizard Blu-ray review

Black Magic Blu-ray review

Black Magic Part 2 Blu-ray review

Hex Blu-ray review

Bewitched Blu-ray review

Hex vs. Witchcraft Blu-ray review

Hex after Hex Blu-ray review

Bat Without Wings Blu-ray review

Bloody Parrot Blu-ray review

The Fake Ghost Catchers Blu-ray review

Demon of the Lute Blu-ray review

Seeding of a Ghost Blu-ray review

Portrait in Crystal Blu-ray review

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Blu-ray review

Shawscope Volume Four Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Video quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Shawscope Volume Four Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Audio quality is assessed in the above linked reviews.

Shawscope Volume Four Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Supplements on each disc are detailed in the above linked reviews. Note that Arrow has packaged this set with two films per disc, with the exception of Super Inframan and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star which are each offered on their own disc. The set also includes a bonus disc.

Bonus Blu-ray Disc: Special Features

• Hong Kong: The Show of Mister Shaw (HD*; 13:10) is a fun French television broadcast from 1972 profiling the Shaw Brothers. In black and white, and with somewhat hilariously at least some original English language sections which then have French overdubs and English subtitles.


• The Movie Maniac: The Legacy of Ho Meng-hua (HD; 14:27) is a new video essay by Grady Hendrix about the director.


• Critical Appreciations

Leon Hunt and Luke White on Super Inframan (HD; 21:33)




Kim Newman on Super Inframan (HD; 21:59)




Victor Fan on Battle Wizard (HD; 17:53)




Wayne Wong on Bat Without Wings (HD; 12:48)




Luke White on Demon of the Lute (HD; 21:37)




Victor Fan on Demon of the Lute (HD; 23:38)

• Trailer Gallery

Oily Maniac (HK Theatrical Trailer) (HD; 3:46)




Battle Wizard (HK Theatrical Trailer, Mandarin) (HD; 3:34)




Battle Wizard (HK Theatrical Trailer, English) (HD; 3:34)




Battle Wizard (German Theatrical Trailer) (HD; 2:54)




Black Magic (HK Theatrical Trailer) (HD; 3:51) comes with a disclaimer about cobbled together sources.




Black Magic (German Theatrical Trailer) (HD; 3:21)




Black Magic (US TV Spot) (HD; 00:32)




Black Magic Part 2 (HK Theatrical Trailer, Mandarin) (HD; 3:26)




Black Magic Part 2 (HK Theatrical Trailer, English) (HD; 3:26)




Black Magic Part 2 (US Theatrical Trailer) (HD; 2:44)




Bewitched (HK Theatrical Trailer, Cantonese) (HD; 3:29)




Bewitched (HK Theatrical Trailer, Mandarin) (HD; 2:55)




Hex (HK Theatrical Trailer) (HD; 1:49)




Hex vs Witchcraft (HK Theatrical Trailer, partial) (HD; 4:03) comes with a disclaimer about cobbled together sources.




Hex After Hex (HK Theatrical Trailer, Cantonese) (HD; 4:42)




Hex After Hex (HK Theatrical Trailer, Mandarin) (HD; 3:22)




Bat Without Wings (HK Theatrical Trailer) (HD; 3:29)




Bloody Parrot (HK Theatrical Trailer) (HD; 2:51)




The Fake Ghost Catchers (HK Theatrical Trailer) (HD; 3:17)




Demon of the Lute (HK Theatrical Trailer) (HD; 4:44)




Seeding of a Ghost (HK Theatrical Trailer 1) (HD; 2:11)




Seeding of a Ghost (HK Theatrical Trailer 2, Cantonese) (HD; 2:54)




Seeding of a Ghost (HK Theatrical Trailer 3, Mandarin) (HD; 2:54)




Portrait in Crystal (HK Theatrical Trailer) (HD; 2:23)

*720

This is another very beautifully packaged set that will fit in with Arrow's three previous offerings (if there's still enough room for it on collectors' shelves, anyway). While this set features a bright purple cover, otherwise its dimensions and overall shape mimic the previous volumes. The outer slipbox is approximately 11" wide by 7" tall by 2" deep. Once again as with the two previous volumes there's a kind of oversized DigiBook with cardstock sleeves holding the discs. Another extremely well done oversized booklet is included, also per the previous volumes. The booklet has an almost overwhelming amount of information on each film, including some really interesting film notes by Ian Jane.

Shawscope Volume Four Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As may be indicated by the glut of 2.5 and 3.0 scores for the films in this set, this may be more of a niche item for collectors than some of the previous Shawscope volumes, with a particular emphasis on the studio's "latter day" efforts to branch out and feature more horror, comedy and exploitation aspects. Still, this is an invigorating collection with generally solid technical merits, outstanding supplements and Arrow's typically handsome (and in this case extravagant) packaging. As a whole, Recommended.