Fantasy

In 1973, the stock market bubble in Hong Kong burst and local economy hit rock bottom. The film industry, likewise, fell into a slump, further aggravated by the greatly diminished demand for Chinese-language films in Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. Inevitably, Shaw’s was affected too, but it tried to make the most of the situation by hiring young directors, strengthening on-location filming and introducing new film genres including fantasy and horror films.

Earlier, in the late 1960s, Shaw’s had taken reference from the British 007 film series in the US and produced a series of fantasy films including Angel with the Iron Fists (1967) and The Angel Strikes Again (1968) starring actresses like Tang Ching, Lily Ho and Tina Chin Fei. In these films, Hong Kong is pictured as a city of death traps and the outlying islands are turned into nuclear weapon bases. In the 1970s, Shaw’s experimented with new film types at a faster pace to test market waters. Super Inframan (1975) and The Mighty Peking Man (1975) starring Danny Lee (Li Hsiu-hsien), and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (1983) directed by Chang Kuo-ming are some of the products that epitomize Shaw’s venture into this genre. The films, with their outlandish plots (invasion by extraterrestrials, cities destroyed by monsters) and bizarre make-up and sets, provided a breath of fresh air for the audience.