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This special limited edition 2-disc 4K UHD/Blu-ray set comes with a spot gloss hard slipcase + slipcover combo (designed by Wes Benscoter), includes a 40-page perfect bound book and is limited to 8,000units. It is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.
Equally wealthy Master Tan and Master Lung are both competing to be honored at the upcoming festival of lanterns. When Tan presents Lung with his ornately crafted lantern, Lung realizes that to best his rival, he must create an even more beautiful lantern. Lung engages the strange craftsman Chao Fang, imploring him to create the most sensational lantern ever seen. Fang agrees on the condition that his work be conducted in complete secrecy. Soon, panic sets in throughout the region as beautiful young women start to go missing, their skinned corpses discovered thereafter. Is Chao Fang, in fact, a deranged maniac, or has an even more diabolical plot been put into effect?
A cornerstone film in the Shaw Brothers’ unique approach in combining traditional wuxia and kung-fu filmmaking tropes with incredibly bloody, weird, and stylish 1980s horror, prolific director Chung Sun’s (Revenge of the Corpse) notorious 1982 shocker HUMAN LANTERNS takes grisly brutality to new heights as its squirm-inducing ‘skin peeling’ sequences still have the power to shock more than 40 years later. Starring action superstars Tony Liu (The Way of the Dragon), Chen Kuan-Tai (The Man with the Iron Fists), and Lo Lieh (The 36th Chamber of Shaolin) and featuring stunningly colorful scope photography by An-Sung Tsao (Sex Beyond the Grave), Vinegar Syndrome is delighted to bring this one-of-a-kind thriller to 4K UHD, newly and exclusively restored from its original camera negative and presented in its longest and most complete version ever on video, including extended gore sequences never before available on disc, along with a never-on-video alternate ending present only in the Cantonese export version!
directed by: Chung Sun starring: Tony Liu, Chen Kuan-Tai, Lo Lieh, Ni Tien, Linda Chu, Hsiu-Chun Lin, Meng Lo, Chien Sun, Fei Ai, Susan Yam-Yam Shaw 1982 / 100 min / 2.35:1 / Mandarin, Cantonese Mono
Additional info:
2-disc Set: 4K Ultra HD / Region A Blu-ray
4K UHD presented in Dolby Vision High-Dynamic-Range
Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
Presented in its uncensored original Mandarin-language version, never before released on video, alongside a Cantonese-dubbed version featuring an alternate, shockingly different ending, also never before released on video. Both versions include newly translated English subtitles.
Commentary with film historian Samm Deighan
Commentary with Kenneth Brorsson and Phil Gillon of the Podcast on Fire Network
"The End Justifies the Means" (24 min) - an interview with actor Lau Wing (courtesy of Arnaud Lanuque)
"A Fairy in Hell" (15 min) - an interview with actress Linda Chu (courtesy of Arnaud Lanuque)
"A Shaw Story" (14 min) - an interview with actress Susan Shaw (courtesy of Frédéric Ambroisine)
"A Skinning Team: Peeling Back the Layers of Action" (10 min) - a new video essay by film programmer Kenji McGuire
Trailer
40-page perfect-bound book with writing by Hsieh Chia-chin, Keith Allison, and Erica Shultz (limited edition only)
Reversible sleeve artwork
Newly translated English subtitles
Overall rating: 4.875 / 5 from 40 reviews.
AI Generated Review Summary
Human Lanterns is a special limited edition 2-disc 4K UHD/Blu-ray set, praised for its fantastic release and incredible movie experience. It includes a spot gloss hard slipcase, a 40-page book, and newly translated English subtitles. The set is limited to 8,000 units and features extended gore sequences and an alternate ending.
"A classic movie that I had to buy just for the longer version" — Andrew B.
"Awesome movie, great artwork" — Kevin M.
Reviews
Human Lanterns: The Peak of Shawscope Horror
"This was a blind buy, but I have watched a lot of Shawscope movies, so I was looking forward to checking out this one… And it’s easily the best horror film Shawscope has made in my opinion. An incredibly creepy, atmospheric, and beautifully made movie that still feels genuinely disturbing. Having the film fully uncut for the first time makes this release even more special. And, as always, the VS restoration, extras and packaging is excellent and looks fantastic on the shelf."
— Tobias M. (5/5)
The Definitive Edition of a Shaw Brothers Horror Classic
"A terrific restoration of a true Shaw Brothers horror classic (the definitive version at last), with gorgeous colors that finally do the film justice. Samm Deighan’s commentary is a highlight, as always. A beautifully handled release of a long‑awaited favorite."
— Gregory B. (5/5)
Best release this month
"After four Shawscope boxes I didn’t wanted any more Shaw brothers movies. I gave those one a chance and it was terrific. The gore scenes stand really out here. The box art is stellar too."
— Mathias S. (5/5)
Shaw masterpiece!
"I've been loving these Shaw releases lately! Shaw Scares vol 1 was my intro into their films and I love the combination of action and martial arts and gore that they put into these films. I had never heard of Human Lanterns so I instantly had to pick this one up. Keep them coming! I loved this movie!"
— Jason R. (5/5)
Shaw Brothers Spectical
"Probably as good a release as you will ever get. Comes with two version of the movie with the alternate ending which I think should have been the original ending. Here's hoping for more Shaw Brothers stuff because so far it has been spectacular."
— David R. (5/5)
Horror + martial arts, blend and serve
"Do you enjoy Shaw Brothers films? How about a Shaw Brothers film that has the requisite martial arts action with horror injected into it? This film starts off with two Chinese noblemen Lung and Tan Fu fighting over the affections of prostitute Yen Chu and generally trying to one up each other. For whatever reason (I'm sure cultural), Lung sets his sights on winning the upcoming Lantern Festival and defeating reigning champ Tan Fu. Lung searches for the absolute best lantern artist, and he surprisingly finds out that person is Chao Chun Fang, a man who has a very important tie to Lung's past (I won't give it away, more fun to let the plot unfold). This reunion of these two men will set into motion a long simmering revenge. . . This Shaw Brothers production has got: wirework! cool sword fights! fantastic sets and costumes! boatload of male posturing! hot lead! lanterns! blood, murder, skin peeling! gothic touches! and a genuinely creepy killer skulking around in his skull monkey outfit This VS 4K release has excellent video and audio quality as you would expect, and in it's uncensored form! It includes some great extras - the most interesting being interviews with Susan Shaw and actress Linda Chu - don't skip these as they really go into the experience for women in Chinese cinema in the early 80s, damn fascinating. Anyone looking for a martial arts/horror mashup will have a great time with this one!"
— Joe O. (5/5)
Human. . . Lanterns????
"Scary, gruesome, FUN! We're the first to have this. First people to see it in it's complete and restored form. Nothing quite beats the "ha ha ha" evil characters from Hong Kong cinema. This was a real treat. I won't say much else."
— Patrick D. (5/5)
Classic Shaw Bros Horror Wuxia
"A totally gorgeous 4k scan of maybe one of the first horror wuxia movies I saw years ago. This played even better for me than it did back then, largely in part to how good it looks, in addition to the moment or two of additional footage added in that throws in some nudity and gore that was previously excised from the original cut. In a lot of ways, this is more wuxia than horror for most of the runtime, but it's all rock solid either way."
— Cory F. (4/5)
Truly woo woo Wuxia
"I’ve only just modestly started to look into Shaw Brothers’ 1980s swerve into utterly deranged, freak show horror, (my Shawscope Volume Four box set from Arrow, where this is very much the focus remains untouched on the shelf), but already I’m fairly certain that Human Lanterns sets an impossibly high bar for matching outrageous exploitation with aesthetic artistry. Escalating, shocking gore is always as visually lush as it is grim. It’s fitting then, that the Vinegar Syndrome 4K is one of their very best, many of the vividly sticky colours displaying like searing emulsion. You get so many repulsive flavours here; the gothic grotesque, torture-inflected, erotic Giallo, and black magic ritualistic sadism. It’s a martial arts Texas Chainsaw, all of the above perfectly balanced with highly stylized wide-angle swordplay that evokes the ideal’80s big screen Mortal Kombat in an alternate timeline, with equally dynamic backdrops and tracking shoots. Truly woo woo Wuxia."
— Timothy E. (4/5)
Woah.
"This movie is incredible. It’s absolutely insane and it doesn’t let go whatsoever. Also, the artwork by Benscoter looks incredible!"
— Paige L. (5/5)
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