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In 1993, a newly built community on the outskirts of Hong Kong was shrouded in darkness. Mrs. Huang, played by Zhou Haimei, was home alone when she suddenly heard a strange noise outside the door. Her heart beat suddenly, and she held her breath, trying to keep her composure.
Suddenly, a mysterious man broke into the door, and Mrs. Huang was immediately terrified, desperately looking for a place to hide.
At the last moment, a statue of the god accidentally fell from a great height and hit the intruder hard. Mrs. Huang seized the fleeting opportunity and stumbled out of the room.
In the panic, she met a patrolling "police officer" and thought she was finally safe.
However, the truth is far more terrifying than imagined - the mysterious intruder is actually the once heroic and fearless police detective Deng Xiu, played by Ren Dahua.
In the Hong Kong film industry, Leung may not be as well-known as his brother Leung Xiaolong, but his talent in the field of action direction is obvious to all. From Andy Lau's "Magic Jade" to Stephen Chow's "The Invincible Lucky Star", to Yang Lijing's "Royal Sister 3" and Chen Chong's "Seduction of Monks", Leung Xiaoxiong's action design has added a lot to these classic Hong Kong films.
His talent was recognized in 2008, winning two "Best Action Design" awards for "Ip Man".
However, like many action directors with directorial dreams, Leung also longs to be able to direct his own work independently. As early as the late 80s, he began to get involved in the field of directing, and in 1987 he became the executive director of "Angel Action" directed by Hu Shan.
At that time, action Hong Kong films were all the rage, and many action directors turned into directors, and Liang Xiaoxiong was also deeply affected by this trend.
In 1993, the opportunity finally came. With the support of the Oriental Film Company founded by Huang Baiming, Liang Xiaoxiong decided to challenge himself and chose a theme that was completely different from his past experience - horror films.
This bold decision came as a surprise to many, after all, in the Hong Kong film industry at the time, there were not many directors who made the transition from action movies to horror films.
Liang Xiaoxiong's choice is not untargeted. He knows that in order to gain a firm foothold in the highly competitive film industry, he must have his own characteristics. This unique entry point for horror films not only freed him from the shackles of action movies, but also allowed him to give full play to his talents in visual expression and atmosphere creation.
In this way, with the full help of Huang Baiming, Liang Xiaoxiong began the filming of his directorial debut "Shocking". This is a low-budget horror Hong Kong film, but Liang Xiaoxiong has put a lot of effort into plot conception and atmosphere creation.
He hopes that through this work, he will not only prove his directing strength, but also bring new vitality to the Hong Kong horror film market.
"Shocking" is not only a turning point in Leung Xiaoxiong's personal career, but also a milestone in the history of Hong Kong horror films that cannot be ignored. Although the market response at the time was not as expected, this work laid a solid foundation for Liang Xiaoxiong's future creation, allowing him to find his own horror film shooting style.
The main line of "Shocking" revolves around a couple played by Huang Baiming and Zhou Haimei. To escape the hustle and bustle of the city and the stress of work, they decided to move into a new home in the suburbs.
However, this seemingly peaceful new home hides a mystery and becomes the scene of a series of strange events.
When she first arrived, Mrs. Huang felt a little strange. The whole community was empty, and it seemed that they were the only residents, and this feeling of isolation and helplessness made her suspicious.
The kind reminder of the property owner made her heart tighten: "The community has just been built, and the residents have not all moved in, so you have to be careful at night." This seemingly ordinary sentence casts a shadow on the rest of the story.
In order to appease his wife's anxiety, Mr. Huang purchased an electric stun baton as a self-defense weapon. However, the real "protector god" was brought by his mother-in-law - a statue of a god that was said to ward off evil spirits.
Mr. Huang was visibly dismissive of this mysterious object, believing it to be nothing more than nonsense. However, from the moment the idol entered the home, a series of bizarre events followed.
First of all, the idol inexplicably fell from a height and hit Mr. Huang's head. The accident made Mr. Huang even more disgusted with the idol, and even disposed of it in the trash.
However, what is creepy is that the discarded idol has mysteriously "returned" to its home. What is even more chilling is that when Mrs. Huang was swimming in the pool in the courtyard, she saw the idol suddenly appear by the pool, which frightened her soul.
These strange experiences caused Mrs. Huang to fall into an extreme panic. She began to doubt her mental state, and even hallucinated in the hospital, mistaking doctors and nurses for idols and abominable monsters.
To alleviate her fears, Mrs. Wong turned to a feng shui master, Li Jushi. Li Jushi observed that Mrs. Huang's Yintang was black, indicating that she was about to face a bloodlight disaster, so he gave her a spirit rune.
However, as fate would have it, Mrs. Huang accidentally lost the talisman on the way home.
The restless Mrs. Huang went to the temple again to ask for a lot, but she drew a lot. The abbot of the temple told her that the only way to resolve the impending disaster of blood and light was to solve it by donating blood.
Mrs. Wong immediately went to the blood donation centre, but was told that she had to wait a week before she could donate blood because of her recent medication.
As the plot deepens, the audience is transported into a world full of suspense and horror. Liang Xiaoxiong skillfully uses visuals and sound to render this unsettling atmosphere to the extreme.
The idol, which was supposed to bring protection, became a source of terror, and this contrast deepened the psychological fear of the audience. Is it a simple coincidence, or is there a providence in the dark? This mystery has become the core suspense throughout the movie.
In the confusing story of "Shocking", the police detective Deng Xiu played by Ren Dahua is a key character, and his role has evolved into one of the cores of the entire film.
At the beginning of the film, we see the image of a conscientious, heroic and fearless policeman. Deng Xiu worked closely with his companions to prepare to capture a dangerous element, showing the qualities and courage of a professional police detective.
However, at this critical moment, a phone call from his wife disrupted his deployment. This seemingly insignificant detail became a turning point in Deng Xiu's fate.
Because of this momentary distraction, he left his post without permission, resulting in the tragic death of his companion in a lonely battle. This heavy burden began to erode Deng Xiu's heart and became the fuse for his mental breakdown in the future.
To add insult to injury, Deng Xiu found conclusive evidence of his wife's cheating two days ago. This blow became the last straw that crushed him and completely destroyed his spiritual world.
We see that the once high-spirited police detective has now become a crazy killer with a twisted heart and uncontrollable behavior.
Ren Dahua vividly interprets the transformation of this role. From the initial awe-inspiring justice to the later hysteria, every look and every movement is full of dramatic tension.
We can feel Deng Xiu's inner struggle and pain, and see how a good person degenerates step by step into a dangerous criminal.
Deng Xiu's tragedy is not only a personal downfall, but also reflects some dark sides of society. A high-pressure work environment and fragile family relationships can be the trigger for tragedy.
Through the character of Deng Xiu, Liang Xiaoxiong conveys a profound message to the audience: everyone can become a victim of life, and some people may go to extremes because of it.
In the climax of the film, we see Deng Xiu, who has a nervous breakdown, first executes his wife who betrayed him, and then attacks Mr. Huang who is returning home in the middle of the night.
In the end, he broke into Huang's house with the intention of harming Mrs. Huang, who was at home. This series of crazy acts not only shows how a former hero has fallen, but also brings a thrilling twist to the whole story.
Deng Xiu's character setting and evolution have added more layers and depth to the horror film "Shocking". It's not just a simple horror story, it's a deep exploration of the dark side of human nature.
The climax of "Shocking" is the life-and-death duel between Mrs. Huang and Deng Xiu, who has lost her mind. In this thrilling chase, Mrs. Huang showed extraordinary courage and wisdom.
Zhou Haimei's acting skills are fully displayed here, and she perfectly presents the fear, despair and desire to survive of an ordinary housewife in extreme situations.
In this thrilling confrontation, the mysterious idol once again plays a key role. When Deng Xiu broke into Huang's house with the intention of harming Mrs. Huang, the idol accidentally fell, severely injuring Deng Xiu who was in a coma.
This gave Mrs. Wong a chance to escape, and she jerked out of the room, encountering a patrolling "police officer" on the way.
However, the situation did not improve from the rest. In the confusion, Mrs. Huang mistakenly stunned the "police officer". At this moment, Deng Xiu suddenly appeared, seized the "policeman's" gun, and launched a crazy pursuit of Mrs. Huang.
At the moment of life and death, the idol came again, and Mrs. Huang skillfully used the power of the idol to successfully repel Deng Xiu. In the end, she used the tightrope in the courtyard to completely subdue Deng Xiu.
The outcome of this showdown seems to have been decided, but Liang has cleverly set up an unexpected twist here. When all the mysteries were about to be revealed, the idol suddenly emitted a strange red light, and Mrs. Huang on the side showed a terrifying expression that was exactly the same as Deng Xiu.
Liang Xiaoxiong's open-ended ending design not only allows the suspense of the whole story to continue, but also leaves the audience with unlimited imagination. Is Deng Xiu's madness somewhat eerily contagious? Or is it all just a big dream? Or is there something hidden in Mrs. Wong that we don't know about? The answers to these questions may only be given by the audience themselves.
Although "Shocking" has excellent performance in terms of artistry and storytelling, it failed to gain due recognition in the Hong Kong film market in 1993.
Its main rival is "72 Hours of the Blind Girl", which was released at the same time, and both films revolve around the theme of "the villain breaks into the house and the hostess is forced to defend herself".
However, "72 Hours of a Blind Girl" relied on Ye Yuqing's appeal and gained the upper hand at the box office.
Still, the artistic value of "Shocking" cannot be overlooked. Zhou Haimei's performance in the film is remarkable, she broke through herself and challenged a number of large-scale shots.
Although it was difficult to compare with Ye Yuqing in the restricted market at that time, her efforts and breakthroughs undoubtedly added a lot to the film.
More importantly, this work laid the foundation for Liang Xiaoxiong's future creation. The horror film shooting techniques he explored in "Shocking" have been further developed and improved in later works such as "Chasing the Soul in Reincarnation".
"Chasing the Soul of Reincarnation" is still regarded by many viewers as a childhood nightmare, which shows Liang Xiaoxiong's achievements in the field of horror films.
Although it didn't get the attention it deserved at the time, "Shocking" is undoubtedly an underrated horror classic. It not only shows Leung's potential as a director, but also contributes new possibilities to the development of Hong Kong horror films.
Over time, the value of this work may be recognized and re-evaluated by more people.
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