The VHS Archives: Yi-Jung Hua's KUNG FU ZOMBIE (1981)

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KUNG FU ZOMBIE

Yi-Jung Hua's Wu long tian shi zhao ji gui (1981)

The VHS Archives Factsheet

Label: Ocean Shores Video Limited

Catalog: OS-303

Box Type: Clamshell

Year of Release: 1986

Runtime: 78:05

Print: 1.33:1 / English / No subs

Extras: None

About the Film

Director: Yi-Jung Hua

Year of Release: 1981

Country of Origin: Hong Kong

Stars: Billy Chong, Lau Chan, Yeong-mun Kwon, Kang-Yeh Cheng

AKAs: ? 

Verbatim Box Synopsis

A strange and spooky adventure starring the Great Billy Chong and chock-full of wizards, zombies, black magic, and, of course, martial arts! These fantastic ingredients are stirred together in a giant cauldron and the result is a scorching, bubbling stew called Kung Fu zombie -- the most original and interesting Kung Fu film in years!

U.S Ocean Shores Video Limited sleeve! 

Alternate U.S. Ocean Shores Video Limited sleeve!

I checked this tape's runtime, and it's identical to my other release. I'm unsure which came first, or if they're concurrent. The box text and copyright are the same; however, the fax number listed is different -- and different from the rest of the Ocean Shores tapes I checked. Misprint?

Japanese Daiei Video sleeve, originally scanned by "ed209vscain"!

 Dutch Standard Video sleeve!

German American Video sleeve!

42nd Street marquee photo, courtesy of The Faces of Fu!

Rare trailer, uploaded by "15SteelCity"!

Looking for Kung Fu Zombie on VHS? It's available on Amazon here. There's also a cheapy DVD from Ground Zero. 

Investigate more titles with Project: Ocean Shores!

For a look at other labels, check out The VHS Archives!

© 2012 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.

It's Name that Movie Monday! Challenge #28!

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Welcome back to Name that Movie Monday!

It's time for Challenge #28 here at the ol' Arcana! Can you identify this week's mystery photo, scanned direct from The Holecheck Archives? If you think you recognize it, post a comment below. As the week goes on, if no one guesses correctly I'll begin adding some pretty useless hints. Easy, right?

Here ya' go -- good luck!

Solved! Update coming soon!

For a look at the still unsolved Challenge #27, click here.  Ditto for Challenge #24!  We also have quite a few unidentified Grab Bag photos, if you really want to show your stuff. And don't forget, our Upcoming Releases List (the best on the 'net) is updated, um... not as often as it should be the last few weeks, but stop by and preorder some cool stuff anyway!

© 2011 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.

It's Name that Movie Monday! Challenge #11!

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Welcome back to Name that Movie Monday!

It's time for Challenge #11 here at the ol' Arcana! Can you identify this week's mystery photo, scanned direct from The Holecheck Archives? If you think you recognize it, post a comment below. As the week goes on, if no one guesses correctly I'll begin adding some pretty useless hints. Easy, right? (Or not so much?  For two weeks and running Challenge #9 is still up for grabs!  I've already added a few hints; maybe another picture is in order?)

Anyway, here ya' go -- good luck!

UPDATE:

Congrats go out to Todd Bridges for scoring his second win (in a single day!) by identifying George A. Romero's Martin (1977) as this week's challenge.  A melancholic tale of a maladjusted teen who may or may not be a vampire, Romero claims the film as his favorite, and it's hard to argue.  (Ask me next week, and I might name Knightriders or The Crazies as his true masterpiece, but for now, it's Martin!)

Released to theater screens in 1978 by Ben Barenholtz's Libra Films, it eventually made its way to home video from Thorn/EMI (with various reissues from its parents/subsidiaries) in the '80s.  There was even a laserdisc, for those lucky enough to get one.  In 2000, Anchor Bay Entertainment gave Martin its DVD debut (and again issued a VHS) in the director's preferred 1.33:1 ratio; the subsequent 2004 producer-approved disc from Lionsgate mattes things to a tight 1.85:1.  Both are worth getting, just for the different perspectives presented in their commentary tracks.  One can hope someday we'll see a definitive edition on Blu Ray, including the Italian variant (which was restructured and scored with Goblin tracks!) and the long-lost 165-minute original cut! (A pipe dream, I know...)

Poster scan courtesy of Wrong Side of the Art.

For a look at last week's entry, click here. And don't forget, our Upcoming Releases List (the best on the 'net) is constantly updated, so stop by and preorder some cool stuff!

 
© 2010 -- Bruce Holecheck. All Rights Reserved.