Her Vengeance
1988
Director: Laam Naai Choi
Stars: Pauline Wong, Lam Ching Ying, Elaine Kam, Kelvin Wong, Billy Chow, Shing Fui-On
At first glance, this brutal Category III movie would look to be a fairly straightforward "rape revenge" film in the vein of I Spit on Your Grave -- Pauline Wong is gang-raped and left for dead by a group of thugs led by Shing Fui-On; Wong then turns the tables on her attackers in a series of inventive and gory murders. However, the film's dark tone, tight script, and great performances make it much more powerful to watch versus your average cheapie horror movie.
These types of films can quickly turn into exploitation junk, but Hong Kong (especially during this time period) seems to be one of the few places where a movie of this type would be created and taken seriously. There are no "cool" characters, fancy camera angles or attempts at humor. This is as brutal as movies come -- sometimes almost too much so, but never quite crossing the line into bad taste. If you have a strong stomach and want to test your boundaries, Her Vengeance ranks among the best of Hong Kong's dark film underbelly.
RATING: 8