The Eternal Evil Of Asia is a horror/comedy from director Man Kei Chin (Sex and Zen II, 1996) and stars Ellen Chan (Exiled, 2006) Bobbie Au-Yeung (Hard Boiled, 1992), Kwok-Pong Chan (Diary Of A Serial Killer, 1995) and Lily Chung (Brother Of Darkness, 1994).

Continuing the seemingly endless flow of Category III films that were flooding out of Asia in the 1980’s and early ’90’s, Eternal Evil of Asia manages to combine pretty much all of the elements one would expect to find in such a ‘unique’ style of film-making.

Bon (Chan), Kong (Elvis Tsui), Nam (Au-Yeung) & Ken (Shui Ting Ng) are good friends enjoying a trip round Thailand. They meet, and subsequently help out, a voodoo master they encounter along the way. Arriving back at H.K.,Nam, Kong and Ken all die bizarre and unnatural deaths leaving Bon and his girlfriend, May (Ellen Chan), to figure out who could be behind it all. With the help of a local witch, Mei (Chung), the trio come face to face with the voodoo master Bon once thought to be a friend.

As the synopsis suggests, the film manages to shoot off in all avenues in it’s quest to feature rape, torture, gore, cannibalism, bodily mutilation, witchcraft, kinky sex and of course, death. Somehow all of this is accomplished in a jovial manor in true Eastern style. (See similar titles; Run & Kill, 1993, Erotic Nightmare, 1999 and Daughter Of Darkness 2, 1994). Unlike other, more brutal, Cat III films (The Untold Story, 1993, Ebola Syndrome, 1996 and Men Behind The Sun, 1988), Eternal Evil Of Asia is much more playful and fantastical in it’s execution. Although this is far from uncommon with Cat III movies, it could make for a confusing viewing experience for the uninitiated. The carefree and blatant disregard for women in particular isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste, however, if you’ve seen a selection of Cat III titles before, Eternal Evil Of Asia has little in the way of true shock value.

Instead, the more entertaining elements are when the film is just being outright mental. Phantom fellatio, setting fire to ghosts, impotence caused by voodoo curse and a particular highlight involving one of the characters literally becoming a ‘dick-head’, will have obscure film fans chuckling away throughout the 90 minute duration.

Many online resources state that Eternal Evil of Asia is one of the more sought after titles from the Cat III world. After viewing the film it’s very easy to see why. There is little to no lag in the run time as the next oddity is only ever a few minutes away. The film breezes along effortlessly enough and should manage to please even the most jaded of Cat III fans. It’s surprising then, that there isn’t a readily available edition of Eternal Evil of Asia. The Mei Ah release is long out of print and goes for a rather large sum on some well established websites. However, with perseverance and a sharp eye, the DVD is still available and can be tracked down through time. As is the case with many of the lesser known Cat III movies, most of the DVD and VCD versions are out of print but some online Asian DVD retailers do still have limited quantities in stock so be prepared to shop around.

Overall Eternal Evil of Asia is a thoroughly enjoyable oddity that’s nothing but pure fun. For non-collectors, the film is available to view here.

Reviewed by Martin Langford for Horrorpedia

Horrorpedia.com is a non-profit website. Please help us cover our web-hosting costs by buying from our affiliate links. Thank you.

Categories: 1990s, body horror, comedy horror, erotic horror, free to watch online, ghost, gory, Hong Kong horror, Japanese horror