Notorious even amongst Hong Kong’s Cat III films, A CHINESE TORTURE CHAMBER STORY 1 & 2 remain some of the most outrageous entries in the genre, thanks to their shameless blending of explicit sex and extreme violence all played with a touch of macabre humor. Unfolding like a set of Shaw Bros wuxia films gone horribly wrong, both take full advantage of their period settings to indulge in the grisly details of all types of archaic torture. Vinegar Syndrome is proud to present these two jaw-dropping highlights of early 90's Hong Kong exploitation filmmaking on Blu-ray for the first time in the U.S., newly and exclusively restored from their original negatives and presented completely uncut, along with the never-on-disc presentation of the Mandarin language edit of A CHINESE TORTURE CHAMBER STORY featuring exclusive and alternate scenes.
A CHINESE TORTURE CHAMBER STORY - A beautiful young woman named Little Cabbage is sold by her family to a wealthy scholar named Yang in order to become his future concubine. However, Yang's overbearing wife becomes jealous of Little Cabbage and arranges to have her married off to a well-endowed peasant. When Little Cabbage's new husband is found dead, poisoned by a powerful aphrodisiac, Little Cabbage and Yang are brought in front of a bloodthirsty court to face charges of conspiring to commit murder. Maintaining their innocence, Little Cabbage and Yang are forced to endure unspeakable torture at the hands of a corrupt judge in an attempt to make them confess. Cleverly told in a series of flashbacks, this horrific and hilarious film features wall-to-wall sex and violence, culminating in an explosive "climax" unlike anything you've seen before.
A CHINESE TORTURE CHAMBER STORY II - Ma, a man rising in the ranks of politics, is traveling to the capital when he is accosted by two down-on-their-luck bandits, Wong and Cheung. Taking pity on the two lowly peasants, Ma agrees to help his new friends better their lives, partly due to Ma's attraction to Wong's sister (who also happens to be Cheung's fiancée), the young and beautiful Lotus. When they all arrive in the capital to take Ma up on his generous offer, they discover that Ma has embroiled them in an elaborate con, and soon find themselves caught up in a saga of jealousy, betrayal, and of course...torture. An equally deranged follow-up to its infamous predecessor, this in-name-only sequel does its best to increase not only the amount of sex and eroticism, but also the levels of cringe-inducing violence.
directed by: Bosco Lam, Kin-Nam Cho
starring: Yvonne Hung Yung, Lawrence Ng, Mai Ching, King-Tan Yuen, Mark Cheng, Yolinda Yam, Wai-Kin Lam
Part #1 (1994)
Cantonese Version: 93 min / 1.85:1 / Cantonese & English Mono
Mandarin Version: 92 min / 1.85:1 / Mandarin Mono
Part #2 (1998)
92 min / 1.85:1 / Cantonese & Mandarin Mono
Additional info:
- 2-disc Region Free Blu-ray Set
- Newly scanned and restored in 2K from their 35mm original negatives
- Commentary track with film historian Samm Deighan (Part #1)
- Commentary track with film historian Frank Djeng (Part #2)
- Alternate 92-minute Mandarin language edit of A CHINESE TORTURE CHAMBER STORY with newly translated English subtitles
- Brand new interview with Wong Jing, producer of A Chinese Torture Chamber Story 1 & 2 (5 min)
- "The CAT III Films of Wong Jing" (17 min) - a video essay by Justin Decloux of The Important Cinema Club
- "Titillating Torture" (18 min) - a video essay by film historian Erica Shultz
- Original Cantonese and English trailers for A Chinese Torture Chamber Story
- Original Cantonese trailer for A Chinese Torture Chamber Story II
- English opening title sequence for A Chinese Torture Chamber Story
- Booklet with an essay by film historian and author Grady Hendrix
- Reversible sleeve artwork
- Newly translated English subtitles
