Return of the Demon (1987) | Merits of Sin | Region-Free (DVD)

Title: Return of the Demon (1987)

Genre: Action, Comedy, Horror, Fantasy

Plot Synopsis:

Three treasure hunters inadvertently awaken a sleeping demon in a Chinese village, who goes on a rampage seeking the souls of 49 people born in the “Hoi” times in order to achieve immortality. A Taoist priest and his disciple set out to stop the demon before he completes his deadly goal, while the crew finds themselves tangled in chaos with the village’s bumbling police chief.

Cast and Crew:

• Director: Wong Ying

• Writers: Wong Ying, Gwing-Gai Lee

• Cast:

  • Charlie Cho as Kin

  • Robert Mak Tak-Law as Mak

  • Shing Fui-On as Fierce

  • Chui Sau-Lai as Panther

  • Dick Wei as The Monster

IMDb Link: Return of the Demon (1987)

Reviews from Letterboxd:

1. BrianNaas – ★★★★
   “A loony Hong Kong film that never slows down for a cigarette break. 90-minutes of supernatural comedy on acid. The director Wong Ying keeps pushing down the accelerator and it slowly morphs from ding bat slap stick comedy to more action, becoming more serious and ending up being shockingly brutal.”

2. alexvlahov – ★★★½
   “Multiple people drink dog piss. A man turns into a dog, only later to be trapped in a room full of eggs (an arresting Looney Tunes sequence); there is a floating purple umbrella & a demon awakened from within the hands of an ancient statue; has the most abrupt ending!”

3. doctorforrester – ★★★★
   “Wow, what a great time this was. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I need not have worried because there’s a lot of crisp looking martial arts, a ton of stunts, people accidentally drinking pee, hand drawn animations, explosions, a guy falling on a bunch of eggs… there truly is something for everyone.”

4. haruspis – ★★★★
   “This is like if you put EVIL DEAD 2, IT’S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, and KUNG FU HUSTLE in a blender and set it to maximum without the lid on. More cinematic ambition and polish than 90% of Hollywood horror comedies.”

5. gialloboi – ★★★½
   “Scooby-Doo-level hijinks in between limb-tearing demon violence. Starts silly, ends gnarly. Loved it.”

Meta Description:

Return of the Demon (1987) is a wild Hong Kong action-horror-comedy where treasure hunters unleash a soul-hungry demon. With martial arts, gore, and slapstick chaos, it’s a cult spectacle blending mystical horror and unhinged humor.