Disc 2 is a Danny Lee (The Killer) double bill starting with the 1976 folk horror insanity The Oily Maniac. Directed by Meng-Hua Ho who was also responsible for the Black Magic series and a few other darker entries into the Shaw cannon. The Oily Maniac is basically the Chinese Toxic Avenger based in Malaysia. Here Danny Lee plays Shen Yuan, a young lawyer who has been crippled by polio and pitied by those around him, but after being given a special talisman is able to transform into an unstoppable grotesque vigilante made of oil(?!). This power is passed to him when his lifelong crush’s father who was sentenced to death charges Yuan with protecting his daughter Lin Chung Yue (Ping Chen), who is the heiress to a vast coconut plantation, and before you ask yes coconut oil does factor into the plot.
While he does dispatch those that would look to harm Yue, beating them to a pulp, things get complicated when Shen professes his love for his charge, only to be turned away due to his handicap. This has the young man going full on vigilante and going after anyone he suspects of wrongdoing. The creature design, paired with the DIY visual effects make this film a shot of pure unadulterated camp. The monster feels like an Ultraman reject in the best possible way and when he moves around via an animated black puddle, he does so to the Jaws theme. There’s a lot of skin here too, which honestly surprised me given how the martial arts films in the Shaw library are much more tame.
The Oily Maniac does go full on exploitation, as Yuan is crushing heads to keep his crush from getting her top ripped off and possibly worse. This all takes place in a contemporary late 70s setting, which is also the exception rather than the rule I’ve noticed in these films. I honestly loved this weird film where the spurned incel’s outside matches his insides as he became a literal rage monster due to being shut down. While the morality here, even with the warning about using the power for evil, is pretty murky – since he uses the monster to further his selfish agenda. It’s definitely a strong followup to Inframan. It’s sleazy as hell, it’s cartoonish and it’s such a guilty delight.
Next up is a film with one of the best titles ever committed to celluloid The Battle Wizard. This period film has Danny Lee this time as Duan Yu as a bookish prince next in line to the throne. He’s adamant about proving he doesn’t need to know Kung-Fu to survive and goes on a journey to prove it, that goes about how’d you expect. It’s not long before Yu is targeted by the husband of a woman spurned by his father some 20 years before. I mean you really can’t blame him, not only did Yu’s father sleep with his wife, but he cut off his legs with laser Kung-fu that was emitted from his fingers. Since then he’s been plotting his revenge, learned to breathe fire, hung out with demons, and had his legs replaced with telescoping robot chicken legs.
Also, he can also use the hand lasers now as well.
This all while the illegitimate daughter of that affair makes an appearance. Not only has she mastered laser Kung-fu, but she is sent out into the world to get revenge for her mother. It’s Star Wars by way of the Shaw Brothers in this batshit crazy period piece, as the brother and sister fall in love as they are first tasked with trying to bring peace to the kingdom with the power of laser kung fu before they can ever think about being together.
To be honest, I didn’t think anything could match the chaotic energy of The Oily Maniac, but The Battle Wizard does just that with the same cartoonish tone that felt more like Thrilling Blood Sword than a Shaw film. So three films in and I am honestly enjoying the hell out of this set and can’t wait for what it throws my way next.
