Those who did not believe in the voodoo curse never lived to tell!

By the mid-1970s, Shaw Brothers Studios were in full bloom, their reputation cemented by lavish wuxia and martial arts spectacles. Yet with Black Magic, director Ho Meng-Hua pushed the studio into unexpected territory—an exotic, pulp-soaked world of curses, potions, and forbidden desire. What might have seemed a gamble became a commercial triumph, resonating with audiences in Hong Kong and unexpectedly finding intrigue in Western markets hungry for something stranger than the usual kung fu imports.

The story unfolds around Ku Feng’s sinister sorcerer, who profits by selling love spells to desperate clients. Lust, greed, and obsession feed his trade, until his desire for a young bride (Lily Li) destabilises the web of curses he has so carefully spun. What could have been a routine melodrama is transformed into a surreal morality play, where passions clash not just with human consequence but with the supernatural itself.

The film’s weird appeal lies in its intoxicating mixture: Shaw Brothers gloss and studio polish set against taboo subject matter. Rituals are staged with the same grandeur as sword fights, love charms replace blades, and sorcery duels play out with a theatricality bordering on the absurd. It’s trashy, yes, but also hypnotic. For Hong Kong audiences, it felt bold and fresh—an embrace of horror’s disreputable thrills wrapped in Shaw’s production values. For Western audiences, particularly those discovering the film in dubbed releases or grindhouse circuits, it was pure exploitation exotica, proof that Hong Kong cinema could deliver shocks and sleaze as effectively as any Italian giallo or American occult thriller.

Box office success ensured a sequel (Black Magic 2) and encouraged Shaw Brothers to explore horror more vigorously, ushering in a cycle of occult-driven films that blended melodrama with grotesque imagery. Ho Meng-Hua, more often associated with family-friendly fantasy, demonstrated here an unexpected flair for horror spectacle, one that has helped Black Magic endure as a cult favorite.

The Prognosis:

Today, it remains a fascinating hybrid: dated in some effects and drenched in melodrama, yet timeless in its commitment to lurid storytelling. More than just an oddity, Black Magic stands as a reminder of Shaw Brothers’ ability to adapt, innovate, and mesmerise across genres, captivating both local and international audiences with a tale of love, lust, and lethal sorcery.

• Saul Muerte