Shaw Brothers did a fantastic job of setting a mood that would put the audience in a foreboding state (you just knew something awful was about to happen) but you are glued to the screen because of the absolutely gorgeous, colorful and lush background.

I have read that the Celestial release of this film has cut out some of the gore, but the movie doesn't seem to suffer from that. There is still plenty of tension throughout. One particularly creepy scene has the killer attack Chen Kuan Tai during a showdown between Kuan Tai and Liu Yung. This scene totally freaked me out! I mean if this can happen to Chen Kuan Tai...no one is safe.

Let's not forget Lo Meng, he plays an assassin sent after Liu Yung. I love watching this guy fight; this man is poetry in motion. I only wish he had had more screen time.

Lo Lieh is absolutely insane as the warped, swordsman making lamps from human flesh. The plot is a bit overloaded with revenge against revenge, however, Lui Yung, the supposed hero, keeps the audience guessing as to what his swordsman's true intentions are. We are further treated to a strong, charismatic performance by Chen Kuai Tai, whose character here is somewhat reminiscent of the one he portrayed in "Crippled Avengers". The real treat is a cameo by Lo Mang, as a bearded, double sickle wielding, fighter. This Mantis Fist fighter hardly ever used any weapons, noted for his powerful physique.

Lo's lantern maker runs around murdering his enemies' sisters, women, and anyone who's curious about his little shop of horrors. He's like a Chinese Norman Bates, exacting his displeasure on his enemies' all the while, relishing in the brutal torture of his victims. Directed by Sun Chung, noted for "A Fistful of Talons", and the classic "Avenging Eagle", this film balances the multiple genres quite well. Some directors couldn't make a decent Martial Arts film, let alone one with the Horror angle. Sun brought the usage of Steadycam to Hong Kong film, and his vision shows in his work.

The kung fu action in the film is quite good, choreographed by Tang Chai and Huang Pei Chi, and you can notice the early wirework, which became so popular later by Tsui Hark. Lots of the film takes place at night, setting the mood for it's eeriness, and there is an unusual amount of gore, however, I like it. The set pieces, as usual with Shaws, are great. Two stars for horror, two for action, a great cult classic.