Ebola Syndrome [4K Ultra HD Blu-ray]

Director: Herman Yau Herman Yau

Overview

Even more gruesome and excessive than his notorious 1993 horror film The Untold Story, this bloody Category III sleazefest from Hong Kong director Herman Yau has earned its considerable reputation among gorehounds and Asian horror cultists as among the most cringe-inducing films of its kind. Anthony Wong, who had starred in Yau's previous film, gives one of his most unnerving performances as Kai, who has been a fugitive in South Africa for a decade after committing a trio of brutal murders in 1986. In the present, he is seen working at his illegal low-wage job as a cook at a Chinese restaurant. During an excursion to purchase pigs from a local African tribe, Kai is overcome with lust and rapes a native woman who, unbeknownst to him, is infected with the deadly Ebola virus. Before too long, Kai is an Ebola carrier, setting the stage for some truly revolting sequences. After decapitating his employer, Kai rapes and murders the dead man's wife and uses the couple's corpses to make "African Buns" which pass the virus to anyone unfortunate enough to eat one. Growing more insane by the minute, Kai returns to Hong Kong and goes on a bloodthirsty killing spree, terrorizing the public and allowing Wong to further demonstrate that Florian Koerner von Gustorf (Schramm) isn't the only actor willing to break every conceivable onscreen taboo to shock an audience. Belaboring the point, Wong returned two years later for The Untold Story II. With its virtually identical structure and plot line, this film may be considered an unofficial entry in that series as well. Vincent Wan co-stars with Marianne Chan, Shing Fui-On, and Bobby Yip.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/25/2022
UPC:	0814456024226
Original Release:	1996
Rating:	NR
Source:	Vinegar Syndrome
Language:	English
Time:	1:40:00
Format:	Blu-ray
Sales rank:	11,140

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Chau Sang Wong	Wai
Miu-Ying Chan	Actor
Shing Fui-on	Actor
Vincent Wan	Actor
Bobby Yip	Actor
Marianne Chan	Actor

Technical Credits

Ting Chau

Herman Yau	Director
Ting Chau	Screenwriter
Jing Wong	Producer

Editorial Reviews

This film needs a warning label: "only connoisseurs of bad taste need apply." It's not necessarily the content of Ebola Syndrome that will get to the viewer -- there are plenty of films that go much further in terms of sex and violence. It's the misanthropic, anything-for-a-thrill approach of writer/director Herman Yau that is likely to make even the toughest viewer squirm: cannibalism, rape, masturbation, and the titular disease are among the grisly elements that are played for cheap thrills and even cheaper laughs in this trash-fest. If you can stick with a film built on such an aesthetic approach, Ebola Syndrome is pretty well-paced and boasts an impressive, go-for-broke performance from veteran HK actor Anthony Wong as the killer who inadvertently starts his own personal plague. That said, viewers better be ready to wade through a lot of sleaze if they decide to take this film on. In short, Ebola Syndrome is a perfect example of Hong Kong exploitation filmmaking at its tackiest.

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