Martial arts movies and horror don’t initially seem like genres that would blend well together, but upon closer inspection, there are quite a few films combining the two styles to awesomely cheesy effects. The most genre-defining martial arts movies focus on themes like revenge, perseverance, and the power of the human spirit as channeled through hand-to-hand combat. When crossed over with horror concepts like blood, gore, and supernatural entities, the resulting chaos often needs to be seen to be believed.
Admittedly, most martial arts horror movies thrive on their novelty above all else, in many cases enjoyable in a more ironic sense thanks to their weird storylines and questionable low-budget special effects. That doesn’t mean they aren’t worth watching as popcorn flicks are best enjoyed with friends, stacking up with some of the greatest so-bad-they’re good movies of all time. From international B-movies to Hollywood blockbusters, martial arts-focused horror movies are all unique.
10
Ninja III: The Domination
1984
One of the weirdest genre blends ever conceived, Ninja III: The Domination Mixes the scares of possession films like The Exorcist With classic ninja action, the two are mixing ways as well as oil and water. The movie centers on a typical 80s aerobics instructor and dancer who gets possessed by the spirit of a ninja after a close encounter with one. After the film’s thesis statement, “Only a ninja can destroy a ninja“, a second shinobi assassin appears to exorcise the specter.
No real relation to the previous two Ninja films (except for the presence of actor Sho Kosugi, who plays a different character in each entry), Ninja III: The Domination is enjoyable right from the start. From the hilariously unrealistic romance between Lucinda Dickey’s Christine and the cop investigating the ninja attack to the goofy special effects and ninja battles, the film provides a goofy romp through multiple genres. Ninja III: The Domination It’s worth watching for the goofy seduction scene in which Christine pours a can of V8 down her chest for her lover to lap alone.
9
Robo Vampire
1988
One of the most blatant martial arts movie ripoffs of a classic American blockbuster, Robo Vampire is amazingly cheap, both in terms of filmmaking and creativity. Stealing the setup of the beloved sci-fi action movie classic robocop, Robo Vampire It begins with a deceased police officer who is brought back to duty from beyond the grave in an eerily similar cybernetic post. The film makes a hard left turn from his Robocop Forgery with the introduction of a deadly horde of vampires, which the newly rebuilt Supercop will have to defeat.
Robo Vampire is the king of weird plot tangents. The main antagonists are a group of drug runners who use Chinese hopping vampires to move their product, not to mention the help of a terrifying “vampire beast”, essentially an excuse to use a cheap gorilla suit that the production has on. Hand. That’s not even to mention the RoboCop lookalike’s ghostly girlfriend, furious that her love has been prevented from moving into the afterlife with her. With the production stylings of a ghost Halloween shop and an incredibly confusing story, Robo Vampire is a hypnotizing disaster.
8
Human lanterns
1982
Considering the wide range of legendary kung fu movies made by the Shaw Brothers in Hong Kong in the late 70s to mid 80s, it’s no wonder that a few of them stray from the path of typical martial arts fare. Enter human lantern, A rare appearance in horror for the Shaw brothers who still retained the sibling duo’s signature directorial flair. The story takes place in feudal China, presenting a rivalry between two kung fu masters that soon turns cruel when the two begin to compete for the same women.
Featuring some of the most graphic violence of any Shaw Brothers film, Human lanterns Lives up to its title when the film’s masked antagonist begins to flay his victims alive, fashioning them in macabre decorations. For all the torture in play, there is also some thrilling wire work and really excellent kung fu action shoehorned into the plot as haphazardly as the insidious lantern maker’s handiwork. Beyond the enjoyment of its bold plot and action scenes, Human lanterns Is worth a watch for its seriously stunning cinematography and gorgeous color palette.
7
Quiet Rage
1982
The overseas market by no means has a monopoly on weird martial arts movies with vague horror influences. Even iconic action movie figures like Chuck Norris can’t escape the occasional horror side project, as evidenced by Quiet Rage. Here, Norris is posed as a cowboy hat-wearing sheriff tasked with stopping the rampage of a psychopathic killer who has undergone an experimental procedure that makes him nearly impossible to kill.
A formulaic horror film shaken up by the novel appearance of a typical Chuck Norris character, Quiet Rage Is an interesting novelty worth dissecting with a group of friends. The unintentional humor of the film is quite rich, especially in the love scenes, which received bad enough feedback for Bully Norris to ever try them again in subsequent movies. That said, the mad scientists behind the slasher villain rampage driving the action are particularly entertaining, rounding out the oddly entertaining experience that is Quiet Rage.
6
Blade
1998
Wesley Snipes Blade May technically be a comic book adaptation, but cutting at its heart, this film is truly the pinnacle of horror and kung fu mixed together. A spectacular bloody film, Blade Watch Wesley Snipes wade into battle as the titular vampire hunter, a half-vampire “daywalker” with all the strengths of the nocturnal creatures, but none of their weaknesses. Along with his mentor, Whistler, Blade tears through the hidden world of vampires in a bloody crusade for justice in retaliation for his mom being killed by one year ago.
like a vampire movie, BladeThe horror trappings are obvious, but the incredible action deserves more credit than a truly great martial arts movie. Snipes is a very real trained martial artist, and the excellent choreography puts his skills on full display in multiple bloodbath action scenes, punctuated by his eternally endearing cocky attitude and pearly white smile as Blade. The development woes of the upcoming MCU Blade Reboot can only indicate that it is impossible to do a blend of horror and martial arts and the original Blade.
5
Brotherhood of the Wolf
2001
Of all the international origins a horror martial arts movie could come from, a French-made film library might be the last place one would expect to look for such a unique feature. Still there Brotherhood of the Wolf Stands, a puzzlingly unique martial arts horror blend masquerading as a period fantasy film. The story centers on a French knight and naturalist who joins his Iroquois companions in hunting the legendary Beast of Gévaudan, which is reportedly terrorizing the countryside.
Brotherhood of the Wolf is famous for heavily influencing FromSoftware’s beloved action video game blood born, And after watching it, it’s easy to see how the film’s horror and combat woes could inspire a fast-paced action game. Brotherhood of the Wolf Combines high-flying swashbuckling with modernized martial arts and beautiful horror setpieces courtesy of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop for a truly unpredictable experience. Despite how confusing it can get, this hidden French gem of creativity is a really great intersection between exciting action and gripping gothic horror.
4
The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires
1974
A joint production between the Shaw Brothers and the legendary horror studio Hammer Film Productions, The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires is a martial arts horror match made in heaven. The collaboration brought Peter Cushing’s iconic gauntlet visage into the world of martial arts movies for the first time, playing famous vampire killer Professor Abraham Van Helsing. The film sees Cushing’s Van Helsing join forces with martial artists in order to destroy a cabal of vampires and their undead army led by none other than Dracula himself.
As great as the prospect of the individual strengths of the Shaw brothers and Hammer film productions in their genres combining forces as one, the sensibilities of the two filmmakers simply crash into one another with no grace to speak of. This does not mean The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires It’s not worth watching, however, because the film is really a truly spectacular eruption of hand-to-hand combat and gore. For the sheer novelty of its creation, The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires Reach a group watch with multiple sets of eyeballs to catch every weird detail.
3
Riki-Oh: The Story of Riki
1991
Although the film may have some supernatural or scary elements, Riki-Oh: The Story of Riki is one of the most infamous horror movies around, give it a well-earned horror bent. The Hong Kong splatter film centers on the titular Ricky, a superhumanly strong fighter who is sent to the world’s deadliest prison after taking revenge on the mob boss who killed his girlfriend. It’s not long before the prison’s various gang leaders and corrupt elements target Ricky, who bloody beats them all back one at a time.
Riki-Oh: The Story of Riki Makes its manga roots clear, reading like a live-action adaptation of bloody absurdist martial arts anime like Fist of the North Star Or Bucky the grappler. The outrageous violence alone qualifies the film for the horror label, with every burst of pulpy viscera accompanied by an unbelievably cool martial arts battle. The sudden appearance of a genuine mutant monster also keeps things close enough to the scary movie arena for Ricky’s Adventures to earn a spot as one of the best blends between the two genres around.
2
Against
2001
Considering the great lengths Japanese cinema has gone to master both martial arts movies and horror movies, it’s no wonder that one of the best crossover films using both genres comes from the land of the rising sun. Against is a slick crime film that breaks the walls of the iconic zombie movie, combining both formulas to create a genius adrenaline rush. The story sees a group of Yakuza gangsters and their captives travel through a mysterious forest that resurrects all who die in it as vicious zombies in search of the supernatural portal to the afterlife hidden within.
Against is somewhat front loaded with knowledge that explains the mysterious gates the Yakuza intend to use, even going as far as to show a 10th century flashback that indicates the gate’s history. Once that bit of housekeeping is out of the way, the film manages to come online as a Japanese take on a Quentin Tarantino movie surrounded on all sides by flesh-eating zombies. Whether it’s man vs. man or man vs. zombie, Against Has some of the best bloody horror action around, using swords, guns and unarmed combat to their full potential.
1
Big trouble in Little China
1986
Considering Big Trouble in Little China Was directed by the same horror movie master responsible for The thing And the original halloween, It’s no wonder that the East Asian-inspired action adventure carries some downright horror elements. The fantasy action comedy weaves an adventure under the head of Kurt Russell’s Jack Burton, a simple truck driver who finds himself in over his head when his close friend Wang, played by Dennis Dunn, recruits him to save his fiancee. What follows is a harrowing dive into the underworld of San Francisco’s Chinatown, where ancient sorcerers and horrifying monsters await.
admit, Big Trouble in Little China is primarily a fantasy adventure movie with comedic elements, but the clear martial arts movie sets it apart as a genuine kung fu movie. The horror elements are also more than obvious, from the terrifying wild man to the unsettling eyeball guardian and the weird body horror deaths. A revered cult classic for good reason, Big Trouble in Little China Is a great tale to achieve to satisfy a particular craving for scary Martial arts movies.