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“The Witch with Flying Head”: A VHS Cult Classic Revisited

The world of VHS tapes is vast and varied, boasting an array of genres, some mainstream and others decidedly more niche. Within this diverse tapestry lies a collection of unique and often bizarre films that have garnered cult followings over the years. One such film that stands out, particularly for fans of Asian horror, is “The Witch with Flying Head.”

Synopsis:

The plot is both macabre and captivating. A woman, cursed by a malevolent witch, is forced to undergo a grotesque transformation each night. As darkness falls, she must tear her head from her body, allowing it to take flight. This detached head, driven by the curse, seeks out victims, attacking them and consuming their blood. This nightly ritual of bloodshed isn’t just for the thrill; it’s the very essence that keeps her alive. It’s a harrowing tale of survival, dark magic, and the lengths to which one might go to break free from a curse.

VHS and its Impact:

During the VHS era, when horror aficionados sought out films that offered thrills beyond the mainstream, “The Witch with Flying Head” became an unexpected hit. Its unsettling plot combined with the grainy, authentic feel of VHS gave viewers an immersive experience. The slight glitches, occasional static, and the need to rewind the tape only enhanced the eerie atmosphere of the film.

Cult Status:

Despite not being a mainstream blockbuster, “The Witch with Flying Head” has etched its mark in the annals of horror history. Its unique storyline, combined with the haunting visuals of a flying, blood-thirsty head, has given it a small fan base. For many, it’s a film that’s hard to forget once seen, its chilling scenes replaying in one’s mind long after the credits roll.

Posted on August 20, 2023

Witch with the flying head vhs

Director: Jen-Chieh Chang

Release date: 1982

This is an interesting, low budget Hong Kong & Taiwan originating movie, which states at the beginning that it is looking to the folklore of Java – so the creature within would be a leak, the Indonesian variant of the Thai krasue or Malay penanggalan (though the name is not actually used). The version I saw was from a VHS rip.

It begins with Yu-Zhen, a young woman, at an altar praying for blessings upon her father. Her two handmaidens stand close by. The audience sees a snake on a roof, it drops to the floor transforming into a man, Jia Chu-An (referred to as a snake demon in dialogue). He ejects a further snake from his mouth, which crosses the courtyard and up her dress! An internal organs' close-up suggests that it has got into her body and she is in agony as a result.

He walks up suggesting he can save her and gives a handmaiden a bottle of medicine. Dubious at first, she does give the medicine to Yu-Zhen to relieve her agonies. Elsewhere we see two men walking the streets. A leak comes at them, the head clearly Yu-Zhen, with bottom jaw sprouting fangs and her viscera dangling beneath her – she attacks and kills the men. We then see the head fly home and integrate back into her body. Jia Chu-An then visits Yu-Zhen's family and explains that she has been poisoned but he will cure her in return for her hand in marriage. She rejects him.

She tries to commit suicide (by head butting a wooden pillar) but is stopped and the family call in monks (interestingly Buddhist monks, rather than Taoist), to no avail as her monstrous form defeats them. Unusually, she breaths fire as part of her attacks and also fires different coloured rays out of her mouth. Another suicide attempt (by hanging) and she and her handmaidens move to a distant rural area to avoid people. Unfortunately, she does attack some travellers (who, to be fair, deserved it as they were awfully rapey) but there is an intervention from an old wise man who gives her a partial cure – so she only transforms on the 15th of each month – and promises to find a permanent cure.

Part of the old man’s gift is a box they can magically trap her in so that she is not loose when she transforms. Meanwhile another traveller, Tang Ming-Kuan, is targeted by a female snake demon. He is warned to run from the area as she will drain his energy and then devour him. He happens, whilst pursued, across Yu Zhen’s home and the box is used to trap the snake demon, freeing him. The two fall in love and marry, but with a promise that he cannot see her on the 15th day of each month. Eventually the snake demon woman will escape and, whilst helping with her vengeance, Jai Chu-An will catch up to Yu Zhen…

The film was fairly fun but needed to thicken the horror atmosphere around the melodrama. There were some bits that needed answers, such as her pregnancy (the film jumps from them being interested in each other to her giving birth, we get the drama around that and then we jump forward several years to where the child is walking and talking) – enquiring minds want to know if the womb made up part of the viscera and thus the foetus was taken flying after prey, or whether she was left in her mother’s body?

I mention melodrama and it is laid on thick, with Jai Chu-An perpetually letting off false sounding evil laughs. I thought the pace was a tad lacking, but this is an interesting take on the folklore, whilst the filmmakers would seem not to be totally steeped in it and this leads to some of the variations. Not the greatest HK or Taiwanese horror film, but worth watching nevertheless. 6 out of 10 .

The imdb page is here.

Posted by Taliesin_ttlg at 9:00 AM

The Witch with Flying Head

A young woman of considerable social standing receives a curse from a black magician that causes her her head to detach from her body and attack anyone in sight. A good wizard is able to limit the effects of the curse to effect her only on the 15th of each month, but when she falls in love, things get complicated.

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Cinematography Cinematography

Costume Design Costume Design

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Theatrical

08 Jun 1982

Releases by Country

Taiwan

08 Jun 1982

• Theatrical

These kits often include different poses and accessories to customize the knight's appearance. One of the benefits of building knights and magic model kits is the opportunity to learn about history. As individuals assemble the various parts, they gain a deeper understanding of the knight's armor, weapons, and overall appearance.

Popular reviews

Halloween 2020: 31 HORROR FILMS / 31 COUNTRIES
29. Taiwan I've watched a lot of mind-boggling shit this Halloween, but this absolutely takes the cake. The Witch with Flying Head is FUCKING AMAZING. I love a good floating head horror film (I mean, to be honest the only other one that comes to mind that I've actually seen is Mystics in Bali) and I can't imagine any of them being better than this. A woman is cursed by some snake guy who is trying to worm his way into her pants. The curse makes her head pop out from her body, her guts gorily hanging below the neck. She grows big lower-jaw fangs and mindlessly kills people, zooming through the…

I don't want to marry you! So dude puts a curse on her that makes her head detach from her body, entrails & all, every night & kill. Her head flies around and she sinks her fangs into her victims. She can shoot lasers & fire. He tells her the only way to break the curse is to marry her. Not happening. She has to live with this curse. She travels with her family in search of a cure. Chaos ensues. Extremely entertaining & not a single dull moment. The flying head is one of the most fantastic things ever. It's unsettling, mezmorizing, unique & creepy. There's snakes. Lots of them. Indy would not be happy at all. The camerawork is spectacular & the way some…

I'd wanted to see this Taiwanese movie for years, but until last night I couldn't find a subtitled copy. Presumably, anyone who can read English will want to see this movie right after they get past the words "flying" and "head," together as they are, in the title. A young woman is cursed by an evil sorcerer to quite literally lose her head every night. In the very peculiar tradition of Southeast Asian folklore (see Indonesia's Mystics In Bali), it detaches from her body but drags along all of her internal organs behind it, flying around like some sort of nightmarish tadpole. If that wasn't bad enough, she also grows tusk-like fangs and craves human blood. Things get notably better…

Birth Year Challenge 9/36 Bear with me on this one. A Lady (princess?) is poisoned by a magician that wants to marry her. He claims that he will remove the poison curse if she does, but she refuses. The poison manifests as snakes inside her body, makes the lady's head separate from her body and fly around at night, gives the flying head magic powers, and makes her grow long lower fangs in order to bite people and drink their blood. She isn't in control when it happens, sort of like a wolfman thing. So the lady and her two maids try to figure out a way to keep everyone safe from her curse and LOTS of STUFF happens. The…

I have only seen two “floating head witch” films from Asia. MYSTICS IN BALI is the most well known. WITCH WITH FLYING HEAD is probably the more well made and coherent (with a big caveat I'll get to in a sec), but the sheer absurdity of MYSTICS probably takes the lead in entertainment value. This one still has lots of crazy stuff, although it’s not a lost classic of Chinese black magic horror compared to the best ones. I say coherent theoretically, as the version I saw on YouTube—the only one you’re likely to find—has a wealth of challenges. The low-res VHS rip is cropped to tv ratio. Fidelity aside, the subs are in broken English, and the lost edges…

In a similar vein to everyone's favourite Pennangalan-vehicle, Mystics In Bali. Beautifully arcane and refreshingly unrestrained from the conventions of narrative-driven film-making. Full of everything you'd want to see in a Chinese horror film: slithery gore, sorcery, magical battles and oversized plastic fangs.

Take Mystics in Bali, then add more laser beams and entrails while Star Trek and Conan the Barbarian music plays. It's absolutely nuts and it rules. The things incels will do when women won't marry them.

An evil warlock casts a spell on a Miss Chen so that she becomes a bloodthirsty, disfigured and flying head, with dangling intestines, each time she’s around other men. After battling, and loosing, against a white warlock, the friendly master of magic performs acupuncture on the Miss Chen releasing her from the curse. Although each 15th day of the month she will turn into the monster again, but all will be safe as long as her mates guard her with the sacred red box the friendly white warlock has supplied them with. A foul Snake-woman lures in the woods, shouting out the names of men who pass by. They fall under her spell and expect sexy times with the woman…

Movie OSTs this needledrops:
- Cat People (1982)
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind
- Conan the Barbarian (1982)
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan
- The Burning

Fei tou mo nu

A woman who has been cursed by a witch must rip off her head every night so it can fly around, attack people and drink their blood, which keeps her alive. A woman who has been cursed by a witch must rip off her head every night so it can fly around, attack people and drink their blood, which keeps her alive. A woman who has been cursed by a witch must rip off her head every night so it can fly around, attack people and drink their blood, which keeps her alive.

• Director

• Jen-Chieh Chang

• The Wei Wen Group

• Director

• Jen-Chieh Chang

• The Wei Wen Group

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• Jen-Chieh Chang

• The Wei Wen Group

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User reviews 4

Greetings And Salutations, and welcome to my review of Witch With The Flying Head; here's the breakdown of my ratings:

Story: 1.25 Direction: 1.25 Pace: 1.25 Acting: 1.25 Enjoyment: 1.25

TOTAL: 6.25 out of 10.00

The moral of this story is - when an evil sorcerer comes visiting and asks for your hand in matrimony, grab that hatchet and give that necromancer your mitt.

I was a little circumspect about watching this flick; Hey, come on, you read that English title, so wouldn't you be(?) But I remembered watching Mystics In Bali, which contains another flying head and guts. What's more, I recalled I even enjoyed it. So with thoughts of a possible diamond in the rough, I settled down to an evening's viewing. The story is a tad different from the Bali one, and I may remark, it's more sincere - Truth be told, I prefered Witch over Bali. For one, the characters and their motives are credible and enduring. And secondly, it has a logical process to the bewitched living with the curse, and this is the one thing that floated my boat the best. Most times, horror flicks are not known for their rationale. It's not hard to believe that the sorcerer is infatuated with the beautiful victim of the tale. Though the writers don't state that he's been stalking her, I found if I believed this, it made the story near-perfect and clarifies why he'll cure her if she marries him. Not wanting to be a ball and chain to the evil nutter, she confides in her father about her new foul curse. He rushes her to the local temple and asks the monks for help. Regrettably, they cannot purify her of the curse or overpower the sorcerer. Not wanting to be a murderess and especially not wanting to hurt her doting father, she and her handmaidens move into the countryside and away from civilisation. But one day, a passing priest offers her hope of cleansing her of the curse. Alas, it requires an object the sorcerer possesses. However, he gives her the magic to make it a monthly incident rather than a daily one. Now she'll only lose her head on the 15th of every month - I prayed it didn't coincide with her other monthlies - can you imagine The Witch With The Flying Head And PMS? Will she ever free herself of the dreaded periodical scourge? For that answer, you'll have to watch the film.

The director isn't one of the best Chinese filmmakers I've seen, but he delivers an enjoyable romp through the supernatural. Some sections of the cinematography could have been sharper, especially the battle between the Monks and the Sorcerer. The segment cries out with missed opportunities - it was perfect for better composition, engaging angles, and quicker cutting. It's not terrible. On the whole, it works, though it could have been better with a few slight changes. And this is also the case with the entire picture.

The cast is fine, though, as is the case with the 1970s and 80s Chinese movies of this ilk, some of the actors and actresses overcook their emotional scenes. So when somebody cries, it's a full-on bawl, complete, with waving arms and shaking heads.

One of the things I enjoyed most was the fact there was no Witch With A Flying Head in the film. The poor beautiful lady with the detachable noggin is just your average pretty oriental Jane Doe until the curse hits her. If she were a witch, wouldn't she find it simple to lift the curse herself? But then we wouldn't see those tusk-like fangs that pop up (not down as with most bloodsuckers). Those buggers look like they mean business and would hurt like hell when impaling you.

I would happily recommend Witch With The Flying Head for a single viewing. It's one of those movies that entertain better the more imbibed you are. So, invite your mates round for a bevvy and a movie and enjoy.

Once your spine and innards snap out, fly over to my Absolute Horror list to see where I ranked The Witch With The Flying Head.

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Reviews for "The Role of Women in Knight Model Kits - Breaking Stereotypes"

- Sarah - 1 star

I was really disappointed with the Knights and Magnic model kits. The quality of the pieces was extremely poor and many of them were not even the correct shape or size. The instructions were also very confusing and unclear, making the building process frustrating and difficult. Overall, I would not recommend these model kits to anyone.

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How Medieval Knight Model Kits Can Inspire Fantasy Art and Literature