Lifelong friends Joey (Ricky Cheng Tien-Chi) and Gary (Lu Feng) – or Zuo Qi and Gan Yun if you prefer in the non-absurdly Anglicized original Mandarin version – share an inseparable bond as ass-kicking kung fu heroes. So when thugs working for a rival martial arts master murder Gary's dad and threaten his life, Joey naturally strikes a deal with the Devil – or Hell King Ashura if you prefer in the non-absurdly Anglicized original Mandarin version – in return for awesome supernatural powers. These take the form of nine demons. Which is to say eight giggling, bloodthirsty little kids and a comely if equally nasty female demon eager to drain human blood. The demons latch onto Joey disguised as a necklace of nine skulls, part of a fetching ensemble that also includes a crown, glitter makeup, gold-lined purple cape and lavender tights. Mmm, stylish. Soon enough Joey goes on a revenge spree, setting ravenous demons on all his enemies while sparing the occasional righteous dude. But the demon's bloodlust grows beyond his control.
After leaving Shaw Brothers, his parent studio of several decades, martial arts maestro Chang Cheh made two kung fu horror films back to back: Attack of the Joyful Goddess (1983) and Nine Demons. Neither found much favour with fans who would rather Chang stuck to what he did best which was gritty, down-to-earth kung fu fare or as gritty and down-to-earth as one could get in films where David Chiang would rip some guy's heart out and show it to them as they died. Non-purists more open-minded about diverse storytelling possibilities within martial arts cinema may find more of interest in Chang's horror films. After all he was no stranger to fantasy and even dabbled with horror in his wildly eccentric, reincarnation-themed time travel anti-drug kung fu musical fantasy Heaven & Hell (1978).
Evidently Chang's take on the horror genre was filtered through the aesthetic of the Peking Opera. The demons' bloodletting comes at the climax of elaborate acrobatic routines that would not look out of place on an opera stage. Along with star and action choreographer Ricky Cheng Tien-Chi (Lu Feng and co-star Chiang Sheng also helped stage the fights) the child actors (most likely circus acrobats) perform some truly remarkable acrobatic feats. Chang's staging and editing, though over-familiar by this stage, retain their dynamism while the horror angle adds a surreal twist through use of fog, kaliedoscopic disco lights, strange looking props, and an abundance of exploding bodies and fireballs. The finale wherein antagonists fight whilst gliding on water is especially cool. In light of the evident disdain for the film shared by the majority of Chang Cheh fans it is interesting that the story does not stray in the slightest from his stock theme of brotherhood, which in this instance endures even beyond the grave and demonic possession. Bro's for life, y'all.
Truth be told the film's problems stem from Chang's adherence to his inflexible, archaic outlook. His kung fu twist on Faust is so swamped in macho sentiment, romanticized nihilism ("Killing can't be stopped once it has started", Joey/Zuo declares to his lily-livered lady friend Qing Miao) and lengthy, elaborate combat scenes the moralizing grows decidedly muddled. The first victims that fall prey to Joey's blood-drinking minions are an entirely innocent group of prostitutes though when the brothel keeper sends captive, inexperienced Miao into his room he spares her life. Ah, so that's okay. He only kills 'bad' girls. The repetitive, folk tale like plot continually invents new villains for Joey to vanquish while late in the day wheels out another character to restore some sense of morality amidst his remorseless rampage. Although the smitten Qing Miao tries her utmost to make Joey stop or else visit his wrath on only bad people, he is such a nihilist even the threat of his own death won't sway him from revenge. Yet the film continually insists Joey/Zuo is a brave, admirable hero despite his homicidal antics. The mix off horror with Chang's chivalrous ideals makes for an awkward fit. What is more there are no consequences to Joey/Zuo's deal with the Devil. He simply smites his enemies then exits his own way, always in control. Nevertheless Nine Demons makes an interesting companion piece to an earlier, vaguely similar, even stranger film Chang made at Shaw Brothers with star Ricky Cheng Tien-Chi: The Weird Man (1983).
