While best known for their martial arts epics, the Shaw Brothers certainly did not stop there. This curated selection spotlights their most unusual and visually striking work over multiple genres. These are films that dive into surreal, fantastical worlds filled with color and practical effects.
Though the Shaw Brothers Studio had been around since the early 1950s, it wasn't until the latter half of the 1960s that the Hong Kong Hollywood-style powerhouse truly found its footing by kicking off the “new wuxia” era. The Shaw Brothers created a style entirely their own by blending some elements of American and Italian genre films with their own methods and sensibilities, including jaw-dropping choreography and stories steeped in Chinese folklore.
This new style of wuxia (which translates literally to tales of martial honour) left a lasting mark on Hong Kong cinema, helped launch the careers of (to name a few) John Woo, Jackie Chan, and Sammo Hung and has since influenced filmmakers like Ang Lee, Wong Kar-Wai, and Quentin Tarantino.
While best known for their martial arts epics, the studio was well versed in just about every namable genre. Melodramas, musicals, supernatural thrillers, fantasy epics, superhero adventures, comedies, operas... With a thousand titles to their name, they couldn't help but invent genres of their very own.
This curated selection shines a spotlight on some of the most unusual and visually striking work to their name. These are films that blend genres and dive into surreal, fantastical worlds filled with color, practical effects, and an energy that must be seen to be understood.
To help you begin your own Shaw Brothers journey, we’ve put together a guide to some of the standout films in our collection. Organized by sub-genre, it’s designed to help you easily find and scratch that particular cinematic itch. Try sampling one title from each category to experience the full scope of the Shaw Brothers legacy.
Classic Kung Fu & Ninjas
Discipline, honor, and the mastery of the martial arts. Choosing one of the following would be a great place to start: the foundation of Shaw Brothers IS kung fu.
Flavour Profile: traditional kung fu • swordplay • moral struggle
During the Qing Dynasty, a fishmonger’s son (San Te) escapes a brutal Manchu crackdown and
flees to the Shaolin Temple. There, through grueling physical and spiritual trials, San Te
progresses through 35 chambers to become a symbol of resistance, ultimately establishing a 36th
chamber to teach laymen. Renowned for its detailed,
inventive training sequences.
Lo Lieh leads the deadly Snake Sect in a scheme to revive the infamous “Five Poison Web.”
As rival clans clash — Scorpion Clan, Centipede Clan, Snake Clan, and so on — alliances shift,
betrayals multiply, and the martial world descends into a lethal game of vying for the top. Stick around for the giant spider.
A scholarly brother and sword-loving sister are drawn into a surreal feud between rival clans.
To restore peace, they must face snake charmers, masked assassins, mystical warriors, and a
deadly beauty bound by an ancient vow where love and death are inseparable. Filled with wacky
costumes, monsters, kung fu laser beams, and, show-stealing kung fu gorilla.
Neon Wuxia
Neon fog, flying fists, and over-the-top super human powers. All three of the following films are from 1983 - a visually bold year for Shaw.
Orphaned and routinely bullied at an elite kung fu academy, Yun Fei Yang survives through sheer endurance. When rival clans threaten his master and forbidden techniques resurface, he’s drawn into a deadly conflict—one that transforms humiliation into awakening, and leads him toward a destiny forged by the sword. Can he master the elusive art of fighting Silkworm
Style from the Spider Swordsman? Well watch it and find out! Showcasing a revolutionary style of wire-work.
After their parents are slaughtered, a brother and sister train relentlessly to seek vengeance.
Their quest leads them through demon-haunted temples, cult strongholds, and ancient traps, all
in pursuit of the mythical Holy Flame sword and the power it promises. Remote-controlled swords,
well-spoken mummies, and more skeletons than you can count add plenty of charm to this
far-flung spectacle.
A ragtag band of warriors unite against an evil force threatening the martial world. Armed
with enchanted weapons, supernatural abilities, and gravity-defying combat, they battle
through a fantasy realm where music can kill and hair grows in a bright red, almost neon pink, variant. Features a
chariot drawn by dogs, fighting scissors, and a villain who can shred the technicolor lute.
Horror & Horror Wuxia
Martial arts collides with grotesque horror. Blades and dark magic mix.
Flavour Profile: animated spiritual essence • revenge from beyond the grave • hybrid horror
The power-hungry Jiuxuan Witch seeks the legendary Wind and Thunder Magic Mirrors - ancient
relics capable of unleashing demonic forces that possess the living and warp reality
itself. As their influence spreads, the line between moral failing and supernatural
punishment begins to blur. Features a Fish Intestines Sword, zombie super ninjas, and
mutating worm pills.
A sadistic craftsman obsessed with perfection manipulates two rival kung fu masters into a
deadly feud, all while creating his most horrifying works yet: lanterns fashioned from
human skin. A lurid blend of martial arts, murder mystery, and shocking visuals. This leans
a little more kung fu than horror. It’s kinda Scooby-Doo-Fu.
After his wife is brutally murdered, a grieving man turns to black magic for revenge.
What follows is one of Shaw Brothers’ most infamous nightmares - a grotesque tale of
vengeance, corruption, and an unholy birth that defies nature itself. Pure Cat III
exploitation: sleazy, grimy, and a must for fans of the glorious combination of gore and sex.
Fantasy & Mythic Cinema
Legends and adventures from Chinese folklore take place in a universe ruled by magic.
A lavish retelling of Journey to the West, following the mischievous Monkey King
and his companions as they battle demons and temptation on a sacred pilgrimage. The first
of four Shaw Brothers films adapting the classic novel for the screen, featuring musical
numbers and characters with names like Pigsy and Sandy.
A legendary martial technique capable of godlike destruction draws rival clans into violent
conflict. As warriors seek mastery of the mythical “Buddha’s Palm,” kung fu becomes
indistinguishable from divine power. Based on a popular Hong Kong comic book, this is a
special-effects showcase complete with how you might call it, "Star Wars–style glowing energy swords."
A wandering swordsman becomes entangled in a deadly mystery involving obsession, identity,
and murder. As truth emerges, beauty and violence intertwine in a melancholic tale of
betrayal. Featuring flying glowing orbs, sentient shimmering statues, and a compelling score.
Three by Kuei Chih-Hung
Fondly referred to as the “Hong Kong Cult Meister,” Kuei Chih-Hung was a remarkably versatile filmmaker who directed more than 40 films. In the 1980s, he reinvented himself through supernatural fantasy, using the genre to reflect the realities of life in Hong Kong. His films frequently depicted the struggles of public housing residents, police corruption, and the pressures of colonial government rule.
Flavour Profile: ritual magic • cult horror • midnight movie
Abused and dying from illness, a woman conspires with her servant to murder her cruel
husband. But after his body is dumped in a pond, guilt and superstition take hold and
the possibility that the dead man has returned for revenge becomes terrifyingly real.
Contains a notorious seven-minute naked witch-dance.
A boxer’s sudden misfortune is revealed to be the result of a terrifying curse. As Taoist
priests battle dark sorcery, the film descends into ritualistic horror involving possession,
animal sacrifice, and relentless supernatural punishment. A bit of a gross out but balances that flavour out by including a very cute bat.
When a kickboxer is cursed after a brutal match, his brother enters a nightmarish spiritual
realm of monks, demons, and flesh-rotting sorcery. A surreal descent into Buddhist
cosmology, extreme imagery, and metaphysical warfare. Truly unrelenting in its zaniness,
this one will have you repeatedly saying, “Wha?!”
Doing It's Own Thing
These films are distinctive in flavour, setting them apart not only within the Shaw Brothers catalogue, but throughout the Eternal Family library.
A shy, unlucky delivery man falls hopelessly in love and enters an underground boxing
tournament to prove himself, with ridiculous results. A high-energy showcase of Stephen
Chow’s signature absurdist comedy, complete with a Garfield-masked hero and a gleeful
send-up of The Terminator.
When Earth is threatened by a subterranean demon princess, a bionic superhero is created
to fight back. Featuring rubber monster suits, head-lopping lasers, and so much demonic cackling, this is
Shaw Brothers at peak comic-book excess. Famously one of
Roger Ebert’s great “guilty pleasures.”
Diggin' Deep / Underseen Cinema
These Shaw Brothers films are hard to come by and have very few numbers logged on Letterboxd. If you're a Shaw Brothers aficionado, maybe you're missing these from your checklist.
A young man falls under the spell of a mysterious woman who may not belong to the human
world. Blending romance, horror, and folklore, the film unfolds as a tragic ghostly love
story. Packed with magic and absolutely drenched in color.
A miraculous child born with supernatural powers becomes the key to restoring balance
between good and evil. A Peking Opera–style fantasy rooted in folklore, this is family-friendly
and especially fun for fans of The Monkey Goes West, with the return of Pigsy and
Sandy.
A divine being descends into the mortal world, testing humanity’s compassion and cruelty.
This moral fantasy, set in modern 1970s
Hong Kong, blends romance and magic with the soft gauzy colors of the late 60's. Catchy musical numbers, including one featuring the cast in bunny outfits, make
this a playful, oddball watch. I Dream of Jeannie and Mary Poppins adjacent, with a touch of nudity.
We hope this helped you make some decisions. Please take a look at our entire collection of Shaw Brothers movies here for even more great films.
Thank you to Celestial Pictures for providing the incredible restorations. You can find many, many, many more Shaw Brothers Films on their Youtube Channel here.
