The Imp

The Imp, like The Spooky Bunch, is a work with supernatural elements in which characters are cursed by their past. The story of a security guard haunted by impending fatherhood obviously takes after Hollywood horror films like Rosemary's Baby (1968), The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1976). Yet director Dennis Yu and his team of writers manage to skillfully balance the Western influence with Chinese mystical beliefs and practices, animating the tension between modernity and tradition. Taoist rites are staged with exotic contraptions and orchestrated natural elements like fog, wind and fire, fully realising the rituals' cinematic potentials while also addressing the archetypal opposition between culture and nature. A critical and commercial success upon its release, the film helped set the tone for the many ghost films and vampire flicks to come, many oftentimes with the metaphorical aspect of exorcising our past.

Screening courtesy of Mei Ah Entertainment Group Ltd