Out of the Dark
1995; directed by Jeff Lau

Due to what some perceived as content that was too violent for a comedy, Out of the Dark didn't go over with the local audience well upon its premiere in 1995 -- though many modern day productions would be well satisfied with this film's HK$16 million take at the box office -- and has gone on to become a largely forgotten entry in Stephen Chow's filmography. But upon taking a fresh look at this film, it holds up nicely, offering a good amount of Chow's trademark "nonsense comedy" style.

Besides the increased squib count, Out of the Dark does play out a bit differently than most of Chow's comedies, in that it feels like more of an ensemble piece, with Chow muting some of his trademark "rubberface" mannerisms via costuming (inspired by The Professional) that features sunglasses and huge fake teeth. This leads to more of the actors getting a greater amount of screen time. Things work out to feel well-rounded, but those expecting all Chow all the time may be a bit disappointed.

But the other actors all do a fine job, especially Karen Mok, who takes on what ends up being a very physically demanding role, both in terms of kinetic gags and having to shave her head. The jokes also hit for the most part; fittingly, given Chow's style, they are sometimes the equivalent of a joke book shot via a potato cannon towards the audience, but, more often than not, the comedy succeeds and generates true belly laughs at points -- even if some of the pop culture references and Cantonese puns will fly over the heads of western viewers, especially given that Out of the Dark is now twenty years old at this point.

As for the violent content, it didn't phase this reviewer too much, but, then again, this is someone that can snack on char siu bo while watching The Untold Story. The violence isn't done seriously; this is more akin to Evil Dead 2 (including using the ghost point of view camera) than Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Overall, Out of the Dark is a worth addition to Chow's body of work. As of the writing of this review (September 2015) the film has been added, along with several other Shaw Brothers releases, to Netflix streaming uncut and in Cantonese. It's well worth checking out if you are a fan of his work.

RATING: 7