Hex (1980) is a Shaw Brothers’ production directed by the inimitable Kuei Chih-Hung. What begins as a suspenseful melodrama that owes more than a little to Les Diaboliques (1955) becomes an off-the-wall ghost story in its third act, only to produce another improbable plot twist at the eleventh hour.
It’s no surprise that Hex is at its best when Kuei Chih-Hung is dealing with supernatural phenomenon. The director is at home with his quick cuts, moody lightning, and grotesque make-up. The third act of the film is strongest because it interests the filmmaker the most. Particularly the erotic dance which is unlike anything else in Shaw Brothers’ cinema.
But the film is replete with Kuei Chih-Hung’s little touches. The set for the foul smelling pond is an excellent example of Kuei Chih-Hung’s stylistic flourishes being incorporated into the genre of the melodrama. No matter the tone or genre, Hex looks and feels like a film by Kuei Chih-Hung.
There exists in Hex the prerequisite comic relief of a Shaw Brothers’ production as well. These moments of levity juxtapose the mounting suspense effectively enough. The issue is that they go on too long. What should be a narrative diversion ends up being a protracted episode that interrupts the dramatic flow of the film.
Despite being an uneven and somewhat predictable film Hex was popular enough to spawn a series of sequels. The sequels, directed by Kuei Chih-Hung, have little to do with this first film. The sequels are a kind of thematic reprisal of Hex, imagining the film as light comedy or erotic nightmare. The best film of the series remains the first.
