Research On Shaw Brothers' Horror Films In The 1970s And 1980s

As an important corner type of Hong Kong film genre, the most prominent of horror films is its commercial value. In a broad sense, the Shaw Brothers'horror films can be dated back to the 1930s. It finally had a prosperous development period after 40 years since its birth, which did strongly be bond with the vicissitudes of Hong Kong society's developments.In the 1970s, the subgenres of the Shaw Brothers horror films also showed vitality and innovation. While inheriting and promoting ghost stories with traditional oriental cultures, they also developed witchcraft films based on traditional cultures in Southeast Asia and crime thrillers arising from the collision of native consciousnesses. The exploration of subgenres of horror films showed proactive attempts for movie types made by the Shaw Brothers in the 1970s and 1980s. In addition, it showed the aspect where the company enabled native directors to produce innovative films in collisions with native consciousnesses.This article attempts from the subgenre of Shaw Brother's horror films, Chapter 1 introduces the concept and historical backgrounds. On this basis, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 respectively conduct further analysis on the styles and narrative characteristics of the three subgenres with different cultural brands, in the expectation of having a restricted view on the exploration and reform of the Shaw Brothers in the crevice of preservation of traditional Chinese cultures and values, loss of the overseas market and increasing demands of native cultures in Hong Kong in the 1970s and 1980s.