The
Shanghai French Concession formally ended in 1943, when Vichy relinquished
their authority to the puppet government in Nanjing—not exactly a triumph over
imperialism. Regardless, it remained one of the toniest districts in Shanghai for
decades to come. It is exactly the sort of prestigious neighborhood that suits
a well-heeled doctor like Gao Yuanyang. However, the former owner his new manor
house was exponentially wealthier. There are secrets in the house that personally
relate to Gao’s family and the masked ripper stalking the concession in David Shao’s The Revenge of the Phantom Knight (trailer here), which screens during the 2018 Winter Film Awards in
New York.
As
soon as Gao’s wife Zhuang Jingwen crosses the threshold, she feels like she has
been there before—because she has. It is pretty obvious Zhuang was one of the
charges living in the nearby orphanage funded by the mysterious Lu Zeju, but
she has repressed those memories, with the rather suspicious help of her husband’s
drugs and powers of suggestion. However, her return inevitably prompts flashes
of flashbacks. He too starts acting oddly soon after they move in, often
disappearing at strange hours and compulsively skulking through the house.
At
least Gao has an excuse to be out of the house when sleazy Chief Detective Liu
Kuwen calls him in to consult on the murders attributed to the Phantom Knight
(a.k.a. The Daredevil). Basically, the Phantom hunts his prey like the Headless
Horseman in Sleepy Hollow, but he uses a set of claw-like razors, much like Han
the crimelord in the climax of Enter the Dragon. He is a relentless killer, who seems to be targeting people
connected to the orphanage Lu funded, which would include Zhuang, whether she
accepts it or not.
Phantom Knight is a charmingly
melodramatic gothic horror film, in the best, retro way possible. We half expect
to see the Scooby-Doo mystery gang drive in to pull the mask off the Phantom, revealing
Old Man Smithers, who would have gotten away with it, if it weren’t for those
meddling kids. There is all kinds of gaslighting, sneaking around graveyards, grudge-holding,
searching for hidden treasure, and dangling off wind-swept cliff faces going on.
Plus, the Phantom is pretty sinister looking. The evocative 1930s Shanghai
setting also helps.
Qiao
Qiao is terrific as the slowly more assertive Zhuang, while He Ruohe keeps us
guessing as the Rochester/de Winter-like Gao. However, Liu Xiaolan steals scene
after scene as Zhuang’s Velma Dinkley-esque former friend Li Sha with her
earnest energy. Young Yang Yuxi is also admirably on-point and professional as
Gao’s little daughter, Yingzi.
Shao
unloads six or seven game-changing revelations on us during the eleventh hour,
which is wholly in keeping with the gothic tradition. Frankly, the film looks
quite polished, considering he had limited time and resources at his disposal. It
might not be important art house cinema, but it is a lot of fun—so much so, it
makes us crave a retrospective of recent Chinese horror and gothic-themed films.
Recommended for fans who would appreciate a dark and stormy night in the French
Concession, The Revenge of the Phantom
Knight screens tomorrow night (2/26), as part of this year’s Winter Film
Awards.
