Beyond the Pale: Serial
Homicide
“I’ll tell you why I had to snuff the bitch.”
(Pauline Wong, “Night Caller”)
A relatively early film with distinctive pacing,
cinematography and score, Wong Kuo-chu’s “Exposed to Danger” (1988) begins
as a languid relationship drama, then veers into the territory of stalking
and serial murder by a jealous young woman seeking revenge against the
character of Lu Hsiao-fen for the death of her father. A few other
notable HK productions also feature female serial killers. Five rather
different offerings feature relatively prominent actors from contrasting
backgrounds in this role – Pauline Wong (“Night Caller,” 1985), Moon Lee
(“A Serious Shock! Yes Madam!” 1993), Julie Lee (“Trilogy of Lust II,”
1995), Carrie Ng (“Passion Unbounded,” 1995), Jacqueline Wu (“Intruder,”
1997). It is too simple to dismiss such titles as exploitation trash.
Not only do several merit viewing but leave lingering, disturbing impressions.
Some of these titles, as well as thematically similar works such as “Love
to Kill” (1993) and “Red to Kill” (1994), feature both above average acting
and production values as well as surprisingly strong elements of social
commentary.
Julie Lee’s film, in particular (one of two that
she also wrote and produced), suggests rather chilling forensic sophistication.
Features such as collecting trophies, escalation, and generalized increase
in risk taking are all persuasive. Well beyond the bounds of typical
Cat. III productions, “Trilogy of Lust II” is a misanthropic portrayal
in which Julie Lee plays an increasingly unstable sado-masochistic murderer
who hunts men. She progresses from seducing the virile and attractive
to assaulting any adult male, virtually anywhere. This film virtually
defines key elements of the sub-genre – extreme violation of norms, being
driven by past events, and extremely unflattering portrayals of male behavior.
The plot of “Trilogy of Lust II” is distinguished
from vengeance titles by the relationship of the principal protagonist
to the targets of her aggression. In most vengeance films the targets
personally deserve retribution. Other films in the homicide sub-genre,
“Night Caller” and “A Serious Shock” placed the blame for the killer’s
lethal spree on recent rejection and relationship breakdown. Rather
than seeking generalized symbolic revenge against an entire gender, these
movies present initially personal vengeance that escalates into more utilitarian
killing. “Intruder” is in some ways the most chilling of all the
recent homicide titles, since Jacqueline Wu’s character keeps one of her
numerous victims crippled but alive. Her ghoulish purpose and the
film’s surprising ending make this a noteworthy entry. “Passion Unbounded”
may be the least satisfactory since it sheds no light on the motivation
of Carrie Ng’s character beyond rather lurid pairing of sexuality and death.
