Scarecrow-88
Sissy, a radio host, doesn't have a clue that her comments about a psychopath prowling the busy, glitzy neon nights of Hong Kong, were actually taken to heart by this crazy who listens to her show. Her ex-boyfriend, "Lousy" Wong , is a detective working a homicide case involving a French nightclub performer's murder while walking down an alley, falling victim to the lurking killer who traps her in the middle of dangling colorful sheets (cool visual dynamo, the way the director entraps the poor girl, the sounds of rips without actually showing the box-cutter razor slicing the sheets or actually seeing the killer), the girl having no method of escape, later strangled with one of her stockings. It seems that the killer, who could be a woman or transvestite, enjoys strangling his/her victims with white stockings.The mystery of the killer I felt was given away a bit too early, but observant viewers should figure it out even before the director unveils the person behind the disguise. I think those accustomed to the slasher genre as a whole, no matter the country, will recognize that the too obvious weirdo, the one who has enshrined his home with photographs of Sissy, harassing her on the phone, constantly calling the radio station, claiming he is the psycho-killer sought after, is a red herring—while the true killer has an aura of mystery around him/her. He/she draws a portrait of himself/herself, while a photograph in a picture frame has a person ripped from it. Little details which conceal the motives of the killer do give a quality slasher an advantage over the run-of-the-mill offerings which kept coming in the early-to-mid 80s. To be honest, I do think some slasher fans might find the humor and animated faces (what some might consider "Kabuki theater" kind of reactions between Sissy, Wong, and Wong's boss) a bit over-the-top and theatrical (I'll put it this way, the acting sure isn't subdued), but this kind of acting didn't bother me too much because I'm used to this style of performance known to come out of Hong Kong—and acting in American slasher movies wasn't exactly an artform. Surprisingly, HE LIVES BY NIGHT has several tropes identifiable to slasher fans such as the use of the point-of-view camera from the killer's perspective and the heart beat on the soundtrack—not to mention, the synth score—as he/she draws near to the home of another potential victim, chosen for execution solely because she wore silk white stockings while trying on shoes at a shoestore. This is probably director Po-Chih Leong's best set piece: the stalking of Suzie throughout her house, the effective use of a volleyball included in this scene, as she attempts to hide from him/her, crawling in fright across her carpet behind furniture hoping to evade the killer. The camera work is very energetic, a strong sense of style and verve, cinematography by Arthur Wong a major asset in how the murders are presented in a striking, visceral manner. What might set this apart from the standard slasher output is the change of venue, Hong Kong, and the way the camera really grabs you by the jugular (there are moments where it seems as if you are the one being murdered such as when the killer ties the stocking around the camera, or how he/she looks directly at us before attacking). There's even a bit of giallo in the movie as we are privy to a flashback memory which explains to us the psychological issues plaguing the killer, why he/she snaps when the mere sight of a white stocking catches his/her gaze, and the reason behind the use of the box cutter razor.The thing is, I don't necessarily disapprove of comedy relief, but HE LIVES BY NIGHT puts such an emphasis on the goofy shenanigans of the Lousy Wong and the boss' competition for Sissy that the horror element almost takes a back seat at times. And this is a shame because when the slasher sequences appear, Po-Chih Leong knows how to deliver in a thrilling fashion. Again, what is this movie? A comedy or a psycho-thriller? They try to have it both ways..maybe for some this isn't a problem, but there were times where I wanted the movie to hit me right in the gut like that opening kill, and Suzie's murder sequence, but alas the filmmakers hearts were in tickling my funnybone. HE LIVES BY NIGHT does conclude strong with the familiar chase at the end when the killer stalks Sissy in her radio station while the police are out after who they believe is the killer (the red herring who is just an oddball). It even has the typical *final girl seems to have killed psycho, but did she?* moment towards the end when she seems to have gained an upper hand only for the killer to somehow miraculously survive an incident that would've killed any ordinary person. What is cool about the "two chases" at the end is that the steady diet of humor and horror works especially well, such as the 7-up soda machine gag, the police having to disrobe to their skivvies due to the killer's disguising himself as an officer, or the shelves in the radio station full of records used as weapons (both the records and the shelves!), with Sissy in a fight for her life, her resourcefulness (and smaller stature) keeping the killer, wicked grin and all, at bay. Mentioning that 7-up machine, it plays an important part in how the film finally resolves the chase between heroine and murderer, and, as is often the case in movies like this, the police are late to the party with Sissy having to fend for herself. Slasher fans owe it to themselves to find a copy of this somehow—it is a sleeper which should be of interest.
The_Void
He Lives by Night is a little known, yet excellent, Hong Kong slasher flick! Unfortunately I don't have a lot to compare it to having seen less than half a dozen of this sort of film; but as a film in its own right; this is an excellent mix of horror, romance and comedy! Director Po-Chih Leong takes a basic idea for a plot and really runs with it; managing to inject a cheesy love story and a boatload of twisted humour into the tale without it seeming forced or out of place. The film takes place in an urban metropolis and focuses on a killer that stalks and kills female victims; the only similarity between the murders being the fact that they were all committed with a similar weapon; that being the victims' own white stockings! Meanwhile, a young 'tomboy' radio DJ known as Sissy is covering the murders while getting attention from the town's fat police chief. It later transpires that the female killer is actually a man in drag and the two central plot lines combine when the radio DJ is stalked by the psychopathic killer.The cinematography in this film is great and despite the plot line, He Lives by Night is very beautiful. Hong Kong's cinema is generally known for being bloody and brutal; but this film isn't. There's a surprising lack of blood and even the murder scenes are tame compared to those seen in later films such as The Untold Story. They are very well done, however, and one that takes place in a bathroom is very well shot. There's not a great deal of sex and sleaze either - and this is mostly made up for by the comedy. That's not a big problem, however. The comedy is very funny and the storyline itself is deliciously sick and twisted enough to account for a lack of visceral horror. The idea of a transvestite killer has been used many times before in horror films; but it's a bit different here as the fact that the killer is a transvestite is never really dwelt on and provides the story with little more than a bizarre twist. Overall, He Lives by Night is a stylishly shot and very interesting slice of Hong Kong horror and comes highly recommended to fans of this stuff.
