Curse of the IFD THUNDERBOLT series 6: Grudge of the Sleepwalking Woman (Mongnyeohan) aka Scorpion Thunderbolt

Having good mates & friends such as Jack Jensen & Andrew Leavold is a real pleasure because they don't only share my passion for rare, weird & obscure flicks but they help me to dig & collect information about those movies sending me links, lists, dates and whatever I may need. This same morning I have got one of these priceless tips from Jack about the source movie IFD used to create SCORPION THUNDERBOLT. I have to admit I have doubts about that info because I was convinced Scorpion Thunderbolt was designed using a Taiwanese horror movie & Jack said it was done using a Korean movie produced in 1983 titled GRUDGE OF THE SLEEPWALKING WOMAN (Mongnyeohan, 1983). I answered him in a snobbish way I couldn't accept this info as true since Scorpion thunderbolt locations is full of Taiwanese locations & backgrounds ( neon lights with chinese letters, cars, buses, streets & even its atmosphere is taiwanese!!!) but I had to confirm it so I ran into KMDB & I started my own search of the truth & this is what I found about GRUDGE OF THE SLEEPWALKING WOMAN (Mongnyeohan):

One night in Taipei, a female factory worker is killed on her way home. Koh Kang-young, the lead detective, concludes that she was killed by a poisonous snake from the bite marks left on the victim's neck. Reporter Lee Ok-jung rebuts his theory in her article. Through this incident, Detective Koh and Ok-jung meet frequently and they become friends. Afterwards, two more women are killed in the same manner. It is revealed that Ok-jung can't account for her whereabouts for each murder. When another murder is committed, Detective Koh finds out the truth about Ok-jung. When Ok-jung was three, a unique snake bit her. Therefore, she kills people by biting them like a poisonous snake.

There was no mistake on Jack's information! but I was also right!!!...Scorpion Thunderbolt used Grudge of the sleepingwalking woman, a korean movie shot in Taiwan!!!

The image & the cursive text is from KMDB.

I truly dedicate this entry to Jack Jensen for his kindness!

Curse of the IFD THUNDERBOLT series: MAGNUM THUNDERBOLT part 5

I am not pretty sure if MAGNUMG THUNDERBOLT should be included on these post dedicated to IFD THUNDERBOLT series. Reason? Originally, this movie was not designed as a Thunderbolt movie, it isn't even an IFD production althought it was a George Lai ( Joseph's elder brother) production or maybe George Lai just bought the coyprights to Wing Fat Film production company. Then, he would pass the movie to Joseph Lai & as usual it was dubbed into english and worldwide distributed.

New pressbook by IFD

Magnum Thunderbolt was the international title given to MAN FROM HOLLAND by IFD. Man from Holland was directed by Patrick Kong in 1985 or 1986, at that time he was working for Filmark International directing new shots for Tomas Tang's cut & paste movies, previosly he had worked for IFD / Asso Asia in productions like Dragon on fire or The dragon the hero.

Ocean Shores VCD containing Man from Holland the movie would be known as Magnum Thunderbolt outside Hong Kong

MAGNUM THUNDERBOLT should not be included as another Thunderbolt movie because this time we don't have new cut & pasted scenes, we don't have Richard Harrison or a clon like in Mission Thunderbolt. These two reason are more than enough evidence to prove Magunum Thunderbolt belongs to another kind of movies.

BUT, hold on...There are also some facts that make Magnum Thunderbolt to be included in the Thunderbolt series as another chapter of it. First the storyline was almost the same used for Mission Thunderbolt: A killer is sent to Hong Kong to eliminate three targets ( while in Mission Thunderbolt 3 killers are sent for the same targets) then we have Philip Ko having bizarre sex like he enjoyed in Majestic Thunderbolt. John Ladalsky reprises as well the role he played in Mission Thunderbolt as a ruthless killer & sex maniac...etc etc

John Ladalski was along Philip Ko & Richard Harrison the 3rd musketeer in the Thunderbolt series

But there are also other details that make Man from Holland / Magnum Thunderbolt a truly IFD movie: the locations! Along the movie we find out a lot of places that has been used in dozens IFD movies such as Yasuyoshi Shikamura house which is the same home Richard Harrison owns in his IFD movies like Ninja Terminator, Diamond ninja Force & even Inferno Thunderbolt.

I can recognice that sofa & those walls from Ninja Terminator

Those black doors & the stairs are the same seen in Ninja Operation: Knight & warrior

These windows & balcony were seen in Ninja Terminator, Rage of the ninja & many other ninja movies from IFD

Apart from Philip Ko & John Ladalski who were regular actors in the previous Thunderbolt movies, we can also find Chan Wai Man & Tommy Cheng Kei Ying who would move to Filmark to work as director like Patrick Kong did.

Curse of the IFD THUNDERBOLT series: MAJESTIC THUNDERBOLT part 4

In the previous post dedicated to Mission Thunderbolt, I said I could bet my neck Mission Thunderbolt is the very first "cut & paste" movie ever came from IFD. So, Majestic thunderbolt could easyly be taken as the second one, and it has something important that Mission missed: Richard Harrison.

Opening of Majestic Thunderbolt: Harrison arrives to IFD

I have this considerations because checking both movies, we can notice they share many things such as the source movies used for both. I mean the original taiwanese movie used for Majestic Thunderbolt has almost the same cast seen at the source movie in Mission Thunderbolt: this is Chen Kuan Tai & many of the supporting cast. The same can be said for the new fotage because Philip Ko, John Ladalsky & other people from Mission Thunderbolt are again in Majestic Thunderbolt.

Majestic Thunderbolt was edited as Magnum Thunderbolt in some European countries. Later IFD would release the real Magnum Thunderbolt

The screenplay at both movies is very similar as well, so we have two rival gangs trying to destroy each other in the original movie then we have Richard Harrison in the new fotage fighting different villains till he has a final duel facing Philip Ko.

The Thunderbolt saga movies could have been become into real IFD classics if they had had more careful doing their work

Both movies are so similar that we could tell Majestic Thunderbolt may be a remake of Mission Thunderbolt where Jonathan Stierwalt is replace by Richard Harrison in his first work for IFD. Majestic Thunderbolt is to Mission Thunderbolt what Drunken Master was to Snake in the Eagle's shadow.
Some fotage from Majestic Thunderbolt showing Philip Ko painting & having sex with a tied girl was later used in Scorpion Thunderbolt when Richard Harrison is having sex with a not too pretty girl in a cinema.

Japanese video art cover for Majestic Thunderbolt

While Mission Thunderbolt is still on IFD catalog for its international sales, Majestic Thunderbolt as it happened to Inferno Thunderbolt, Scorpion Thunderbolt and even Ninja Thunderbolt is not longer on Joseph Lai's catalog. I would really like to know the reason. So if you get a copy of this movie, take it as missing pearl since it can't be found easily or the master has been destroyed as it happened to many taiwanese gangster films shot between 1979 -1983 .

Spanish video art cover. as many IFD movies, Majestic Thunderbolt was edited in Spain twice. The alternate title was Operacion Majestic

Majestic Thunderbolt has a very curious detail to offer us: At the begining, we see Richard Harrison, John Ladalsky & a nameless actor who are attacked by a couple of killers carrying axes. One of these killers is played by Tommy Cheng Kei Ying who would become the main director of Filmark ninja/ action movies just a couple of years after his supporting role at IFD's Majestic Thunderbolt.

In some countries Majestic Thunderbolt was edited as Magnum Thunderbolt. This could create some confussion since Magmun Thunderbolt was the international title used by IFD for its relesase of A Man from Holland another movie starred by Philip Ko & Chan Wai Man that look like an IFD movie due to the filming skill & because many of the IFD regular locations were used on it as well.

Curse of the IFD THUNDERBOLT series: MISSION THUNDERBOLT part 3

Joseph Lai & Tomas Tang tried the taste of success during the time Asso Asia provided many korean kung fu movies to the world during the first 80's when the video boom was reaching its peak. The markets were hungry of action movies & at least in many countries of Europe, hungry of kung fu movies. So, Mr Lai started his own way & continued offering dozens of asian movies as he did in Asso Asia but some of them had new elements such as westerner actors who gave international appeal to his products making his movies availiable for all kind of publics. Here, at this point, Mission Thunderbolt enters.

a wonderful widescreen IFD spanish video edition

After checking many IFD movies & studying their copyright dates and IFD distribution ways, I would bet Mission Thunderbolt may surely be the first CUT & PASTE movie ever came from IFD. According to the copyright date showed on screen, we must suppose the movie was produced in 1983, a year later if we compare it to the Asso Asia copyright date shown & the creation of Filmark International.

Jonathan Stierwald, a moustached actor was not a Richard Harrison clon at IFD, Stierwald arrived first!!

Mission Thunderbolt is the "mother" of all the subsequent "cut & paste"movies IFD offered us till middle 90's. As we stated above, before Mission Thunderbolt "was born" Joseph Lai just used to buy the rights of different asian movies & threw them into the international markets. Mission Thunderbolt was the very first one moviethat combined an asian source movie with new pasted shots directed ( or co-directed asshown in the credits by Godfrey Ho).

Original art Spanish art cover from a Betamax video edition

Mission Thunderbolt was just a taiwanese gangster movie originally directed in 1982 by Richard Tung Chin-Hu who had previously directed some kung fu classics such as Massacre Survivor, Snuff bottle connection or The budda Asasinator and starred by Chan Wai Man, Chen Kuan Tai & female action star Julie Luk Yat Shim ( aka Lu I Chan) who became a regular face in many Filmark cut & paste movie as well and was one of most popular faces in those taiwanese gangster movies known as Taiwan black movies shot between 1979-1983.

John Ladalsky was the main character showed in Conflicto, an aka title for Mission Thunderbolt in Spain

The new edited fotage in Mission Thunderbolt was starred by Jonathan Stierwald, an actor who dissapeared from screen after he starred this movie. Other actors were John Ladalsky, Philip Ko & a nameless chinese actress who would star Scorpion Thunderbolt as the witch just a year later.
As it happened to Inferno Thunderbolt, some shots from Mission Thunderbolt were used in later IFD ninja productions that already had Richard Harrison as main actor.

The wonders of the widescreen editions

Chan Wai Man was the main actor in the original taiwanese cut

Is this guy a premontion of the image Mike Abbott would bring to IFD few years later?

Can you scratch my back please?

Lu I Chan was the queen of the taiwanese gangster movies

Mission Thunderbolt was edited on tape twice in Spain under different two diferent titles: Mission Thunderbolt as the international title & Conflicto ( conflict). Both editions kept the original widescreen cut & dubbing was simply wonderful. Nothing to do with the following IFD video editions we got. The Spanish voice dubbers for Mission Thunderbolt were the same used in many important Hollywood productions; this fact plus the widescreen made Mission Thunderbolt a real pleasure to be watched.

Curse of the IFD THUNDERBOLT series: INFERNO THUNDERBOLT part 2

Thunderbolt series, have been, indeed, the most popular IFD movies if we avoid the Ninja Operation series. Thunderbolt movies, as the later ones were starred by Richard Harrison who may be the cause why these movies were so widely distributed & popular. The Thunderbolt movies saga were the first "cut & paste" movies ever came from IFD Films & the ones that make that editing style the trademark for Joseph Lai's consequent works in many genres & subgenres.

Greek art video cover for Inferno thunderbolt

Inferno Thunderbolt was not the first Thunderbolt entry but it seems it was the most important one for Godfrey Ho & Joseph Lai because many shots of the newly pasted scenes were used again in at least another 2 movies from IFD: Diamond Ninja Force & Ninja Thunderbolt.
Shots from Inferno Thunderbolt played by Donald Kong Do, at the time action choreographer for IFD, were re-dubbed & inserted in Diamond Ninja Force where he was the main villain.
Again, shots played by Richard Harrison & Pierre Tremblay were also re-dubbed & inserted in Ninja Thunderbolt.

The Spanish video cover includes a ninja who is never on screen. It was, indeed, a premonition for the following IFD movies

Inferno Thunderbolt was made using a Taiwanese gangster movie titled THE ANGER as source movie. The Anger was previously premiered in Hong Kong & edited on tape & VCD by Ocean Shores. No need to mention, this edition doesn't include the new shots edited by IFD.

This is how The Anger became into Inferno Thunderbolt

My chinese reading skill is not too god but I think this letters say: East Asia Music Academy

The Anger, became Inferno Thunderbolt when it was bought & re-edited by IFD, was originally starred by Wong Tao who was also the action director. The Anger was produced & directed by Richard Chen Yao-Chi (Chan Yiu Aau) whose some of his movies were bought in a package by Joseph Lai who released them internationally with new pasted scenes. Richard Chen, for example, was the original director of Girl with a gun, another movie "vampirized" by Lai & his IFD fellas.

Inferno Thunderbolt may cause The Anger of its original creators if they find out what IFD did with its work

The Anger still can be found in many retail VCD shops along Hong Kong. If you are a movie hunter & you enjoy rare & weird Asian movies, it deserves to hunt it.

MORE TO COME SOON

Curse of the IFD THUNDERBOLT series: Scorpion Thunderbolt part 1

If we have the chance to get or access to IFD movie catalog avaliable on IFD official website or while visiting a film market, we can find most of the movies we could find in video rental shops almost 25 years ago; and that's wonderful, specially for people like me who still enjoy the movies they saw when they were just young & tender teenagers. But, like everything in life, nothing is perfect & many classic movies from IFD are already gone & they can not be re-released anymore.

Original art work by Eagle Leung, the publicity master at IFD during its golden age

That's what it happens to many THUNDERBOLT movies like Ninja Thunderbolt, Inferno Thunderbolt, Majestic Thunderbolt & specially the most popular entry to IFD's Thunderbolt series starred by Richard Harrison: SCORPION THUNDERBOLT.

Title credits with "scary" letters? You may be sure you will enjoy the following minutes a lot.

Ask some people from different countries to tell you an IFD title containing THUNDERBOLT word & the regular answer is Scorpion Thunderbolt. I have tried it & except few people who preferred Ninja thunderbolt ( the roll-skater ninjas are unforgetable as well) many people still remember or they would like to re-watch Scorpion Thunderbolt. Misteriously, IFD has not longer it on its catalog. So, if you own an old tape, keep it as a treasure but you own a missing gem. Here, we offer you the original poster & plus several international video art covers.

The Spanish video art cover tried to catch the original "spirit using Harrison & adding an skull. Not too bad.

This French art cover is really weird but it looks like from a softcore porn rather than from a horror taiwanese movie

The japanese video art cover mixes the spanish one with the erotic sense from the French

The German art cover is simply the greatest one simply because it invites us to imagine us our own version of the movie while we are looking at it.

MORE TO COME VERY SOON!

IFD strikes back in Sweeden by the hand of ATTACKFANT ENTERTAINMENT

From several days, these extremely interesting information has been published in NINJADIXON. Please read it carefully because if this project successed it would be the return of IFD / Filmark movies in the very best way we have ever looked forward: remastered copies, widescreen, floating subtitles, extras...etc etc etc.

I’m kinda late here in the biz, just when everything is dying and we’re leaving DVD to VOD and similar stuff. But you know, I had to do it. I had to at least once try it, mostly because I want to see some of my favorite obscure movies on non-bootleg DVDs.

So let me introduce to you, ATTACKAFANT ENTERTAINMENT. And it’s possible to write with small letters too ;)

What I miss on the DVD-market is weird Asian movies, odd exploitation from Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong and so on. We’re not talking the normal martial arts flicks, we’re talking trashier stuff, wilder stuff. Mondo Macabro, one of the best companies in the biz, has released some amazing Asian stuff – but I don’t even want to compare myself with them. I’m in a much more primitive league.

I bought the rights to two movies, and those two might be the only titles I release… we’ll see what happen. Here they are…

The Killer Elephants (Thailand, 1976)
One of my favorites, this ultra-cheap and ultra-entertaining action movie with superstar-hunk Sombat Metanee will blow your mind when it comes to trashy action. The concept with the movie is that one of the gangs has trained killer-elephants who stomps, crushes and causes havoc to the poor suckers that meet them! You can read my review here. The knocked-out-by-elephant-dick-scene is a classic ;)

Thunder of Gigantic Serpent (Taiwan/Hong Kong,1988)
Yes, Joseph Lao’s cut & paste classic finally out on DVD! For this movie Joseph Lai and Godfrey Ho used footage from a Taiwanese monstermovie, King of Snake, and edited it together with new footage with legendary Pierre Kirby. No Ninjas, but a lot of monster action (Moslar!!!), a terrible cute kid and not always fitting-footage with western actors running around. What’s there not to love?

These versions where prepared for the international video market in the Eighties, so they are in fullscreen and with English dubbing. I’m using digibeta masters directly from Joseph Lai. For The Killer Elephants I MIGHT also include a widescreen version, sourced from a German VHS tape. Because of the cost I will make these on DVD-R, professionally manufactured in a factory. You won’t see any difference from a normal DVD. I will try to include some extras, but more on that later.

I bought the rights for Scandinavia, so the plan is to have at least Swedish subtitles. I’m sure there won’t be any problems for you outside Scandinavia to buy them from some store that ships internationally. I'm just a small business, nothing big and fancy, doing this to be able to see my favorite movies out on disc.

Yeah, that’s it. Check back for more info about release dates, new homepage, coverart, specs and of course screenshots.

Please spread the word about Attackafant Entertaiment and I would be very happy :)

/Fred

EDOWAN BERSMA, a personal friend, was the devilish SOLOMON in Thunder of the Gigantic Serpent, one of the titles ATTACKFANT ENTERTAINMENT will offer us soon.

As IFD films say on its trailers:

COMING SOON IN YOUR SCREEN