Editorials
[Butcher Block] The Martial Arts Splatter Fest of ‘Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky’
Butcher Block is a weekly series celebrating horror’s most extreme films and the minds behind them. Dedicated to graphic gore and splatter, each week will explore the dark, the disturbed, and the depraved in horror, and the blood and guts involved. For the films that use special effects of gore as an art form, and the fans that revel in the carnage, this series is for you.
In terms of sheer quantity of blood splattered across the screen, the early ‘90s wins for bringing the two bloodiest films to ever grace film. The first is, no surprise, Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive for delivering a torrential geyser of zombie carnage by way of lawnmower. The second is Hong Kong’s 1991 martial arts-exploitation film Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky, a cult favorite that somehow managed to rival Jackson in terms of splatter. The graphic gore and violence earned the film a rare Category III rating in Hong Kong, a first since that category was typically reserved for erotic films.
Martial arts movies aren’t usually tied to extreme gore, or genre films for that matter, but Riki-Oh leans heavily into the fantastical and the violent Japanese manga on which it was based. That it was directed by Lam Ngai Choi, a director whose work has drawn comparisons to Ed Wood, only further exacerbated just how far Riki-Oh pushed Ricky’s exploits to the extreme. The plot is simple; young Ricky is incarcerated at a prison run by corrupt officials after killing the crime lord responsible for his girlfriend’s death. But Ricky’s way of cleaning up corruption and navigating life in prison means exploding heads, maimed limbs, intestines used as weapons, and increasingly over the top carnage.
Ricky is super powered in strength and ability to receive damage; in one fight scene, he ties together a severed artery or nerve (I can’t be sure, it’s blood-soaked and hard to tell) before getting back into the battle. He punches through most of his opponents, ripping through flesh, skulls, and various other soft spots to let their insides spill out onto the prison floor. The assistant warden and the fearsome Four Heavenly Kings that provide the obstacles that stand in the way are also a bit superpowered, contributing to some of the most outlandish and brutal battles.
Ricky battles each opponent in a plot that plays out like a video game, until he reaches the final showdown between the Warden and he, resulting in a climax so insanely bloody that actor Fan Siu-Wong, who placed Ricky, couldn’t wash the red off of his skin for days. It’s a scene that plays out quite similarly to Lionel Cosgrove’s final ascent to hero in Dead Alive, and one that solidifies why Riki-Oh is mentioned and regarded in the horror space.
Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky is exploitation martial arts cinema at its finest. A low budget film full of cheesy dialogue (best viewed dubbed for maximum impact), acting, and effects. But holy hell, the gore. So much glorious gore. Special makeup effects artists Chi-Wai Cheung and Fung-Yin Cheng weren’t breaking any new ground here, and the low budget meant some cheesy effects. Except in terms of pure quantity. There’s nothing quite like the splatterfest of Riki-Oh, a viewing experience best enjoyed with a group.
Editorials
‘The Vampire Lestat’ Concert Event Launches New Season With The Ultimate Expression Of Fandom
There are thousands of passionate fans decked out in gothic chic and champing at the bit like feral creatures. They’re screaming for Lestat, a legendary vampire-turned-rock star, as if the entire crowd has been glamored into submission.
The entire experience is magic, but not because some supernatural thrall has been activated. What’s going on is even more special. It’s the power of the effusive fandom that’s been authentically assembled by AMC’s sublime Immortal Universe, namely Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, now, The Vampire Lestat.
The Vampire Lestat is far from the first Anne Rice adaptation, and it’s not as if there’s been a lack of erotic vampire material for audiences to sink their teeth into. On June 2nd, during a one-night-only spectacle, New York City’s prestigious Beacon Theatre shook from Sam Reid’s bravado performance and an audience full of adoring fans who had already memorized Lestat’s songs.
It’s clear that The Vampire Lestat just hits differently than its predecessors. It’s become more than just a TV series at this point, and this opulent display of ego, swagger, and pure sex is the perfect way to premiere the new season and give back to the fans who helped make Interview with the Vampire/The Vampire Lestat such a breakout success. It’s exactly the sort of hyperbolized hedonism that would make Lestat cackle.
For all intents and purposes, AMC has successfully created the illusion that this concert/premiere is just one of the many destinations on Lestat and his band’s 54-stop tour that is simultaneously playing out on this season of television. It’s such a sophisticated and thorough level of interactive fan engagement that the audience doesn’t just understand, but also manages to accentuate through its involvement.
It’s a level of seamless synergy that’s not unlike the give-and-take relationship of vampire and victim.
Before the concert started, “LeStans” were sitting in the Beacon and flipping through a fake Rolling Stone issue with Lestat emblazoned on the cover, complete with interviews with the undead frontman inside. Other fans were admiring the vinyl pressing of Lestat’s EP as they walked past a section of undead band merch. Fandom and fantasy blur together, and it all becomes this elaborate, immersive experience. Fan celebration, erotic gothic fantasy, and a lavish rock concert transform into one beautiful thing.
To this point, AMC Global Media’s Chief Content Officer and President of AMC Studios, Dan McDermott, introduced the event by reiterating to fans, “You are the heartbeat of the series.” That’s abundantly clear on nights like this as that heartbeat collectively pulses to this performance. In terms of how AMC engages with The Vampire Lestat’s fans, it’s as bold a reinvention as the season itself.
This intuitive gamble speaks to AMC’s creativity in this department and a fandom that is eager to seize such opportunities. It’s the same innovation that led to zombie walks for The Walking Dead and real-life Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant pop-ups from Breaking Bad. It’s a great way to pump up the audience for The Vampire Lestat and then maintain that enthusiasm for the whole season.
For most series, a rock ‘n’ roll concert just doesn’t make any sense as a promotional tool. The Vampire Lestat finds itself in a very unique position where it can deliver an excellent concert at an iconic theater, but also use it to showcase The Vampire Lestat’s music by Daniel Hart (who was shredding on stage alongside Reid and the rest of their band) and, more than anything, Sam Reid’s endless charisma.
The way in which Reid feeds off of the crowd’s energy, modulating his performance and giving different sections of the Beacon life, is a perfect distillation of the series’ thoughtful relationship with its audience and how it’s become such a breakout success for AMC. AMC Studios President Dan McDermott emphasized that the fans are the reason that the show is still here and why an event like this is even possible. It’s rare to see a series in which every single cog in the machine is so perfectly attuned to its fans. Reid’s fans already cheer whenever they see him, so why not translate that to a concert setting?
It’s clear in this season of television that Reid was born to be a rock star, but it’s surreal to see him effortlessly command the stage — and the audience — at every step of the concert. He recites Shakespeare monologues and bitches out Armand between songs, all while the audience screams in support. For the duration of this concert, Reid is Lestat, and he’s given thousands of fans a memory that’s as immortal as any vampire.
Now bring on the encore and get this show on the road!
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