Movies
[BD Review] Steve Says ‘The Face of Fu Manchu’ is a Forgotten Classic
Reviewed by Steve Urena
When horror enthusiasts think back on classic horror films, they think of icons such as Dracula, The Mummy, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and The Wolf Man. Often absent from these classic figures in horror is the evil Asian genius known as the Fu Manchu. Yes, that Fu Manchu that is responsible for the popular style of facial hair.
Created by English novelist Sax Rohmer, Fu Manchu is not your typical villain. Most figures seen in classic horror are brutish monsters that attack their prey by hunting them down one by one. The Fu Manchu is nothing more than man but his character is quite complex, as his plans have more elaborate consequences, leading to a bigger picture. 1965 marks the motion picture debut of this master of melancholy in the film The Face of Fu Manchu.
The story begins with the supposed execution of the Fu Manchu. Tried for his crimes against his people and the world, the Fu Manchu is sentenced to death by beheading. Though it seems that the Fu Manchu and his reign of terror has concluded, eager British detective Nayland Smith still senses the Fu Manchu’s presence. Smith investigates the situation further and reveals that the Fu Manchu is alive and well and that he has brought his operations to a secret base underneath the river Thames. The Fu Manchu kidnaps the world renowned Professor Muller to uncover the key to using the seeds of a rare Tibetan flower for world domination. It’s a race to stop the Fu Manchu and his evil ways, but this movie delivers in action and drama.
I won’t spoil the end but I suggest everyone take a look at this movie as it is a forgotten classic. This villain is smart and ruthless and is very meticulous in his planning. Everything is planned perfectly. I like a villain that uses his brain over his brawn. He manipulates his followers with hypnosis and gets them to do his bidding. The only gripe I have with the character is that the actor playing Fu Manchu isn’t Asian. I’m sure in the 60s it might have been a problem to feature an Asian lead, but I for one would like to see a reboot of this character as I believe it could be a big hit if done correctly. I recommend this movie to lovers of the horror genre as it brings forth a different take on the horror genre. Check it out and beware the reign of the FU MANCHU!
Judging from the unprecedented box office success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation, you’ve likely already seen the liminal horror hit that managed to make audiences afraid of empty hallways and bad wallpaper. And now that so many of us have already entered the yellow labyrinth (some of us more than once), the time has come to discuss the spoiler-filled details that make the movie so fascinating in the first place.
And if there’s one element here that makes the Backrooms movie stand out from any previous lore/mythology, it has to be the genius addition of the Still Life entities. Warped recreations of real people that somehow wandered into the Complex, these misremembered creatures are responsible for some of the most disturbing imagery of 2026 – as well as laugh-out-loud memes created by one of the film’s very own concept artists.
However, true to Parsons’ word that the movie would rely heavily on practical effects, each of these distorted monsters was brought to life by real actors under heavy layers of makeup and prosthetics (with the occasional splash of CGI enhancements). While Anora and If I Had Legs I’d Kick You actress Ivy Wolk wasn’t among these performers, despite what Letterboxd might have you believe, the creature cast did benefit from veteran players with plenty of genre experience.
For starters, Alien: Romulus alumni Robert Bobroczkyi (who previously brought that film’s horrific Offspring to life during its most memorable sequence) plays the flick’s main antagonist, the Still Life version of Captain Clark. And though there was some obvious CGI involved in making the character’s peg-leg and nightmarish face more believable, Bobroczkyi’s monstrous performance and his natural 7’7″ frame helped to make that final chase sequence a clear highlight among this year’s genre offerings.
The film’s Texas-Chain-Saw-inspired “dinner” scene also features a freaky collection of less-aggressive Still Life creatures in the form of the Bearded Man, the Red-Headed Woman and, strangest of them all, the cheekily named “Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life” (who earned this title among fans and crewmembers as a reference to his apparent affinity for lamps).
While this was the first major horror outing for both Patrick Baynham (The Bearded Man) and Dana Mahmood (Archibald), Rhiannon Roberts has worked as a stunt performer in everything from Yellowjackets to HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation – which is probably why The Red-Headed Woman is the most active out of Clark’s impromptu “family.” That being said, the Archibald Leland Sutter Still Life is my personal favorite of the bunch simply because his anachronistic outfit suggests that the Backrooms phenomenon might be a lot older than the Async Foundation. I also love how hard he tries to be helpful with that little light of his!
That might be it for the Still Life entities, but I think horror fans will also be pleased to hear that the film’s Found Footage prologue stars none other than Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City star Avan Jogia as Naren Warne – and American Mary herself Katharine Isabelle also shows up in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo at Mary’s house party towards the middle of the story (though I have a feeling that she originally had a bigger part that was likely cut for time).
At the end of the day, Parsons’ Backrooms may have been an auteur-driven project motivated by the young director’s unique take on the classic creepypasta, but film has always been a collective artform, so it’s fun to see just how many talented performers it takes to bring this kind of supernatural nightmare to life in a way that connects with so many people.
You must be logged in to post a comment.