Horrible High Heels – Massacre Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Hong Kong, 1996
Directors: Chow Cheung, Chen Wei-An, Mao Chiang-Pang
Writer: Chow Cheung
Cast: Shing Fui-On, Dick Wei, Billy Chow, Suen Tong, Yue Shut-Man, Lin Hsiao-Lu, Lam Chak-Ming, Siu Yuk-Lung, Hung Fung

Release Date: November 12th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 97 Minutes 45 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Mandarin
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $34.99

"In Horrible High Heels, the grim story of a shoe factory owner’s descent into madness is gruesomely portrayed. Driven by perverse desires, he begins a horrifying spree of brutally murdering and skinning women to create high heels. What starts as an ominous plan to teach a rival a lesson evolves into a chilling series of killings, revealing the darkest depths of depravity." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "New 2k Restoration from 35mm Original Camera Negatives."

Horrible High Heels comes on a 25 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 22.9 GB

Feature: 21.6 GB

Although some minor debris remains, it is never intrusive. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, and there are no issues with compression or digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Mandarin with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds clear and balanced, and ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a stills gallery with music from the film playing in the background, a trailer for Horrible High Heels (1 minute 42 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in Mandarin, no subtitles), and a slipcase.

Other extras are trailers for Men Behind the Sun, Mind, Body, Spirit, Beaten to Death, and Postal.

Summary:

A struggling shoe factory’s fortune turns around after their buyer acquires a new fabric made out of human flesh.

It is fascinating how Hong Kong cinema got more violent as the 1997 handover approached. Martial arts cinema has long been a staple in Hong Kong, but the mid-1980s saw the emergence of heroic bloodshed as a dominant genre. By the time the 1990s arrived, Cat III films had taken the lead in popularity. That said, Horrible High Heels is a film that fits firmly into the Cat III category, with its excessive carnage and abundance of softcore erotica.

That narrative does not waste any time with exposition, with its exploitation elements being the driving force. Other strengths of the narrative are how well it keeps the killer's identity under wraps and how effectively it builds and sustains momentum. While the acting is not memorable, it works well with the story that unfolds. The most notable cast member is Shing Fui-On (The Blue Jean Monster); he portrays a wheelchair-bound crime boss.

Content-wise, Horrible High Heels is a melting pot of genres: horror, erotica, police procedural, and some martial arts thrown in for good measure. When it comes to the carnage, it is gruesome; limbs are severed and in one scene the killer pisses on a victim. If you're feeling a sense of déjà vu from the score, that is because it lifts a few music cues from Pino Donaggio’s score for Body Double. Ultimately, Horrible High Heels is a well-crafted exploitation film, making it a must-see for Cat III fans.

Massacre Video gives Horrible High Heels a strong audio/video presentation, recommended.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer