Ebola Syndrome (伊波拉病毒) is a 1996 live-action theatrical Hong Kong film directed by Herman Yau, produced by Wong Jing, and written by Ting Chau. The film stars Anthony Wong, Wan Yeung-ming, Shing Fui-On, Wong Tsui-ling, and Miu-Ying Chan, with music composed by Ma Chun-hung. It was theatrically released in June 1996 for Hong Kong and distributed by Gala Film Distribution Limited.
Note: As I’ve purchased the film a while back, this is more akin to a ‘delayed unboxing’ post but all photos were sorted at the time of its arrival.
Background:
“After killing his boss, wanted convict Ah Kai flees Hong Kong and winds up in South Africa. Once there, he attacks and rapes a woman infected by the Ebola virus. However, when he learns he is immune but can pass on the virus to others, he begins to spread the disease to more and more people.
Ebola Syndrome is a typically wild Category III exploitation horror, replete with ghastly overtones and heaps of bad taste. A must for lovers of Hong Kong cult cinema everywhere.”
Plot Synopsis via 88 Films, November 2022.
Category III is an interesting rating for the Hong Kong film board as not that many films receive it because it’s main goal is making note of any extreme violence or sex. Ebola Syndrome is one of the rating’s biggest highlights because it’s got so much going on that you really can’t rate it any lower. What makes the film age well in my opinion is Anthony Wong’s performance which he’s done really effectively.
His character is incredibly rude and fucked up in many ways, but at the same time you see him spiralling into insanity and unknowingly spreading an infectious disease. Not to mention there’s a fair few scenes where he basically violates a few women, which at the same time has a weird tone to it considering the dry-humping nature of it. That said, it’s still sexual violence regardless so it’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea.
The film also has a fair bit of unintentional humour, like when two of the characters are potentially being chased by a leopard, or when the police are reacting to the virus spreading all over the place, or heck even the people falling to the infection is rather entertaining to watch. Overall Ebola Syndrome is entertaining and while I do think it could have been trimmed down a fair bit, it does give us a good rollercoaster ride for watching our main lead go insane especially with those hamburgers and I do wish the detectives were in the film a lot more.
88 Films brought Ebola Syndrome to the UK for the first time as part of their 88 Asia Collection and Category III collection (the fourth film in this line-up and the first to not receive any deluxe collector’s treatment either). UK fans were also concerned about whether it’ll be released with some cuts from the BBFC because of its violence and graphic nature (mainly on the sexual violence), but instead it was passed uncut and without any censoring which is surprising considering there’s even a few animals that get killed throughout – though most look like practical effects which is clever.
About 88 Films:
88 Films, is an independent UK distributor for Asian Cinema, Italian Cinema, Horror, Cult Classics and Action. Their line-up of films in the Asian Cinema scene includes the works of Jackie Chan (Armour of God, Miracles), Sammo Hung (Dragons Forever, Heart of Dragon), Nam Nai Choi (Erotic Ghost Story, Robotrix), Lau Kar-leung (The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter, Martial Club), Chen Chi-Hwa (Half a Loaf of Kung Fu, Snake and Crane Arts of Shaolin), Wong Jing (Casino Tycoon, God of Gamblers) and also many individual films from John Woo, Tsui Hark, Vincent Kok, Yuen Woo-ping and more. The distributor recently expanded to the US with ten Shaw Bros films such as The Chinese Boxer and Human Lanterns but also other works including US exclusive releases of In the Line of Duty I-IV series and Police Story 3: Supercop.
Their 2023+ line-up for Asian Cinema will include the Fight Back to School trilogy, The Last Blood (Hard Boiled II), Magic Cop, Twin Dragons, The Untold Story, and a re-release of Battle Creek Brawl.
First Print Edition Contents:
As mentioned, 88 Films decided to only give Ebola Syndrome a regular first print edition than a deluxe collector’s box set.
The first print edition comes with a special o-card slipcase, a 28-page booklet and a fold-out poster. The booklet focuses on an essay written by C.J. Lines.
The SRP is £24.99 and has an unspecified unit print run. Once the print run is out of stock, they’ll re-release the film without the O-card slipcase and physical items.
Physical Contents:
- Limited Edition O-Card slipcase featuring unique artwork by R.P. “Kung Fu Bob” O’Brien
- 28-page Booklet by C.J. Lines
- Fold-out Poster
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: 88 Films
Released: 28th November 2022
88 Films’ Blu-ray release for Ebola Syndrome received a 4K restoration from the original 35mm negative, though for this release it’s not on the 4K Ultra HD format. The audio options available feature the main Cantonese language with newly translated English subtitles as well as English SDH given there’s a fair bit of English speaking dialogue throughout some parts of the film. The Blu-ray disc is Region B locked and the subtitles are unlockable during playback.
There’s not much in terms of on-disc content but it does include a few commentaries. As mentioned earlier, the film is presented in its entirety uncut and uncensored.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | Cantonese |
| Audio | Cantonese Linear PCM 2.0 Mono |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 1.85:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | B |
| Subtitles | English, English SDH |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 1 BD-50 |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
- Archive Audio Commentary with Director Herman Yau and Actor Anthony Wong
- Audio Commentary with Frank Djeng
- Locations Featurette
- Archive Interview with Director Herman Yau and Actor Anthony Wong
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Ebola Syndrome is available to own on Blu-ray from 88 Films for the United Kingdom & Ireland. The first print edition can be purchased through 88 Films’ official website, Amazon UK and Terracotta store.
(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)
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