Witch from Nepal (奇緣) is a 1986 live-action theatrical Hong Kong film directed by Tony Ching Siu-Tung, and produced by Anthony Chow Deng-Au, with distribution by Golden Harvest. The film starred Chow Yun-Fat, Yammie Lam Kit-Ying, Emily Chu Bo-Yee and Dick Wei, with screenplay writer Chui Jing-Hong and music composed by Violet Lam. The film was theatrically released in February 1986 for Hong Kong.
Note: As I’ve purchased the film a while back, this is more akin to a ‘delayed unboxing’ post but most of the photos were sorted at the time of its arrival.
Background:
“Chow Yun-Fat, Kit Ying Lam and Emily Chuin are at the top of their game in this action-packed horror flick from A Chinese Ghost Story director Siu-Tung Ching. We follow Joe and Ida, a young couple who have decided to vacation in Nepal, but the locals instil within Joe incredibly strong, magical powers which he is forced to use to battle an ever-growing presence of evil and protect magical artefacts. Packed with high-flying fists and a bizarre storyline, Witch from Nepal has it all, romance, violence, adventure and zombies!”
Plot Synopsis via 88 Films, June 2025.
Hong Kong in the 80s has delivered thousands of classic hits from various directors and actors. For Tony Ching Siu-Tung (程小東), his directorial debut was Duel to the Death in 1983, a historical themed martial arts wuxia film well-received by fans and critics alike. Afterwards, his second project would be Witch from Nepal which went for a bit of a different direction, utilising fantasy elements but taking place in a modern setting. Tony Ching Siu-Tung would eventually continue both the fantasy theme and the historical setting with his next film A Chinese Ghost Story which was more well-known and popular amongst fans.
But going back to Witch from Nepal, it is a very different film to your traditional Hong Kong fantasy action. This was much more slower-paced with few dialogue here and there, going for a more ‘show don’t tell’ approach which does have its faults. The story and characters were pretty simplistic but struggles to make it as interesting as you may have hoped, especially given its premise which on paper sounds pretty good. You could argue that not much happens for a good chunk of the runtime even though its more akin to a ‘slice of life’ story.
There are some cool moments here and there, like how Chow Yun-Fat’s character uses the power that he was given for the first time and the effects used to make it look real, as well as the big fight at the end, but I think the film as a whole could have done more to make it even better. This is by no means a Category III film or an fast-paced action flick that you would see elsewhere, but I think its important to go into this film with a different mindset beforehand so that your expectations are met.
UK distributor 88 Films picked up the UK home video rights for Witch from Nepal, which made its UK debut on June 2025. Over in North America, it was released by US distributor Vinegar Syndrome and bundled with The Seventh Curse as a double pack, which probably didn’t help the film’s reputation considering the former is a Category III fast-paced action horror flick and nothing like this film, which would lead to some misassumptions by US fans alike.
Deluxe Limited Edition Contents:
88 Films have been changing up their special editions pretty much every year and Witch from Nepal was the first under their new variation of a ‘deluxe limited edition’.
This deluxe limited edition release is presented with an o-card slipcase and rigid box showcasing newly illustrated artwork by Sean Longmore, an Scanavo case housing the disc, a premium artcard and a 40-page perfect bound book featuring two write-ups. The articles covered are ‘Leaping Tiger, Hidden Magic: The Wild Beasts of 80s Asia’ by C.J. Lines, and ‘Holidays From Hell: Exoticism and 20th Century Shenguai in Witch From Nepal’ by David West.
The box art is clean with no ratings/information on all sides, with the o-card slipcase to cover the synopsis, information about the release and any ratings and specs. The artwork on the Scanavo case do include information and specs on the back but there’s no BBFC logos except from the main back cover. The deluxe limited edition Blu-ray release retailed for £29.99 SRP. A standard edition Blu-ray release will follow suit once this edition has officially sold out.
I pre-ordered my copy alongside Sunset Warriors from Terracotta Distribution website.
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Box with brand-new artwork by Sean Longmore, and O-Card Slipcase
- Scanavo case packaging
- Premium Artcard
- 40-page illustrated book featuring new articles by C.J. Lines & David West.
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: 88 Films
Released: 23rd June 2025
The deluxe limited edition release for Witch from Nepal presents the film on a single Blu-ray disc, with the authoring and encoding done by MJMultimedia Ltd. The film’s presentation is based on a 2K restoration from the original negatives.
The Blu-ray features the original Hong Kong theatrical cut (01:29:45 runtime) presented in Cantonese audio with English subtitles.
The white subtitles, newly translated, are unlockable during playback and each Blu-ray disc is Region B locked.
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 |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 1 BD-50 |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
- Audio Commentary by Frank Djeng
- Interview with Tony Rayns (18:49 runtime)
- Trailer (03:29 runtime)
- Stills Gallery (03:02 runtime)
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Witch from Nepal is available to purchase on Blu-ray by 88 Films in the United Kingdom.
The deluxe limited edition Blu-ray release can be purchased across different retailers including 88 Films, Amazon UK, HMV, and Terracotta Distribution.
(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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