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In 1993, the Hong Kong film market was booming, and horror-themed films also joined the craze, and many directors enthusiastically participated in it. Sammo Hung's cousin, however, has a discerning eye, and he feels that this is a rare opportunity and decides to create a high-quality horror movie to achieve his own gorgeous turnaround.
With the help of his cousin Sammo Hung, Chin has successfully invited some of the industry's top screenwriters, including veteran screenwriter Lau Chun-wai, comedy-turned-comedy Kwong Man-wai, and Anthony Chow, who was nominated for Best Screenplay.
The three screenwriters have rich experience and profound script writing skills, and Qian Shengwei has high hopes for them.
After inviting these excellent screenwriters, Qian Shengwei and the team members discussed and conceived a horror story of a fierce struggle between a female ghost and an evil spirit in the context of the Midyear Festival.
After many revisions and improvements, the script has finally settled.
On July 14, 1993, the movie was successfully completed, and Qian Shengwei delivered the script to the actors, full of indescribable excitement and expectation. He is convinced that this work will be a successful transformation, and at the same time, it will show the audience his extraordinary strength in the field of horror films.
However, on the same day that the movie was finished, a bizarre murder occurred in a villa. The owner of the house, Ah Yu, and his lover were both killed, and the death was horrific. Zhou Wenjian and Liu Qingyun, as members of the task force, were ordered to rush to the scene to investigate.
When they arrived at the villa, the sight was astounding. The deceased's head was smashed into a bloody blur by an electric fan, which seemed to be an accident. However, after a meticulous investigation, Zhou Wenjian was keenly aware that the fixtures of the electric fan had been seriously damaged, which was obviously not an ordinary accident.
They reasoned that for such a sturdy electric fan to come off, thousands of pounds of force would have to be involved. This is undoubtedly beyond the limits of human beings, and is more like some supernatural "ghost" power manipulating in the dark.
The truth of the case is becoming more and more confusing. Could it really be that there is a female ghost behind the scenes? The two detectives were full of doubts. At this moment, Ah Yu's mistress provided an important clue - the deceased's wife, Jiayi, had a heated argument with Ah Yu before the murder, and then disappeared and was never heard from.
This made Jiayi the biggest suspect in an instant. So, Liu Qingyun and Zhou Wenjian decided to investigate in-depth and reveal the hidden truth behind this bizarre death.
In order to reveal Jiayi's whereabouts, Liu Qingyun and Zhou Wenjian launched a rigorous and meticulous investigation of her social circle. Amazingly, they found that Jiayi would get together with a group of friends on July 14 every year, but in recent years, these friends have all died unexpectedly, a phenomenon that can't help but remind people of some mysterious "curse".
In this suspenseful month of July, the two detectives decide to continue their investigation by heading to a long-abandoned house where Jiayi and her friends used to spend quality time together.
However, the moment they stepped into the house, an invisible mysterious force closed the door tightly, and Liu Qingyun and Zhou Wenjian found themselves in a predicament.
Immediately after, Jiayi's eerie laughter came from the dark corner, which was creepy.
It turns out that as early as 20 years ago, 7 innocent children made a cruel poisonous oath here, and anyone who broke the oath would be cursed. Now, Jiayi has turned into a resentful spirit, and her six friends have already become the embodiment of the undead! Zhou Wenjian and Liu Qingyun looked at each other, and at this moment, they finally realized that they had fallen into a life-and-death danger.
Faced with the sudden arrival of Jiayi and his six undead friends, Liu Qingyun and Zhou Wenjian suddenly lost their minds. Just as the two of them fell into despair, a strange female voice broke the silence - "You have been looking for me for a long time, now let's get ready for tonight!" It turned out that the female ghost in front of him was none other than Jiayi himself.
Twenty years ago, seven children made a cruel oath in this house, and those who broke the oath would be cursed. Now, six friends have been killed by unknown evil spirits, and only Jiayi has turned into a resentful spirit.
She chose to use the power of Liu Qingyun and Zhou Wenjian to fight against evil spirits and fight for the last chance of life for her friends.
Before the clock strikes 12 midnight in July, a thrilling battle begins. Jiayi and the evil spirit are engaged in a desperate struggle, and the two sides come and go, and every attack is directed at the vital point.
After the film "July 14" was released in 1993, although the response in the market was mediocre, only receiving 6.8 million box office, in the eyes of industry insiders, the artistic value and production level of the film have been highly praised.
At the 13th Hong Kong Film Awards Ceremony, "July 14" was nominated for a number of important awards in one fell swoop, opening the door to the hall of honor for Liu Qingyun, Luo Lan and other main creative staff.
Although the film did not perform well at the box office, its artistic value was highly praised in the industry, which not only helped Qian Shengwei complete his own transformation, but also served as a solid foundation for him to reach a higher level.
Since then, he has shown his skills in the exploration of thriller films, released a series of outstanding masterpieces, and has gradually grown into a leading new director of Chinese horror films.
His name is already well-known in the film industry.
Until 2002, Qian Shengwei and the famous director Tsui Hark jointly created the movie "Zombie Era", which became a classic in the history of Chinese films. The film earned him his first million-dollar box office and brought him to an unprecedented peak in the horror film world.
There is no doubt that "July 14" is a milestone work for Director Qian to achieve self-transformation, and it is also the key to his road to success. This film led to a series of outstanding creations in the field of horror films, and was praised by many audiences as Qian Shengwei's "transformation work".
For a generation, the horror movies that accompanied us through our childhood tend to be deeply engraved in our memories and become eternal memories. And "July 14th", released in 1993, is undoubtedly such a classic that is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
The film focuses on the plot of 7 teenagers lighting triangular lamps in an abandoned darkroom and making a grim vow against the wall, which successfully creates a creepy atmosphere and becomes a lingering shadow in the common memory of an entire generation.
The suffocating sense of horror and the tragic image of the defeat of both sides in the duel between the female ghost and the evil spirit often surfaced in the process of our upbringing, and became an indelible childhood trauma.
To this day, many people can clearly recall every detail and scene in the movie, and on the special day of July 14 every year, they will be deeply touched in their hearts.
Among them, the scene of seven teenagers lighting triangular lanterns in the ruined darkroom and making cruel vows against the wall is particularly eye-catching. The oath of "come here every year on this day, even if you die, or you will be cursed" is deeply imprinted in the minds of the audience and has become an eternal horror memory.
It's no exaggeration to say that the film has created a whole new horror atmosphere in its unique way, while also bringing a whole new movie-watching experience to the audience. It has become a model of Chinese-language horror films, which has had a profound impact on the upbringing of a generation, and has become an eternal childhood shadow in their hearts.