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BEYOND THE GRAVE

Digging Into Shawscope Volume 4

BILL WOOD | SEPTEMBER 29, 2025

[NOTE: This article is a quick preview of the upcoming Arrow Video box set, Shawscope Volume 4. Once the set is released and I've had plenty of time to spend with it, this page will become a proper review article.]

 

Shaws fans, are you ready for more?!? Arrow Video has officially announced Shawscope Vol. 4 with a street date of December 9, 2025. I'm already preordered so let's dig in!

 

It turns out I was wrong when I predicted that Shawscope Vol. 4 would lean heavily into wuxia like its predecessor, Volume 3. Instead Arrow have gone full tilt into the horror genre, with a decent helping of comedy and sci-fi to boot. Several of these films are making their first Stateside appearance in the modern era, which is exciting news for us fans.

 

Here's the complete Vol. 4 movie list with synopsis (source: IMDB):

 

SUPER INFRAMAN - Princess Dragon and her mutant army have risen, and only Infra-Man can stop them.

 

THE OILY MANIAC - A cripple takes revenge on criminals by using a magic spell that transforms him into an oily monster/superhero.

 

THE BATTLE WIZARD - A bookish young man and his sword-loving sister find themselves battling a trio of villains, one of them a beautiful but masked woman who has promised to either marry or murder the first man to see her unmasked.

 

BLACK MAGIC - An evil magician makes a living by casting deadly spells on people's objects of desire. He gets overly ambitious, and start to go out of control.

 

BLACK MAGIC 2 - An evil magician and his zombie minions are up against a trio of doctors who are on a mission to find the cause of an outbreak of unknown diseases caused by his spells.

 

HEX - A man who believes that he has murdered his wife sees her return as a vengeful ghost.

 

BEWITCHED - While possessed by an evil spirit, a man murders his daughter. A police detective investigating the case also becomes possessed. A good monk helps fight the evil spirit.

 

HEX VS. WITCHCRAFT - A compulsive gambler with bad luck owes money to a violent gangster boss. A mysterious old man offers him a proposal to marry the ghost of his dead daughter in exchange for cash and an expensive apartment.

 

HEX AFTER HEX - A female ghost possesses the body of a dead girl in order to get a muscular stuntman for a boyfriend.

 

BAT WITHOUT WINGS - A notorious rapist-murderer swoops down to destroy one swordsman's fiancé and frame another. Or does he?

 

BLOODY PARROT - An expert swordsman is suspected of being the thief of a treasure sent to the Emperor. The swordsman who has nothing to do with the theft investigates and is led on the trail of the supernatural "Bloody Parrot".

 

THE FAKE GHOST CATCHERS - This uproarious action fantasy sees its heroes facing off against all sorts of unholy threats seeking to terrorize the land of the living.

 

DEMON OF THE LUTE - The lute-demon Chin Mo has reappeared in the world to wreak havoc. Hsiao Feng-ling is ordered to find a special bow and arrow that can counter the demon.

 

SEEDING OF A GHOST - A Hong Kong taxi driver's life horribly falls apart after accidentally hitting a sorcerer with his cab. He decides to seek the sorcerer's help to turn the curse on his enemies at the expense of his own life.

 

PORTRAIT IN CRYSTAL - Several mysterious killings take place in the underworld and a war fighter is trying to find the culprit behind these murders.

 

TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR - A second-rate private eye sees a woman's UFO abduction claim as his ticket to fame and fortune.

 

If you're keeping track, you'll know that 16 movies makes for the highest total yet for a Shawscope set. There's also a bonus disc of supplemental material, I guess Arrow figured out that many of us can't listen to music CDs these days!

 

Based on browsing a few forums, it seems as though fans initially have mixed reactions to this purple-hued set. There's plenty of excitement about an early '80s sci-fi/horror-themed collection, yet some are wondering if the Shawscope volumes have finally run their course (it should be noted there are no official announcements from Arrow concerning future volumes). I'm personally looking forward to this particular collection, especially since I'm a huge Hammer horror fan and the Shout Factory Shaws sets are filling the gap on kung fu and wuxia.

 

Just in case you don't know, Shout Factory are busy releasing their own Shaw Brothers collections, including seven volumes of classics (so far!), The Brave Archer and a Ti Lung/David Chiang set. I own them all... that's a whole lotta martial arts action right there!

 

I haven't seen any of the Vol. 4 films yet, but based on trailers I'd say Super Inframan is at the top of my watchlist (I'm an Ultraman fan dating back to my childhood). As for similar movies on other volumes, The Boxer's Omen from Shawscope Vol. 2 is a good example of what to expect; squeamish, gory horror that is not for the faint of heart! Honestly, if the movie descriptions above don't do it for you, then this may not be the set for you.

 

Investment-wise, Vol. 4 seems to be a safe bet as it may feature a lower print run than earlier sets. Judging by Volume 1—which recently sold out and has since ballooned in value—it stands to reason that all Shaws material will eventually become collector's items. But make no mistake – I'm buying these sets solely for the content, not their potential market value.

 

The number of classic Shaw Brothers movie releases on Blu-ray is now over 150, which is simply mind-blowing when you think about it. Like many of you reading this article, I never thought I'd see the day. - BW

 

BONUS UPDATE!

Just when it seemed like we were getting caught up, Shout Factory has announced Shaw Brothers Classics Volume 8! Set to release December 2 (a week within Shawscope Vol. 4), Vol. 8 focuses heavily on the wuxia and martial arts films these collections are known for, with perhaps a touch of the supernatural for good measure. Coincidence or not?

 

RETURN OF THE SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN - A skilled warrior returns home after years of wandering to seek a normal life, but is forced to fight the chief of a clan and the man's assassins.

 

PERILS OF THE SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN - After a hit goes wrong, a hired assassin finds refuge in the 'Ghost Village,' but soon stumbles upon the secret of its existence.

 

THE DUEL OF THE CENTURY - Two exceptional fighters team up to investigate the murder of a rival swordsman, unearthing a tangled deception, double-dealings, and impostors along the way.

 

THE EMPEROR AND HIS BROTHER - To restore order to China, which has been under the rule of a tyrannical emperor for 50 years, a rebellious brotherhood makes it their mission to disturb the throne. Ti Lung stars in this period piece/action epic.

 

AMBITIOUS KUNG FU GIRL - When the spoiled daughter of an affluent merchant is promised in marriage, she instead runs off to meet her idol ... with her fiancé in hot pursuit!

 

THE TREASURE HUNTERS - Two con men, one wealthy and the other a kung fu practitioner from the streets, follow a treacherous trail of hidden gold, with Shaolin monks, a ferocious villain, and his deadly mute sister all added to the mix.

 

CAT VS. RAT - Two irresponsible children manage to endanger an emperor who has been in hiding, which sparks unexpected consequences for them all.

 

GHOSTS GALORE - A young Taoist priest and his friend are nearly killed by a female ghost during an exorcism. Luckily, a master magician saves their lives, so they beseech him to teach them his skills.

 

THE ENCHANTRESS - A dashing young swordsman investigates a series of deaths and disappearances, only to find a beautiful woman with problems of her own in the form of her ghostly mother.

 

NEW TALES OF THE FLYING FOX - A young brilliant swordsman embarks on a desperate search for his father's murderer in order to exact vengeance upon him.

 

RETURN OF THE BASTARD SWORDSMAN - Rivalries flare in spectacular fashion in this martial arts extravaganza starring Norman Chu, Tony Liu, Leanne Lau, and Lo Lieh.

 

SECRET SERVICE OF THE IMPERIAL COURT - A martial arts master decides to take over the throne of the young emperor ... but a loyal soldier who serves the royals will stop at nothing to bring him down once and for all.

 

Looks like another winner of a set. I've got this one on pre-order as well, hopefully we catch a break after this as my Shaws backlog is massive!

 

Hungry for related reading material? I've got you covered! Check out my reviews of Vol. 1  Vol. 2 and Vol. 3, plus a list of entertaining kung fu movies that weren't created by the Shaw Brothers. I also have a synopsis on the current state of my favorite kung fu movie, Master of the Flying Guillotine, as well as an art gallery full of custom kung fu poster art, many of which are available in book form here.

 

Have a question or comment about this article? Feel free to drop me a line!