Web of Death is a 1976 Shaw Brothers fantasy-martial arts film starring Yueh Hua, Lo Lieh, Li Ching, and involving a dangerous weapon containing a spider that can kill a dozen people in seconds, an underground lair surrounded by a moat of acid, and the most improbable weapons ever conceived in any kinds of martial arts films, including a centipede-shaped BFS.
...yeah, it's pretty bonkers. note
Shaw Brothers' favourite villain in the late 1970s, Lo Lieh, plays Liu Shen, an enforcer of the Snake Sect of the martial arts world, who intends to revive the fallen faction known as the Five Venoms Clan, having grown tired of several decades of peace and intending to make himself the new clan leader. Forming an alliance with the Centipede Clan and the Scorpion clan, Liu Shen managed to retrieve the forbidden ancient weapon thought to be destroyed by the now-forgotten Spider Clan generations ago, the Web of Death: a lantern housing a powerful tarantula that can spew venom powerful enough to kill everyone within its vicinity in seconds.
A righteous swordsman, Fei Ying Xiang (Yueh Hua) intending to take down the Venoms Clan ends up being followed by Hong Susu (Li Ching) a plucky warrior-girl who likes to disguise herself as a street urchin. And soon enough they end up in the heart of the Venom Clan's underground lair where they will confront the nigh-invincible, highly powerful web of death, or die in the process.
Contains Examples of:
- Acid Pool: The Venom Clan's hideout is surrounded by an acid moat. Naturally when Fei Ying Xiang had to fight his way out of their lair, he sends multiple unfortunate mooks into the pool where they are dissolved immediately.
- Blood from the Mouth: Hong Susu after she is mortally injured, as a sign that she's not likely going to outlive the credits.
- Body Horror: Inflicted on victims touched by the titular weapon's, er, webs. Where their bodies will dehydrate and shrink in seconds, their flesh thinning out until their skins are clinging to their bones, with Blood from Every Orifice for good measure.
- Booby Trap: Plenty of these shows up in the Five Venoms Clan base, including moats filled wih acid.
- Cute Bruiser: Hong Susu, especially when she's fighting hand-to-hand, even more noticeable in the tavern fight when the thugs intimidating her is at least a head taller than her... and she kicks all their asses.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Hong Susu survives her injuries long enough until the final battle is over and Liu Shen is killed, her final moments being succumbing in Fei Ying Xiang's arms.
- Disc-One Final Boss: The Venoms Clan leader, double points for being killed by his own subordinate roughly an hour into the film.
- Disney Villain Death: The final battle between Fei Ying Xiang and Liu Shen happens on a cliff between multiple suspended bridges and platforms, and ends with Liu Shen getting stabbed and falling into a chasm without any sign of impact.
- Dual Wielding: Qiu-xin favours using double-swords in her fights against mooks.
- Elaborate Underground Base: The Five Venoms Clan had an underground cavern as their hideout, accessible by a hidden entrance.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Towards the end of the movie when Liu Shen had everyone at his mercy thanks to the titular weapon, Hong Susu, already dying of her injuries, decides to let herself be the weapon's final victim, by using her blood to neutralize the Web of Death, then destroying the web at the cost of her own life.
- Hidden Villain: For most of the movie the leader of the Venoms Clan seems to be the Big Bad... until his lackey Liu Shen took over, revealing himself to be the true main antagonist of the picture.
- In a Single Bound: No surprise given this being another Shaw Brothers martial arts flick... thanks to loads and loads of Wire Fu.
- Klingon Promotion: Liu Shen reveals his intention to take over the Five Venoms Clan, by revealing he had control of the Web of Death the whole time, and subsequently unleashing its power using it to kill every higher-up of the clan and proclaiming himself its new leader.
- No OSHA Compliance: Granted, the acid moats in the Venom Clan base is used as a deterrence for intruders, but for some inexplicable reason the clan's main hall which is meeting grounds for their leaders is on a small islet, surrounded by the acid, and accessible by a row of floating platforms without support railings.
- Oddly Shaped Sword: The Venom Clan leader uses a sword shaped like a centipede.
- Poisoned Weapons: The titular web is a mechanism in the shape of a spider, which can shoot venomous mists, poisoned silks, and deadly needles and is capable of killing an entire room full of faceless goons upon being activated.
- The Starscream: Liu Shen, to the Venom Clan's leader.
- Sweet Polly Oliver: When Hong Susu disguises herself as a male beggar in a tavern.
- Tricked-Out Gloves: One big battle scene had Liu Shen and his clan fighting against plenty of mooks wearing gloves that contains hidden torches, that had multiple unfortunate opponents instantly becoming Man on Fire.
- Unkempt Beauty: Hong Susu had her face coated with grime and dirt and her hair is untidy when she is posing as a beggar, but being played by Li Ching the resident deadly doll of Shaw Brothers, she still looks absolutely adorable. She Cleans Up Nicely afterwards, and Fei Ying Xiang is stunned seeing how pretty she actually looks after changing to more feminine clothing.
- Vertigo Effect: Used several times throughout the movie, for instance when Fei Ying Xiang saw Hong Susu watching him from across a meadow, and the camera simply shoots through the tall grass before closing on her face (and vice versa).
- Weapon Title: The title refers to an ancient, dangerous poisonous super-weapon which can kill entire rooms of people in mere seconds.
- Wuxia
