The Cave of Silken Web

1967 Shaw bros. psychedelic fantasy

Rating: 11/20

Plot: A journeying monk is lured into a cave occupied by sinister devil women who want to boil and eat him in order to gain immortality. His posse--a monkey man, a pig man, and a regular guy--have to act fast to save him.

Wackiness abounds in this Shaw Brothers' production, much more in the fantasy realm than in the kung-fu one. It's colorful and odd enough to make me ask, "What the hell am I watching here?" Really cheapo special effects and cartoony sound effects simulate magic while a smattering of dancey fight scenes and some goofy musical numbers help keep the pace incoherently swift. It's definitely one of those plots you just have to let happen. Nothing makes sense logically, and in a story where everybody's a shapeshifter, there's going to be some confusion. But although this isn't what I expected when I thought I'd resurrect Kung-Furiday, it wasn't a terrible way to spend an hour and a half.