The Liao Guiying Project

"In the spring of 1993, three student filmmakers got lost in the woods near Tai Po Kau while shooting a documentary... Three weeks later, their footage was found."

- Tagline for the film

The Liao Guiying Project (Cantonese: 廖桂英習作 Jyutping: liu6 gwai3 jing1 zaap6 zok3) is a 1993 Hong Kong independent supernatural horror film co-written and directed by Marvin Hui, from a story by Skid and Pump. It is a fictional story of three student filmmakers and actors—Alan Li Kam-Lun, Nancy Tso, Choi Hiu-Laam—who hike into the forest near to film a documentary about a local legend known as Liao Guiying. The three disappear, but their equipment and footage are discovered three weeks later. The purportedly "recovered footage" is the film the viewer sees.

The film premiered in, on 25 January 1993 and was released in Hong Kong on 31 January 1993. Upon release, the film received generally positive reviews from critics, who complimented its visuals, story, musical score, and the performances of Li, Tso and Choi. However, it received criticism focusing on its screenplay and cinematography. Despite its critical reception, Golden Flare Pictures was disappointed with the worldwide box office return of the film, cancelling a planned franchise as a result.

The film was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the at the, but was not nominated.

Plot
In January 1993, film students and actors Alan, Nancy, and Sophia set out to produce a documentary about the fabled Liao Guiying. They travel to, and interview residents about the legend. Locals tell them of Tsang Chun-Chak, a hermit who lived in the woods and kidnapped seven children in the mid-1940s; he supposedly killed them all in his basement, murdering them in pairs while having one stand in a corner. The students explore the woods in north Tai Po Kau to research the legend. They meet two fishermen, one of whom warns them that the woods are haunted. He tells them of a young girl named Kathleen Yau Ka-Yee, a child actress who went missing in 1895; when she returned three days later, she talked about "an old woman whose feet never touched the ground." The students hike to the Coffin Hill, where five men were found ritualistically murdered in the 19th century; their bodies later disappeared.

They camp for the night, and the next day, find an old cemetery with seven small cairns, one of which Sophia accidentally knocks over. That night, they hear the sound of twigs snapping. The following day, they try to hike back to the car but cannot find it before dark and make camp. They again hear twigs snapping. In the morning, they find that three cairns have been built around their tent. Nancy learns her map is missing. Alan reveals he kicked the map into a creek out of frustration, which provokes a fight between the three as they realize they are lost. They decide to head south, using Alan's compass, and discover stick figures suspended from trees. They again hear strange sounds that night, including children laughing. After an unknown force shakes the tent, they hide in the woods until dawn.

Upon returning to their tent, they find that their possessions have been rifled through, and Sophia's equipment is covered with slime. They come across a river identical to one they crossed earlier and realize they have walked in a circle. Sophia disappears the next morning, and Nancy and Alan try in vain to find her. That night, they hear Sophia's agonized screams but are unable to locate her. They theorize that her screams are a fabrication by the witch to draw them out of their tent.

The next day, Nancy discovers a bundle of sticks tied with fabric from Sophia's shirt. Upon opening the bundle, she also finds a blood-soaked scrap of her shirt containing teeth, hair, a finger, and a large piece of a tongue. Although distraught, she chooses not to tell Alan. That night, she records herself apologizing to her family and Alan's and Sophia's families, taking responsibility for their predicament.

They again hear Sophia's agonized cries and follow them to an abandoned house containing demonic symbols and children's bloody hand-prints on the walls. Trying to find Sophia, they go to the basement, where an unseen force attacks Alan, causing him to drop his camera. Nancy enters the basement screaming, and her camera captures Alan standing in a corner. The unseen force attacks Nancy, causing her to drop her camera, and the footage ends.

Cast

 * Alan Li Kam-Lun as himself
 * Nancy Tso as herself
 * Choi Hiu-Laam as Sophia
 * Brandon Chow as Short Fisherman
 * Daryl Lee as the Interviewee
 * as the Waitress
 * as Fisherman with Glasses
 * as Olivia Lam Tan-Ling (林探玲)
 * as Interviewee with Child

Home media
The film was released on LaserDisc by ERA Home Video on 1 April 1993. It was released by Hemu-Hemu, Peruru & Puar Films Co., Ltd. in a Special Edition DVD and Blu-Ray as part of "Hemu-Hemu, Peruru & Puar's Classic Collection" on 7 April 2014.

Trivia

 * The real Liao Guiying served as a consulting producer for the film.