An angry nu gui, Malice, travels through Australia seeking bloody revenge for those who have wronged her, wronged women, or have been unlucky enough to be in contact with those who have.
We’re first introduced to the destructive power of this vengeful Chinese spirit when we see her torment Zheng Wei, a man who literally left his home in China in order to escape from her. Malice (played by Martina Chen) finds him all to easily, and makes sure he suffers for his crimes against her. Bathed in a dark red light, we enter Malice’s world of pain and seduction. She whispers and then screams as he is driven mad enough to unalive himself — but to no avail. Malice returns the favor with blood. Following Wei’s death and a mysterious note he left, Malice works her way through a group of college students who fall victim to her plot for supernatural vengeance.
I’ll give you the great and not-so-great.
| Awesome | Ehh… |
| Gore: Zheng Wei’s death was unexpectedly gruesome, with blood spurts and visual agony, and even the sound of breaking bones. | Other effects: There were times when the red filtering was distracting or making it hard to tell what was going on. |
| Small Cast: No one was drowned out by a massive cast, and everyone mattered to the story. | Acting: While some of the cast acted well, others left something to be desired. |
| Topic: Vengeful ghosts are A+, and seeing a ghost from somewhere other than Japan is refreshing. | Monster: Though I like a good “grudge” ghost, Malice could have used some better backstory-telling, especially because — with a history as long and rich as China has — I’m sure there is a lot of cool context we’re missing out on. |
| Kills: I appreciated that Malice went after everyone, not just men. | Kills again: I would have liked to see more kills done to the extent of Zheng Wei’s (if the budget allowed). |
Admittedly, I don’t see a lot of films from outside of North America/Western Europe/Japan, so I was thrilled that filmmaker Chaz Fenwick reached out and told me about it. Malice: Nu Gui has a lot going for it: a beautifully deadly entity, laughs, a story many people could connect to, and a palatable 45-minute runtime. Malice serves Bad Bitch energy the entire time, using her immense, otherworldly powers to harm those who have harmed her. In Malice’s world, everybody can get it — no one is safe. And as a short, it’s definitely doable over your lunch break.
On the flip side, I did have to rewatch a scene or two to make sure I fully understood what was going on. I had to look up what a nu gui even was. It took me a little while to realize what all the red lighting meant. I think a user review from IMDB said it best, “It’s not a Hollywood blockbuster but it’s definitely worth watching.” Being a short, I think people need to manage their expectations slightly; Malice is a good movie, but you must pay attention. At the end of the day, I enjoyed the watch, and it sparked by interest of other monsters from folklore around the world, sending me down a rabbit hole of nu guis and the like. So if you like femme fatales, Chinese folklore, Australian horror, or shorts, Malice: Nu Gui has it all.
What did you think of Malice: Nu Gui? Let us know in the comments!
Malice: Nu Gui is available to stream free on Tubi.
