{ "id": "epbzhb8q0r", "slug": "house-of-traps", "title": "House of Traps (冲霄楼)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "label": "Action and adventure films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films", "label": "Martial arts films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films.yr-1943-1985", "label": "Released 1943 to 1985", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films.yr-1943-1985" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films", "label": "China · 1946 to 2000: Martial arts films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946", "label": "China · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "label": "Action and adventure films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films", "label": "Martial arts films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films" } ] } ], "excerpt": "House of Traps (冲霄楼, Chong xiao lou) is a 1982 Shaw Brothers martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh and Ni Kuang, adapted from Three Heroes and Five Gallants; the last Venom Mob film, released 9 January 1982.", "snippet": "House of Traps (冲霄楼, Chong xiao lou) is a 1982 Shaw Brothers martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh and Ni Kuang, adapted from Three Heroes and Five Gallants; the last Venom Mob film, released 9 January 1982.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films.yr-1943-1985", "markdown": "# House of Traps (冲霄楼)\n\n**House of Traps** (冲霄楼, also romanized Chong xiao lou) is a 1982 Hong Kong martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh, produced by Shaw Brothers, and released in Hong Kong on 9 January 1982.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%86%B2%E9%9C%84%E6%A5%BC/867490?fromModule=lemma_inlink) It adapts the episode of the storming of the Tower of Traps from the classical novel *Three Heroes and Five Gallants* (三侠五义) and its sequel *Little Five Gallants* (小五义), and it is generally counted as the last film of the Shaw Brothers ensemble known as the Venom Mob.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%86%B2%E9%9C%84%E6%A5%BC/867490?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [2](https://grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/House_of_Traps/Review)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Director and writers | Directed by Chang Cheh; screenplay by Chang Cheh and Ni Kuang, adapted from Shi Yukun's novels[3](https://letterboxd.com/film/house-of-traps/) |\n| Release | 9 January 1982, Hong Kong; Shaw Brothers (HK) Ltd.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%86%B2%E9%9C%84%E6%A5%BC/867490?fromModule=lemma_inlink) |\n| Runtime | 95 minutes per Letterboxd and the Grindhouse Cinema Database; 1905.com lists 91 minutes[3](https://letterboxd.com/film/house-of-traps/) • [4](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2147222/) |\n| Hong Kong box office | HK$704,570, ranked 195th for the year[5](https://kungfutube.info/13665) |\n| Ensemble status | Regarded as the last official Venom Mob film; Lo Meng is the only core member absent[2](https://grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/House_of_Traps/Review) • [6](https://quadcinema.com/film/house-of-traps/) |\n| Key crew | Producer Mona Fong; music Eddie Wang; cinematography Cho Wai-Kei; action direction by Philip Kwok, Lu Feng, Chiang Sheng, and Chu Ko[3](https://letterboxd.com/film/house-of-traps/) • [5](https://kungfutube.info/13665) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Story\n\nThe plot follows the Prince of Xiangyang, Zhao Jue, a cousin of the emperor who plots rebellion and builds the trap-riddled Chongxiao Tower inside his residence to store his treasures.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%86%B2%E9%9C%84%E6%A5%BC/867490?fromModule=lemma_inlink) • [4](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2147222/) He gathers outlaws such as Hua Chong (the [Butterfly](https://www.edgepedia.org/butterfly)) and Deng Che to swell his forces. The judge [Bao Zheng](https://www.edgepedia.org/bao-zheng) learns of the conspiracy and sends his protégé Yan Chunmin to investigate; the \"Gilded Cat\" Bai Yutang protects Yan on the road and finally dies in an ambush when he enters the tower alone to seize the official seal. Zhi Hua, who appears to serve the prince, is in fact Bao's undercover agent, and he joins the Five Rats and Ai Hu to storm the palace and defeat the plot.[1](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%86%B2%E9%9C%84%E6%A5%BC/867490?fromModule=lemma_inlink)\n\nEnglish-language summaries describe the same structure as a quest to recover valuable jade antiques and a list naming the prince's co-conspirators, hidden in a booby-trapped pagoda from which no one has ever escaped alive.[7](https://asianactioncinema.co.uk/house-of-traps-review) The tower's defenses include a spiked floor, stairs that dismember trespassers, and garrisons of arrow-shooting, sword-wielding guards.[7](https://asianactioncinema.co.uk/house-of-traps-review) The Quad Cinema program notes adds spikes, snares, suddenly slanting steel stairs, and a remarkably adaptable umbrella among the hazards the fighters must contend with.[6](https://quadcinema.com/film/house-of-traps/)\n\n## Production and the Venom Mob\n\nThe film belongs to the cycle Chang Cheh built around the Venom Mob, the group of actors including Kuo Chui (Philip Kwok), Lu Feng, Chiang Sheng, Sun Chien, Lo Mang, and Wei Pai who appeared together through the 1970s and early 1980s.[2](https://grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/House_of_Traps/Review) House of Traps is widely treated as the group's last official outing; the Quad Cinema program calls it the last of Chang's films to host the majority of the gang, with only Lo Meng absent.[6](https://quadcinema.com/film/house-of-traps/) The cast also includes Chin Siu-ho, Lung Tien-hsiang, and Ai Fei as the Prince of Xiangyang.[8](https://cinegraph.org/movies/house-of-traps-1982)\n\n**Long development.** A contemporary account shows the film was planned years before release: the Hong Kong Film Pictorial reported in August 1978 that after enrolling six adopted disciples in the Chang family troupe, Chang Cheh had opened four films for them and was preparing Chongxiao Tower next.[9](https://ikikyou2724.milkoolong.net/blog/report/movie/house-of-traps-1982/6/) Filming had begun by early 1981, and the finished 1982 film differed from the version conceived in 1978 because the troupe's personnel had changed in the intervening years.[9](https://ikikyou2724.milkoolong.net/blog/report/movie/house-of-traps-1982/6/)\n\n## Reception and home video\n\nThe film earned HK$704,570 in Hong Kong, ranking 195th for the year, a modest result consistent with the Shaw Brothers' declining fortunes in 1982, when more than ten local films grossed over HK$10 million and none were Shaw productions.[5](https://kungfutube.info/13665) • [10](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/6.-Research-and-Publication/06-05_Publications/01_Hong-Kong-Filmography-Series/Vol-IX%281980-1982%29/hkfilmographyseries_09_foreword_e.pdf) Critical responses have been mixed. A review on Asian Action Cinema calls it a major disappointment, with an over-complicated, talky plot and short fights, though it praises the choreography of the weapons duels and singles out Kwok Choy and Chin Siu Ho; it also notes that Sun Chien, known for his kicking, has no fight scene.[7](https://asianactioncinema.co.uk/house-of-traps-review) Rotten Tomatoes lists one professional review at 71 percent, and a review on Asian Movie Pulse calls it a great cult film containing everything a kung fu and Shaw Brothers fan would desire.[11](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chong-xiao-lou)\n\nFor years the film circulated only in low-quality VHS and VCD copies; Image [Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/entertainment) released it on DVD in the United States in late 2008, and 88 Films issued remastered Blu-ray and DVD editions in the United Kingdom in 2016 and 2019 with original-language and English-dubbed audio options.[2](https://grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/House_of_Traps/Review) • [12](https://www.filmbooster.co.uk/film/128448-house-of-traps/)\n\n## Context in Chang Cheh's late career\n\nHouse of Traps appeared in a period when the genres Chang Cheh had built at Shaw Brothers were losing ground. The Hong Kong Filmography's history of 1980 to 1982 notes that martial arts films by Chang Cheh were still being produced but lacked fresh ideas and began to look dated, as Shaw Brothers' conservative output of at least 27 films a year met with modest box office success against Golden Harvest and [Cinema City](https://www.edgepedia.org/cinema-city).[10](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/6.-Research-and-Publication/06-05_Publications/01_Hong-Kong-Filmography-Series/Vol-IX%281980-1982%29/hkfilmographyseries_09_foreword_e.pdf) Within that setting, the film stands as the closing entry of the Venom Mob cycle that had begun with *The Five Venoms* (1978).[2](https://grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/House_of_Traps/Review)\n\n## References\n\n1. [冲霄楼（1982年张彻执导的电影）, Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E5%86%B2%E9%9C%84%E6%A5%BC/867490?fromModule=lemma_inlink)\n2. [House of Traps/Review, The Grindhouse Cinema Database](https://grindhousedatabase.com/index.php/House_of_Traps/Review)\n3. [House of Traps (1982), Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/house-of-traps/)\n4. [冲霄楼 House of Traps (1982), 1905电影网](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/2147222/)\n5. [沖宵楼（1982）｜ショウブラ全集, KUNGFU TUBE](https://kungfutube.info/13665)\n6. [House of Traps, Quad Cinema](https://quadcinema.com/film/house-of-traps/)\n7. [House of Traps – Review, Asian Action Cinema](https://asianactioncinema.co.uk/house-of-traps-review)\n8. [House of Traps, Cinegraph](https://cinegraph.org/movies/house-of-traps-1982)\n9. [電影] 沖霄樓 (1982), 坐井觀天](https://ikikyou2724.milkoolong.net/blog/report/movie/house-of-traps-1982/6/)\n10. [Foreword by Po Fung, Hong Kong Filmography Volume IX (1980–1982), Hong Kong Film Archive](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/6.-Research-and-Publication/06-05_Publications/01_Hong-Kong-Filmography-Series/Vol-IX%281980-1982%29/hkfilmographyseries_09_foreword_e.pdf)\n11. [House of Traps, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chong-xiao-lou)\n12. [House of traps (1982), FilmBooster](https://www.filmbooster.co.uk/film/128448-house-of-traps/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Martial arts films › Released 1943 to 1985*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/house-of-traps", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/house-of-traps.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"House of Traps (冲霄楼)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/house-of-traps. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[House of Traps (冲霄楼)](https://www.edgepedia.org/house-of-traps)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/house-of-traps](https://www.edgepedia.org/house-of-traps). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"House of Traps (冲霄楼)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/house-of-traps. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "House of Traps is a 1982 Shaw Brothers martial arts film directed by Chang Cheh and Ni Kuang, adapted from Three Heroes and Five Gallants; the last Venom Mob film, released 9 January 1982." }