{ "id": "ep6p5qhxss", "slug": "the-five-deadly-venoms", "title": "The Five Deadly Venoms (五毒)", "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.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "label": "Asia (other) · 1946 to 2000: Action and adventure films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "path": [ { "id": "geo.asia", "label": "Asia (other)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946", "label": "Asia (other) · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.asia.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.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.asia.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.asia.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure" } ] } ], "excerpt": "The Five Deadly Venoms (五毒, 1978), also The Five Venoms or Five Poisons, is a Chang Cheh Shaw Brothers kung fu mystery about a dying Poison Clan master's sixth disciple hunting five animal-style disciples; first Venom Mob film, Wu-Tang Clan and Kill Bill influence.", "snippet": "The Five Deadly Venoms (五毒, 1978), also The Five Venoms or Five Poisons, is a Chang Cheh Shaw Brothers kung fu mystery about a dying Poison Clan master's sixth disciple hunting five animal-style disciples; first Venom Mob film, Wu-Tang Clan and Kill Bill influence.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.martial-arts-films.yr-1943-1985", "markdown": "# The Five Deadly Venoms (五毒)\n\nA 1978 martial arts mystery from Hong Kong, ***The Five Deadly Venoms*** (五毒), also issued as *The Five Venoms* and literally rendered *Five Poisons*, had Chang Cheh as its director and co-writer, with Runme Shaw producing it at the [Shaw Brothers Studio](https://www.edgepedia.org/shaw-brothers-studio); Chiang Sheng stars as Yang De, the sixth student of a Poison Clan master on his deathbed, who is dispatched to locate and, when needed, overcome five onetime pupils, each schooled in a distinct animal-based style of kung fu.[1](https://www.allmovie.com/movie/five-deadly-venoms-am35456) • [2](https://www.blackbeltmag.com/post/the-truth-behind-the-five-venoms-of-chinese-martial-arts-cinema) It was the first of Chang Cheh's Venom Mob films, the run of movies starring his troupe of acrobatic fighters, and it set the tone for those that followed.[3](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3140619/how-chang-chehs-venom-mob-martial-arts-films-starting-1978s) Although it drew little attention from Hong Kong critics, it became a cult favorite abroad, ranked #11 in *Entertainment Weekly*'s \"Top 50 Cult Films of All-Time,\" and its influence reaches the [Wu-Tang Clan](https://www.edgepedia.org/wu-tang-clan), Quentin Tarantino's *Kill Bill*, and video games such as *Mortal Kombat*.[3](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3140619/how-chang-chehs-venom-mob-martial-arts-films-starting-1978s) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077559/) • [5](https://www.hkfilm.net/5venoms.htm)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Native title and aliases | 《五毒》; released as *The Five Venoms*, *The Five Deadly Venoms*, and *Five Poisons*, a direct translation of the Chinese title[2](https://www.blackbeltmag.com/post/the-truth-behind-the-five-venoms-of-chinese-martial-arts-cinema) |\n| Release | Hong Kong, August 12, 1978, in Mandarin and Cantonese; United States, January 26, 1979, rated R, 1 hour 41 minutes[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077559/) • [6](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/13481/) |\n| Director and writers | Directed and co-written by Chang Cheh with Ni Kuang (Kuang Ni); produced by Runme Shaw for Shaw Brothers[1](https://www.allmovie.com/movie/five-deadly-venoms-am35456) • [7](https://kinetoscope.org/blog/five-venoms) |\n| The five venoms | Centipede (Lu Feng), Snake (Wei Bai), Scorpion (Sun Chien), Gecko/Lizard (Kuo Chue), Toad (Lo Meng)[8](https://www.anmdb.com/subject/9399.html) |\n| Sixth disciple | Yang De (杨得), played by Chiang Sheng (江生)[8](https://www.anmdb.com/subject/9399.html) |\n| Retrospective standing | #11 in *Entertainment Weekly*'s \"Top 50 Cult Films of All-Time\"; probably the best of the Venom Mob films[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077559/) • [3](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3140619/how-chang-chehs-venom-mob-martial-arts-films-starting-1978s) |\n| Legacy | Footage edited into *Kill Bill: Vol. 1* (2003); influence on the Wu-Tang Clan, John Woo's heroic bloodshed films, and *Mortal Kombat*[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077559/) • [5](https://www.hkfilm.net/5venoms.htm) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot and premise\n\nThe Poison Clan (五毒门) is a sect with an infamous reputation in the martial world. Its old master, kept alive in his last years by medicinal baths, has only one disciple still with him, Yang De (杨得), played by Chiang Sheng. The dying master orders Yang De to clean house: to find the sect's hidden treasure and deal with his five senior brothers, each of whom practices a martial art derived from a poisonous creature.[8](https://www.anmdb.com/subject/9399.html) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077559/)\n\nThe five styles are distinct in both technique and screen behavior. Centipede style uses fast hand-work; lizard (gecko) style allows the fighter to stick to walls; scorpion style emulates the slicing of the scorpion's claws and the lashing of its tail; snake style is the fifth; and toad style renders the body almost impermeable to blows.[3](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3140619/how-chang-chehs-venom-mob-martial-arts-films-starting-1978s) • [8](https://www.anmdb.com/subject/9399.html)\n\nThe story unfolds as a mystery. Constable He, aided by the fifth brother's toad kung fu (蛤蟆功), captures the eldest brother, but the county magistrate, in league with the second brother, has the fifth brother imprisoned and killed. Because clan members always wear masks, not all of them know who the others are, and this masked-identity structure turns a simple plot into a suspense thriller.[8](https://www.anmdb.com/subject/9399.html) • [5](https://www.hkfilm.net/5venoms.htm)\n\n## Cast and the Venom Mob\n\nPlaying the five venom roles were Sun Chien as Scorpion Gai Ji, Lo Meng as Toad Liang Shen, Lu Feng as Centipede Zhang Yiao-tian, Wei Bai (also rendered Wai Pak) as Snake Qi Dong, and Kuo Chue (also romanized Kuo Chui; the actor's full name is Philip Kwok Chun-fung) as Gecko Meng Tian-xia.[2](https://www.blackbeltmag.com/post/the-truth-behind-the-five-venoms-of-chinese-martial-arts-cinema) • [8](https://www.anmdb.com/subject/9399.html) • [9](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345671/how-five-venoms-pioneered-superhero-team-chinese-martial-arts-cinema) The film actually features eight venoms: three characters have no associated animal, namely Yang De (Chiang Sheng), the head of Venom House (Dick Wei), and the bookkeeper (Ku Feng).[2](https://www.blackbeltmag.com/post/the-truth-behind-the-five-venoms-of-chinese-martial-arts-cinema)\n\nThe film launched the Venom Mob, Chang Cheh's team of acrobatic fighters whose animalistic nicknames came from this picture. The five venom actors appeared together in only three other films: *The Kid With the Golden Arm* (1979), *[Invincible Shaolin](https://www.edgepedia.org/invincible-shaolin)* (1978), and *The Brave Archer II* (1978).[9](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345671/how-five-venoms-pioneered-superhero-team-chinese-martial-arts-cinema) • [2](https://www.blackbeltmag.com/post/the-truth-behind-the-five-venoms-of-chinese-martial-arts-cinema)\n\n## Production and choreography\n\nChang Cheh wrote the film with [Ni Kuang](https://www.edgepedia.org/ni-kuang), and it was photographed by Mu-To Kung and Hui-Chi Tsao for Shaw Brothers Ltd.[7](https://kinetoscope.org/blog/five-venoms) • [10](https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Five-Deadly-Venoms-Blu-ray/20927/) The martial arts are acrobatic and inspired by Beijing opera, a deliberate departure from the fashion for realism and authentic styles in kung fu cinema.[3](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3140619/how-chang-chehs-venom-mob-martial-arts-films-starting-1978s) The assassins wear polychromatic masks, and the direction heightens the fight choreography with slow motion, wirework, and sonic cues.[7](https://kinetoscope.org/blog/five-venoms)\n\nAccording to one account, Golden Harvest was unhappy with Chang's script, feeling it too dark and violent, and wanted him to add broad comic relief; he kept his original script.[5](https://www.hkfilm.net/5venoms.htm)\n\n## The 五毒 concept\n\nThe title refers to the Five Poisonous Creatures of Chinese folklore, the traditional grouping of five creatures (centipede, snake, scorpion, gecko or lizard, and toad) from which the five disciples' styles are drawn.[1](https://www.allmovie.com/movie/five-deadly-venoms-am35456) • [8](https://www.anmdb.com/subject/9399.html) The English title *Five Poisons* is a direct translation of the Chinese title 五毒.[2](https://www.blackbeltmag.com/post/the-truth-behind-the-five-venoms-of-chinese-martial-arts-cinema)\n\n## Release and reception\n\nThe film opened in Hong Kong on August 12, 1978, in Mandarin and [Cantonese](https://www.edgepedia.org/cantonese), and received a US release on January 26, 1979, rated R.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077559/) • [6](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/13481/) Chang Cheh's Venom Mob films received little attention from Hong Kong critics, but they were big hits with martial arts fans abroad.[3](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3140619/how-chang-chehs-venom-mob-martial-arts-films-starting-1978s) In the United States, *Five Venoms* received heavy cable-TV airtime and had the biggest impact of the Shaw Brothers titles distributed that way.[2](https://www.blackbeltmag.com/post/the-truth-behind-the-five-venoms-of-chinese-martial-arts-cinema) Retrospectively, *Entertainment Weekly* ranked it #11 in its \"Top 50 Cult Films of All-Time.\"[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077559/)\n\n## How it compares with its siblings\n\nAmong the Venom Mob films, *The Five Venoms* is probably still the best, although *Mortal Combat*, also known as *[Crippled Avengers](https://www.edgepedia.org/crippled-avengers)* (1978), is also a fan favorite.[3](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3140619/how-chang-chehs-venom-mob-martial-arts-films-starting-1978s) The follow-up *Crippled Avengers* was renamed *Return of the Five Deadly Venoms* for American release after Wei Bai was replaced by Chiang Sheng, and 16 additional movies were released in America under the \"five venoms\" banner, a measure of how valuable the original title had become.[2](https://www.blackbeltmag.com/post/the-truth-behind-the-five-venoms-of-chinese-martial-arts-cinema)\n\n## Legacy and influence\n\nThe film's cultural reach extends well beyond kung fu cinema. Footage from it was edited into *Kill Bill: Vol. 1* (2003), and its influence has been traced to the [World of Warcraft](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-of-warcraft) online role-playing game.[4](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077559/) • [10](https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Five-Deadly-Venoms-Blu-ray/20927/) One critic calls it arguably Chang Cheh's finest movie and notes its continuing influence on Hong Kong cinema, from the themes of loyalty, brotherhood, and revenge explored in [John Woo](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-woo)'s heroic bloodshed films of the late 1980s, to music such as the Wu-Tang Clan, Sprite commercials, and video games such as *Mortal Kombat*.[5](https://www.hkfilm.net/5venoms.htm)\n\nOn home video, the film received a US Blu-ray release from Vivendi Visual Entertainment on May 17, 2011.[10](https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Five-Deadly-Venoms-Blu-ray/20927/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Five Deadly Venoms (1978), AllMovie](https://www.allmovie.com/movie/five-deadly-venoms-am35456)\n2. [The Truth Behind the Five Venoms of Chinese Martial Arts Cinema, Black Belt Magazine](https://www.blackbeltmag.com/post/the-truth-behind-the-five-venoms-of-chinese-martial-arts-cinema)\n3. [How Chang Cheh's Venom Mob martial arts films, starting with 1978's The Five Venoms, became cult favourites in the West, South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3140619/how-chang-chehs-venom-mob-martial-arts-films-starting-1978s)\n4. [Five Deadly Venoms (1978), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077559/)\n5. [The Five Venoms, HK Film Net](https://www.hkfilm.net/5venoms.htm)\n6. [The Five Venoms (1978), The Movie Database](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/13481/)\n7. [The Five Venoms (1978, Cheh Chang), Kinetoscope Film Journal](https://kinetoscope.org/blog/five-venoms)\n8. [《五毒》 (1978), NMDB](https://www.anmdb.com/subject/9399.html)\n9. [How The Five Venoms pioneered the superhero team in Chinese martial arts cinema, South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/entertainment/article/3345671/how-five-venoms-pioneered-superhero-team-chinese-martial-arts-cinema)\n10. [The Five Deadly Venoms Blu-ray Review, Blu-ray.com](https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Five-Deadly-Venoms-Blu-ray/20927/)\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/the-five-deadly-venoms", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/the-five-deadly-venoms.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": "\"The Five Deadly Venoms (五毒)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-five-deadly-venoms. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[The Five Deadly Venoms (五毒)](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-five-deadly-venoms)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/the-five-deadly-venoms](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-five-deadly-venoms). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"The Five Deadly Venoms (五毒)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/the-five-deadly-venoms. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "The Five Deadly Venoms, also The Five Venoms or Five Poisons, is a Chang Cheh Shaw Brothers kung fu mystery about a dying Poison Clan master's sixth disciple hunting five animal-style disciples; first Venom Mob film, Wu-Tang Clan and Kill Bill influence." }