Introduced in 1988 to restrict lurid content and controversial imports, Hong Kong’s Category III rating inadvertently ignited a cinematic gold rush.
For a few chaotic years, this restriction birthed a lawless playground of cinema. The market swung wildly from grim true-crime horror and delirious sex comedies to supernatural pulp and political thrillers, flooding screens with gruesome serial killers, black-magic curses, and cyborg prostitutes.
