It's a lot, a lot, a whole friggin lot of traps!
House of Traps is a 1982 Martial Arts Movie released by Shaw Brothers, directed by Chang Cheh and starring the Venoms Mob. The movie is a rather loose adaptation of The Tale of Loyal Heroes and Righteous Gallants
, where several characters from the film are lifted from the novel itself, but with their personalities drastically changed from the source material.
A valuable antique is stolen from the Imperial palace, one which contains an all-important scroll, coveted by a band of rebels plotting to overthrow the Royal Family. The royal court's best warrior, "Black Demon Fox" (Philip Kwok) to retrieve it. But a band of thieves known as the "Five Rats" are after the antique as well.
The biggest obstacle, however, is the fact that the antique is kept in the top floor of the dreaded House of Traps, a deadly mansion belonging to a violent kung fu clan who had allied with the rebels. Not only is the house heavily-guarded, but it's also filled with traps, where no intruders have ever made it out alive.
This trope list is a trap!
- Agony of the Feet: The first warrior who infiltrated the titular house thinks he got lucky by escaping the floor's protruding spikes in time, making it to the stairs. And then the stairs turns out to contain hidden protruding blades, removing the front half of his right foot.
- Badass Crew: As per the usual, the legion of rat warriors are played by members of the Venoms Mob, and they are a formidable fighting force.
- Booby Trap: The titular house is crammed with these. From protruding spikes on the ground floor, to the staircase turning into blades (which an unfortunate infiltrator found out after having half of his left foot sheared off), and even if the infiltrator can leap into the air the ceiling can extend spiked grates that impales anybody attempting this method.
- Death Course: The titular house is such a course. Intruders, upon entering it's ground level, will be granted by spikes extending from the floors, and if they tried rushing for the stairs in the center in order to avoid those spikes, the stairs will shoot out blades, capable of slicing off half the foot of anyone on it (as an unfortunate infiltrator finds out early in the film). It is possible to out-maneuver the staircase trap by leaping into the air, but the ceiling will then unleash a spiked cage that impales or traps anyone that gets too close. Either that, or they dodge the ceiling... and end up landing on the spikes on the ground level.
- Eat the Evidence: Hua Chong, after witnessing the Prince's suicide and realizing the Imperial bloodline is about to end, promptly snatches the coveted scroll containing the list of rebel leaders' names, tears it up, and eats the entire list. He then succumbs to his wounds, and the film ends just as the other warriors after the list are about to dissect his corpse for the list.
- Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting: Basically nine out of ten named characters are kung-fu fighters, even characters with tiny, inconsequential roles.
- Hidden Weapons: Zhao Jue, who conceals a hidden dagger to ambush and fatally stab Shen Zhong Yuan, when revealing his intent to turn against the Imperial Court and put an end to the royal family line.
- High-Pressure Blood: Gallons and gallons of it, with plenty of Gorn. Either after falling victim to the house, or during the fight scenes.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: What with the house filled with protruding spikes from the floor, walls and ceiling...
- Improbable Weapon User: The "Sky-Penetrating Rat" uses a long rod that ends with a clawed fist as his weapon. Said weapon can be used to claw apart mooks or as an impromptu hook.
- In a Single Bound: Most characters, since this is a kung-fu film. But in the House of Traps, this trick isn't guaranteed to work since even the walls and ceilings have traps.
- No MacGuffin, No Winner: The true prize of the movie, which is the scroll in the antique statue? It gets torn up and eaten by Hua Chong, who is against the reformation of the government. And there's no possible way to retrieve the scroll undamaged, even after dissecting him, given the lack of technology at the time.
- The Place: The titular House of Traps containing an all-important scroll listing the names of the rebel leaders and resistance strongholds, which must be infiltrated to retrieve.
- Red Baron: Whoo boy... there's the "Black Demon Fox", and his allies, who call themselves the "Five Rats": "Brocade-Coated Rat", "Sky-Penetrating Rat", "River-Overturning Rat", "Mountain-Boring Rat" and "Earth-Piercing Rat". They all use assorted weapons that well reflects their personalities too.
- Slashed Throat: Zhao Jue, the Prince of Xiang Yang, by his own sword.
- Sorry That I'm Dying: From the Prince, before his suicide.Prince Zhao: "Father, forgive my inability to rule over the people... now I will follow you!" (slashed his own jugular)
- Spikes of Doom: All over the the titular house's first floor, which suddenly protrudes from beneath the ground. The victim can try making their escape on the stairs, but the stairs turns out to be rigged as well, in the form of the steps giving away and dropping anyone standing on it so they land on the spikes.
- This Is a Drill: The preferred weapon of "Earth-Piercing Rat". It also helps him a lot in digging underground escape routes, fitting him as a Tunnel King.
