Comparison between the Hong Kong VHS by Star / Paragon and the Cat.III version on the Hong Kong DVD by Joy Sales / Fortune Star

- 2 relevant missing bits
- Difference: 5.8 sec

Overview of the many cut versions of HER VENGEANCE

In the report for Devil Fetus, we have already summarized that the US Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome, available since the end of March 2025, contains both this Hong Kong flick for the first time uncut and the infamous rape-n-revenge shocker Her Vengeance in a reconstructed Cat.III combo version and the extended but heavily censored Cat. IIb version. Both films are also to be released individually in the UK by 88 Films later this year.

As just described, there are two main version, which differ so much in terms of background music and alternative scenes that an integral version would not really be possible. Unsurprisingly, the Cat.IIb version is much more harmless, although even here, as the present report demonstrates, the finale is not exactly tame. The story of the cuts is even more complicated in detail, because there is not just “the one” Cat.III version, but the VHS, VCD and laserdisc with this rating (subsequently given after the initial release was actually unrated) were each cut differently. This can be clearly seen in the corresponding releases and we will break it down in more detail in separate reports. But even the Cat.II version comes in different variants.

1. Cat.III version

a) Hong Kong VHS by Star / Paragon: 78:35 min (stopped at Star logo) in PAL speed
The longest release to date. There are several small master errors throughout the film and only two small missing bits of 6 sec without a censorship background. Zoomed to full screen, no subtitles.

b) Hong Kong LaserDisc by Star: 79:51 min (stopped after Star logo) in correct NTSC / analog to Blu-ray speed.
The almost 2-minute porn scene in the middle of the film was censored here. Otherwise, not nearly as many mini-master errors as on the VHS, and the violence was also left in full. In widescreen, but also no subtitles.

c) Hong Kong VCD by MegaStar: 78:20 min (including various star references, even after the credits) in PAL speed - detailed comparison
Contains the porn shoot scene, but is censored by almost a minute of rape/gore. In widescreen and with English subtitles, but due to the medium, of course, only in low resolution (352px width).

d) Blu-ray by Vinegar Syndrome: 82:48 min (including references from Fortune Star) in 23.976fps
Uncensored in uniformly good image quality without master errors, with porn shoot scene and all rape/gore bits. In 1.85:1 (slightly covered at the top and bottom compared to previous releases) and with English subtitles. Will probably be included identically on the Blu-ray from 88 Films in the UK.

2. Cat.IIb version

a) Hong Kong DVD by Joy Sales: 85:34 min in PAL speed, released identically on VCD - detailed comparison on all changes
This was the only DVD release and, for many fans, obvious way to buy the film due to its easy availability and English subtitles. Heavily shortened in all sex and violence scenes, but with lots of additional/alternative plot scenes.

b) Asian alternative version: XXX min (summarized as “Version 3” in the bonus material)
The US Blu-ray contains a featurette on the different cuts, which uses a few examples to show that at least one other version existed in Asian countries. Here, various scenes with Hung (Lam Ching-Ying) differ and are edited in different sequence at the end. It is said to be even more heavily censored in terms of violence, and there is also a shorter “Crime doesn't pay” alternative ending, which is presented individually in the bonus material.

c) Blu-ray by Vinegar Syndrome: 90:02 min (incl. references from Fortune Star) in 23.976fps - detailed comparison on all changes
Until the finale, this version is frame-accurate with the well-known Hong Kong DVD. Strangely enough, however, a few small instances of violence are then censored.

The almost uncut Cat.III VHS from Hong Kong

Even in the comments in our (German version of the) report on the Cat.IIb version, which was created at the time with the VCD from MegaStar that had been specially censored for violent scenes, it was already apparent that neither the aforementioned VCD nor the LaserDisc, which had been shortened again by the porn shoot scene, were the last chapters. In any case, the VHS was described there as presumably uncut, including all missing parts. As the Vinegar Syndrome featurette on the different versions also shows, it was nevertheless more well known among those interested that there are two differently cut Cat.III versions in particular, the VCD and the LD.

The present report thus documents mainly for the sake of completeness: In fact, this VHS contained both all violence and the porn shoot scene. Funnily enough, there are some (insignificant) mini master errors of less than 0.5 sec every now and then, which were not noticed on either the VCD or the LD. But above all, there are also the two spots documented here, each lasting just under 3 sec. Both are completely unimportant in themselves and the second was also missing from the LaserDisc and VCD, but the first spot was included in these two evaluations. So it's mainly a historical piece of the puzzle about the different versions of the film. Anyway, back then the VHS was only really for hardcore fans, as it was zoomed to full screen and didn't have English subtitles.

For more information and comparison images of the new Blu-ray release, please refer to the report on the Cat.IIb version by Vinegar Syndrome.

Runtime specifications are arranged based on the scheme
Hong Kong VHS in PAL speed / US Blu-ray in 23.976fps