Music Box screens 1983 cult classic 'Black Magic With Buddha' in 24-hour marathon

Audience members at the Music Box in Chicago’s River North neighborhood reported they had never seen the 1983 film Black Magic With Buddha before it was screened during the theater’s Music Box of Horrors 24-hour movie marathon. General manager Ryan Oestreich and programming manager Will Morris asked the crowd if anyone had viewed the picture, and no hands were raised.

The film, directed by Lo Lieh, centers on a protagonist named Ben who seeks the brain of a thousand-year-old mummy. Ben wants to acquire wealth to satisfy his girlfriend’s family, who require him to establish a career before allowing the marriage. The mummy’s brain grants his wish for riches but turns his seemingly harmless desires into inevitable doom. A series of tragic events allows the marriage to proceed, yet Ben fails to return the brain, hoping to continue using its power. His greed leads to increasingly grotesque consequences as he tries to exploit the supernatural object for material gain.

Lo Lieh was a Hong Kong actor and filmmaker known as a mainstay of Shaw Brothers films. One source described him as the first kung fu superstar. The marathon screening provided a rare look at his work, which remains little seen in the United States.

The screening offered a counterpoint to the work of Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz, whose 2026 film Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors was also discussed in the context of the local film scene. Diaz’s film is set in the Philippines in 1617 during Spanish colonial rule. It depicts the subjugation of Indigenous peoples under the guise of religious salvation. A central plot point involves a Spanish priest who kills male villagers and then fathers children with their widows, perpetuating colonial control through future generations.

Diaz’s work serves as a follow-up to his 2025 film Magellan, which focused on the explorer. Both films examine how spiritual belief is exploited for human greed, though Diaz focuses on institutional domination while Lo Lieh’s film focuses on individual ambition. The two films differ in tone and pretension, yet both identify horror in the exploitation of sacred elements.

The Music Box of Horrors marathon is an annual event that showcases independent and underground cinema. The 24-hour format allows for a mix of well-known and obscure titles. The screening of Black Magic With Buddha was noted as a welcome revelation for attendees, who often seek out lesser-known works during the event. The theater continues to program films that offer a distinct perspective on horror and exploitation genres.

The marathon concludes with the final screenings of the selected films. The Music Box will announce the lineup for next year’s event in the coming months. The theater’s programming managers stated that they aim to include a mix of classic and contemporary films that reflect the diversity of the horror genre.