Lizard masters apparently possess an ability to defy gravity and can walk on walls. Number Four is the Lizard or Gekko (Kuo Chui). This is combined with pincer-style hand strikes that emulatine the claws of a scorpion. When delivered by a master, a single kick can paralyze or even kill. Kicks from the Scorpion style are just like the sting of a scorpion's tail. Number Three is The Scorpion (Sun Chien). Masters of this ability can fight extremely well while lying on their back from the floor. In this style one hand represents the bite of the snake's fangs, while the other, the stinging whip of it's tail. This style uses lightning fast strikes that are said to be so quick that it almost seems if he has a hundred arms and legs. Each of the the five Poison Clan members is either referred to by their venom fighting style, or by the number in the order of which they were trained in. Yan must discover the whereabouts and true identities of these deadly masked warriors and decide which, if any, can be trusted. Each an expert in a different lethal combat style. Worried that the skills he has taught are being used to evil ends, he orders the Yan to track down a retired colleague and warn him that the fortune he has amassed on behalf of the clan maybe under threat from five of his former disciples. The dying master of the powerful Poison Clan sends his last student, Yan Tieh, on a crucial mission. Although none were a direct sequel to The Five Deadly Venoms they have become know as The Venom Movies and the cast would become know as he Venom Mob. Return of the Deadly Venoms, ect.) except for Wei Pai who defected to Golden Harvest, and didn't not appear many other films with the other Venoms. Shaw Studies immediately decided to capitalized on the success by reuniting director Chang Cheh and the cast in a serious of films ( House of Traps, Kid with the Golden Arm, Magnificent Ruffians, Shaolin Dardevils, Life Gamble, 2 Champions of Shaolin, Crippled Avengers A.K.A. All had appeared in other films but did not become in high demand till appearing as a group in The Five Deadly Venoms. Wei Pai did not possess the same fighting skills as the rest of the cast and preferred dramatic scenes to fight scenes. Su Chien had practiced Tae Kwan-Do in the military and was recruited by Cheh for his impressive kicking skills. A student of the southern mantis style, he was best know for his impressive physique. Lo Mang had formerly been an accountant for Chang Cheh short lived semi-independent fillm company in Taiwan, Chang Cheh Film Co, before moving into acting. Chiang Sheng, Kuo Chui and Lu Feng had been childhood friends who trained together in Peking Opera and were highly skilled acrobats, stuntmen, and Chinese weapons experts.
For the film Chang Cheh contracted six young talented Taiwanese stuntmen/actors ( Kou Chui, Lu Feng, Sun Chien, Lo Mang, Wei Pai, and Chiang Sheng). Directed by veteran Shaw Brother's director Chang Cheh the film was based on a script by prolific writer Ni Kuang which was actually part of a loose narrative of stories dealing with a secret organization, known as the Poison Clan, that was out to take over the martial arts world through nefarious means.
The Five Deadly Venoms was a huge international success for Shaw Brother studies and remains one of the most influential Kung Fu cult classics of all time. He returns to his village to begin to teach Shaolin-style Kung Fu to the public, but he must first deal with the Manchu governor. However, as San Te nears the end of this training, he is exiled from the temple after daring to suggest the addition a 36th chamber, for the open teaching of Shaolin techniques to the local populace. Along the way, inventing the three section staff. Each one designed to enhance his senses, strength, agility, and reactions. He quickly advances through the chambers within 5 years, completely unaware that chambers are in fact the Shaolin training regime. The various tasks include carrying buckets of water with knives tied under his arms and hitting thick sacks with his head. After a year he is allowed a chance to train, but he must first earn the right to study by overcoming the temple's 35 chambers, each one containing a different torturous trial.
Initially the monks reject him as an outsider, but the head abbot takes mercy on him and allows him stay. Wanting vengeance, he asks to be trained in Kung Fu. Wounded, San Te flees, seeking refuge in a Shaolin temple. In the film Manchu officials slaughter San Te friends and family. In the 36th Chamber Lui plays a fictionalized version of another legendary chinese figure, San Te, a Shaolin Monk.