Unkillable “Halloween” movie super-villain Michael Myers was lucky to have never run into Chinese demon queller Zhong Kui. Same goes for Freddy Kruger and Jason Vorhees for that matter.
Legends describe Zhong Kui as an unrecognized scholarly talent who once appeared in a dream of Tang emperor Xuanzong (reigned 712–56) to kill a harassing demon. Relieved of the demon, the emperor had Zhong Kui’s image painted after his dream, becoming the model for all later depictions: ugly face, bulging eyes, protruding nose, disheveled beard, heavy boots.
Fearless. Intimidating. Supernatural…