"There are many weird creatures on the planet. For me it makes sense to have these creatures in my movie," explains Hark, adding that some of the monsters in the film symbolize the darkness of humanity.

In the tale, Detective Dee's most difficult mission is not to find the criminals, but to survive the deadly suspicions of empress Wu and the bloody conflicts arising from her power struggle.

But one of the biggest challenges on the other side of the big screen is undoubtedly the fast-evolving Chinese market and the developing tastes of the domestic audience, who is becoming pickier amid the flood of increasingly diverse viewing options.

The world's second-largest movie market has an annual output of nearly 800 feature-length films, but it is widely reported that only 10 percent of them turn a profit.

"I love making films and I also love watching films. I often think like a viewer. I believe an interesting, cool story will always be fancied by audiences," Hark adds.