Daiei Gothic: Japanese Ghost Stories: Limited Edition – Radiance Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Japan, 1959 (The Ghost of Yotsuya), Japan, 1968 (The Snow Woman, The Bride from Hades)
Directors: Kenji Misumi (The Ghost of Yotsuya), Tokuzo Tanaka (The Snow Woman), Satsuo Yamamoto (The Bride from Hades)
Cast: Kazuo Hasegawa, Yasuko Nakada, Yôko Uraji, Mieko Kondô, Jôji Tsurumi, Narutoshi Hayashi, Hideo Takamatsu, Chieko Murata (The Ghost of Yotsuya), Shiho Fujimura, Akira Ishihama, Machiko Hasegawa, Taketoshi Naitô, Mizuho Suzuki, Fujio Suga, Yoshirô Kitahara, Sachiko Murase, Masao Shimizu, Izumi Hara, Jutarô Kitashiro (The Snow Woman), Kôjirô Hongô, Miyoko Akaza, Mayumi Ogawa, Kô Nishimura, Takashi Shimura, Michiko Ôtsuka, Atsumi Uda, Takamaru Sasaki, Kôichi Mizuhara, Saburô Date (The Bride from Hades)

Release Date: October 28th, 2024 (UK), October 29th, 2024 (USA)
Approximate running times: 83 minutes 29 Seconds (The Ghost of Yotsuya), 79 minutes 32 Seconds (The Snow Woman), 88 minutes 35 Seconds (The Bride from Hades)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: 15 (UK), NR (USA)
Sound: LPCM Mono Japanese (All Films)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region A,B
Retail Price: £37.49 (UK), $79.95 (USA)

"A collection of three of Japan's most famous ghost stories that have haunted people for centuries. Kenji Misumi (Lone Wolf and Cub) directs The Ghost of Yotsuya, in which a woman returns from the grave as a horribly disfigured phantom to torment her husband and his new bride. In The Snow Woman, directed by Tokuzo Tanaka (Zatoichi), a woodcutter must keep his oath to a vengeful female spirit or pay the ultimate price. The Bride from Hades by Satsuo Yamamoto (Shinobi) sees a handsome samurai so enchanted by a courtesan's beauty that he fails to realise she is a ghost. These three film versions from the Daiei studio form a pinnacle of atmospheric Japanese horror. Their elegant visuals and ominous shadows rival the best of Terence Fisher or Mario Bava, while their iconic female ghosts would greatly influence Asian genre cinema, from Hong Kong fantasy spectacles such as A Chinese Ghost Story to  J-horror.” - Synopsis provided by the Distributor

Video: 3.75/5 (The Ghost of Yotsuya), 4.5/5 (The Snow Woman), 4.25/5 (The Bride from Hades)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "The Ghost of Yotsuya, The Snow Woman and The Bride from Hades were restored in 4K by Kadokawa Corporation."

The Ghost of Yotsuya comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 34 GB

Feature: 23.9 GB

The Snow Woman comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 29.3 GB

Feature: 22.8 GB

The Bride from Hades comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 30.8 GB

Feature: 25.4 GB

The sources for all of these films are in great shape; colors look very good, image clarity and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and the image retains an organic look. That said, The Ghost of Yotsuya has a few moments where colors dramatically shift.

Audio: 4/5

Each film comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in Japanese with removable English subtitles. All audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. Range-wise, though limited, ambient sounds are well-represented.

Extras:

Extras for The Ghost of Yotsuya include reversible cover art, a theatrical trailer (1 minute 43 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a video essay on the history and adaptations of the classic Ghost of Yotsuya story by author Kyoko Hirano titled The Endless Curse of Oiwa (22 minutes 8 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and an interview with filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa (19 minutes 33 seconds, LPCM stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles).

Extras for The Snow Woman include reversible cover art, a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 16 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), a video essay on author Lafcadio Hearn titled The Haunted MInd of Lafcadio Hearn (6 minutes 47 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), and an interview with filmmaker Masayuki Ochiai (15 minutes 50 seconds, LPCM stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles).

Extras for The Bride from Hades include reversible cover art, a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 24 seconds, LPCM mono Japanese with removable English subtitles), an interview with filmmaker Hiroshi Takahashi (17 minutes 39 seconds, LPCM stereo Japanese with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with author Jasper Sharp.

Other extras include six postcards featuring original archive imagery from the films, and an 80-page perfect bound book with cast & crew information for each film, an essay titled The Sword and the Shadow written by Tom Mes, an essay titled The Haunting of Japan written by Zack Davisson, an archival review of The Ghost of Yotsuya written by Mami Ogura, an archival review of The Snow Woman, an archival review of The Bride from Hades written by Haruo Kosuge, a short story titled Yuki-Onna written by Lafcadio Hearn with a new introduction by Paul Murray, a short story titled A Passional Karma written by Lafcadio Hearn with a new introduction by Paul Murray, and information about the transfers.

Summary:

The Ghost of Yotsuya: A woman horribly disfigured ghost torments her husband and his new bride.

Kenji Misumi directed The Ghost of Yotsuya. He is also known for directing The Tale of Zatoichi, Devil's Temple, Wandering Fugitive Sword, Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance and Hanzo the Razor: Sword of Justice. The Ghost of Yotsuya is an adaptation of Tsuruya Nanboku IV's Kabuki play Ghost Story of Yotsuya. Other film adaptations of Ghost Story of Yotsuya are Nobuo Nakagawa's Ghost of Yotsuya, Shirō Toyoda’s Illusion of Blood, and Kinji Fukasaku's Crest of Betrayal.

The Ghost of Yotsuya is a period-set horror film that’s rooted in revenge with some melodrama thrown in for good measure. The narrative revolves around a samurai named Iemon Tamiya who is happily married to a beautiful woman. A plan is set in motion to get rid of his wife when the daughter of a fluent man falls in love with Iemon Tamiya. Things do not go as planned when his wife's ghost returns and exacts her vengeance.

From a performance standpoint, the entire cast is great in the roles, especially Yasuko Nakada's (Rodan) portrayal of Iemon Tamiya’s wife. She delivers an excellent performance that perfectly captures the essence of hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Kazuo Hasegawa’s (An Actor’s Revenge) portrayal of Iemon Tamiya, a tragic hero, is another performance of note.

Though The Ghost of Yotsuya is a film that fits firmly into the horror genre, the result is a deliberate, paced narrative that focuses more on its characters. The first hour of the narrative establishes characters and lays out their motivations. And it is not until the last 20 minutes when the horror elements come into play. That said, once the horror elements arrive, it more than makes up for the slowness that precedes it.

Content wise, The Ghost of Yotsuya is an inventive twist that deviates greatly from the familiar story. And though it deviates away from its source, these changes do not affect The Ghost of Yotsuya’s potency. That said, The Ghost of Yotsuya’s greatest asset is its bloody finale, where its protagonist, Iemon Tamiya, is driven to madness. Ultimately, The Ghost of Yotsuya is a well-made horror film that fans of Japanese ghost story films should thoroughly enjoy.

The Snow Woman: A sculpture’s apprentice falls in love with a witch he met in a snowstorm.

Tokuzo Tanaka directed The Snow Woman. His other notable films are Scar of Honor, Killer Whale, and The Betrayal. The Snow Woman was adapted from the short story Yuki-Onna written by Lafcadio Hearn. Many Japanese films have featured Lafcadio Hearn’s Yuki-Onna, notably Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan.

Anyone familiar with Japanese folklore is sure to recognize the story of Yuki-onna (the snow woman). This type of character, a spirit or supernatural entity, is a staple of Japanese horror cinema. Though there are variants of Yuki-onna, the core of her tales is that she visits travelers trapped in a snowstorm.

There’s something foreboding about isolated areas in snow-covered landscapes. Two travelers seek refuge from the snowstorm and find a place to spend the night in the opening moments of The Snow Woman. While they sleep, one of them notices someone entering their place of refuge, and what appears to be a woman turns out to be something else. This opening setup does a phenomenal job laying the foundation; it is a tense moment that foreshadows what follows.

As good as all of the performances are, they all pale in comparison to Shiho Fujimura’s (Return of Daimajin) ethereal portrayal of Yuki. Though the most memorable moments are when she’s the snow woman; that’s not to say that the moments where the character appears more human than spirit are not as compelling. Another performance of note is Akira Ishihama’s (Orgies of Edo) portrayal of Yosaku, the sculptor apprentice seduced by the snow woman.

At just under 80 minutes in length, The Snow Woman covers a lot of ground. The narrative moves at a good momentum that gives key moments an ample amount of time to resonate. Despite being known as a horror film, The Snow Woman bookends its moments of horror, with the middle section being more of a melodrama. Another strength is how visuals and sound fuse to create a menacing mood. Ultimately, though The Snow Woman is not the most famous adaptation of Yuki-Onna, it is a solid film that fans of Japanese supernatural horror should thoroughly enjoy.

The Bride from Hades: A man becomes infatuated with a beautiful courtesan, only to discover that she is a ghost.

Satsuo Yamamoto directed The Bride from Hades. He is also known for Shinobi: Band of Assassins, Shinobi: Revenge, Zatoichi the Outlaw, and August Without Emperor.

In the opening setup, the protagonist's refusal to marry his brother's widow causes a rift between him and his father, who disowns him. From there, the protagonist goes out into the world and creates the life he wants, not the one his father wanted for him. When the protagonist encounters two women by the riverbank during a festival, there’s a tonal shift away from melodrama to horror. That said, The Bride from Hades is a film that fits firmly into the horror genre, despite slowly weaving horror elements into the mix.

In moments of horror, unsettling moments prevail instead of jump scares. Most of the horror comes from supernatural elements; this is especially notable when the two women shift from looking earthly to ghostly. In the finale, the two characters' greed leads to the most brutal moments of bloodshed and carnage.

When it comes to the performances, the cast is all very good in the roles; Kôjirô Hongô (Karate for Life) in the role of the protagonist delivers a convincing portrayal of a man blinded by love. The most memorable performance is Miyoko Akaza (Violent Streets) in the role of Otsuyu, a ghost that the protagonist falls in love with. She delivers a superb performance that steals every moment she’s in.

Despite its tonal shift, there are never any issues when it comes to pacing. The narrative constructs a compelling story; it builds momentum effectively toward an exceptional finale. Another strength are the visuals, which are filled with symbolism and are very effective at creating atmosphere. Ultimately, The Bride from Hades is a solid film that fans of Japanese supernatural horror should thoroughly enjoy.

Daiei Gothic: Japanese Ghost Stories is an exceptional release from Radiance Films; all three films have strong audio/video presentations and informative extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer