Dark Tales of Japan
Original title: Suiyô puremia: sekai saikyô J horâ SP Nihon no kowai yoru
- TV Movie
- 2004
- 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
5.8/10
597
YOUR RATING
Dark Tales of Japan is a collection of five short horror films that are directed by five notable Japanese film directors.Dark Tales of Japan is a collection of five short horror films that are directed by five notable Japanese film directors.Dark Tales of Japan is a collection of five short horror films that are directed by five notable Japanese film directors.
- Directors
- Yoshihiro Nakamura(story "Kowai hanashi, kikitai desu ka?") (story "Kumo-onna")
- Masayuki Ochiai(story "Yokan")
- Takashi Shimizu(story "Kinpatsu kaidan")
- Writers
- Yoshihiro Nakamura(segments Kowai hanashi, kikitai desu ka?, Kumo-onna)
- Masayuki Ochiai(segment Yokan)
- Takashi Shimizu(segment Kinpatsu kaidan)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Featured review
Fun anthology
I'm currently on a roll with Japanese horror anthologies, this being the third one after Ura Horror and Tales of the Unusual in the last two days. I thought this one was pretty fun overall. I'll try to break it down segment by segment.
"Spiderwoman" - dir. Yoshihiro Nakamura The first segment is a cheesy, but rather entertaining chase for a mysterious spiderwoman who only appears in her true form during the night. Not quite scary or surprising, but it's good enough for a start.
"Crevices" - dir. Norio Tsuruta This one was about 5-10 minutes long and I wished it was actually longer. It's similar to Dark Water, but hasn't got enough time to flesh out its main idea. Still, it's a good one, creepy the whole time.
"Sacrifice" - dir. Koji Shiraishi Ah yes, my favorite J-horror director of the moment. His segment is possibly the best one here (bias or no bias), as it inserts some pretty horrific imagery into a plot that revolves around curses and mysterious illnesses, with a duration just long enough to wrap it up effectively.
"Blonde Kaidan" - dir. Takashi Shimizu This one is short like Crevices, but weaker. It's yet another standard ghost story from a director who often tries to replicate his success with Ju-on, with predictably duller results. It's not too terrible given that it's mercifully short, but it's definitely unexceptional.
"Presentiment" - dir. Masayuki Ochiai The last story is a fun one, it follows Teruyuki Kagawa (in a very solid performance) as a nervous businessman stuck in an elevator with 3 mysterious persons. I don't want to spoil it, but it's a worthwhile closer to an entertaining anthology.
So yes, in conclusion, I have to say I rather liked this film; it's definitely not high art, but it's a nice choice if you're looking for horror that doesn't always take itself seriously.
"Spiderwoman" - dir. Yoshihiro Nakamura The first segment is a cheesy, but rather entertaining chase for a mysterious spiderwoman who only appears in her true form during the night. Not quite scary or surprising, but it's good enough for a start.
"Crevices" - dir. Norio Tsuruta This one was about 5-10 minutes long and I wished it was actually longer. It's similar to Dark Water, but hasn't got enough time to flesh out its main idea. Still, it's a good one, creepy the whole time.
"Sacrifice" - dir. Koji Shiraishi Ah yes, my favorite J-horror director of the moment. His segment is possibly the best one here (bias or no bias), as it inserts some pretty horrific imagery into a plot that revolves around curses and mysterious illnesses, with a duration just long enough to wrap it up effectively.
"Blonde Kaidan" - dir. Takashi Shimizu This one is short like Crevices, but weaker. It's yet another standard ghost story from a director who often tries to replicate his success with Ju-on, with predictably duller results. It's not too terrible given that it's mercifully short, but it's definitely unexceptional.
"Presentiment" - dir. Masayuki Ochiai The last story is a fun one, it follows Teruyuki Kagawa (in a very solid performance) as a nervous businessman stuck in an elevator with 3 mysterious persons. I don't want to spoil it, but it's a worthwhile closer to an entertaining anthology.
So yes, in conclusion, I have to say I rather liked this film; it's definitely not high art, but it's a nice choice if you're looking for horror that doesn't always take itself seriously.
helpful•00
- alain-kapel5
- Jan 29, 2024
Details
- Runtime1 hour 32 minutes
- Color
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