Daiei Gothic: Japanese Ghost Stories Blu-ray Review

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Radiance Films brings together a collection of three Japanese ghost stories that long historic and cultural reach in Japan and, as can be seen by the filmmakers chosen to be interviewed in the supplements on this collection, have influenced contemporary J-Horror. Daiei Gothic: Japanese Ghost Stories collects three films, The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959) directed by Misumi Kenji (Lone Wolf and Cub), The Snow Woman (1968) directed by Tanaka Tokuzo (Zatoichi) and written by Greek-Irish writer
Lafcadio Hearn (who moved to Japan, steeped himself in Japanese culture, and married a Japanese wife), and The Bride from Hades (1968) known in the U.S. as Peony Lantern, directed by Satsuo Yamamoto (Shinobi).

The three films have one theme in common, which is not unusual for Japanese horror in general. Each film deals with a female ghost wronged in some way that wants normalcy in the physical world or seeks vengeance on the unsuspecting. The first film in the collection, 1958’s The Ghost of Yotsuya, deals with an impoverished samurai who is lured away from his beautiful wife by his Lord’s younger and even more beautiful daughter. When his wife is tragically disfigured and killed, she comes back from the grave to haunt and torment the people responsible.

The Snow Woman follows an expert sculptor and his young apprentice who come across a malevolent witch during a snowstorm, with the master sculptor losing his life. The witch takes on human form, falling in love with the apprentice and marrying, but circumstances cause her to use her powers to kill people around them.

Lastly, in The Bride from Hades, on the night of the Obon festival, the handsome young samurai Shinzaburo Hagiwara helps a beautiful courtesan and her lady in waiting with their lanterns, and he becomes at once smitten with the courtesan. He does no realize that both women are ghost who were wronged by a powerful man and now his life is in danger as he falls under their sway.

Each film in the collection is atmospheric and leans more into the supernatural and what you do not see rather than gore and jump scares. The films are about shadows, light, and psychological terror. The Snow Woman is the most visually striking for its era using rear projection visual effects for lots of stunning transitions that hold up remarkably well today. Any of these films should appeal to viewers who like Japanese classics like Kuroneko, Lady Snowblood, and Kwaidan.

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The Video

Each film in this collection is on its own disc and comes in a 2.35:1 AVC 1080p encodement. They are all appearing on Blu-ray for the first, with The Ghost of Yotsuya being a digital HD transfer. The remaining two films, The Snow Man and The Bride from Hades are 2024 4K digitally restored versions produced by KADOKAWA Corporation and restoration by Imagica Entertainment Media Services, Inc. Even though it is not a new 4K restoration, The Ghost of Yotsuya holds its own looking organic and detailed with excellent grain structure and shadow details. The remaining two films have just a bit thinner grain and continue to have inky blacks and gorgeous colors with superb detail.

The Audio

All three films in this collection come with the original Japanese mono in LPCM 2.0. The sound for each film is good, but there is definitely a lot of audible crackle on louder passages which is unavoidable.

The Supplements

Radiance Films brings in some of the contemporary greats of J-Horror to offer their thoughts on how these films and filmmakers influenced them and Japanese horror. Also, we get one audio commentary for The Bride of Hades. In addition there are the beautiful packaging, reversible sleeves, and 80-page book:

• Limited edition 80-page perfect bound book featuring new writing by authors Tom Mes and Zack Davisson, newly translated archival reviews and ghost stories by Lafcadio Hearn
• Newly designed box and booklet artwork by Time Tomorrow
• Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista

The Ghost of Yotsuya:

Bonus Features:

• Kioyoshi Kurosawa (1080p; 00:19:33) – The master director and J-horror pioneer discusses Kenji Misumi’s film and its lasting influence on Japanese genre cinema. Filmed exclusively for Radiance Films in July 2024.
• The Endless Curse of Oiwa (1080p; 00:22:08) – In this visual essay, Japanese film historian Kyoko Hirano talks about the centuries-long evolution of The Ghost of Yotsuya and the qualities that set Kenji Misumi’s 1959 film version apart.
• Trailer (1080p; 00:01:43)

The Snow Woman:

Bonus Features:

• Masayuki Ochiai (1080p; 00:15:49) – The director of Hypnosis and Shutter discusses The Snow Woman, its origins, and its unusual status among Japanese ghost stories. Filmed exclusively for Radiance Films in June 2024.
• The Haunted Mind of Lafcadio Hearn (1080p; 00:06:46) – In this visual essay, Lafcadio Hearn biographer Paul Murray provides an introduction to the author’s life and work and considers the formative influence of the Gothic on his writing. Created exclusively for Radiance in July 2024.
• Trailer (1080p; 00:02:15)

The Bride from Hades:

Bonus Features:

• Audio Commentary by Jasper Sharp
• Hiroshi Takahashi (1080p; 00:17:39) – The scriptwriter of Ring shares his admiration for Satsuo Yamamoto’s film and discusses the lineage of Japanese ghost stories up to present-day J-Horror. Filmed for Radiance Films in June 2024.
• Trailer (1080p; 00:02:24)

The Final Assessment

An excellent collection of classic Japanese horror with many of the signatures that carry through to horror in Japan to this day. The collection from Radiance Film looks gorgeous and includes beautiful artwork for the packaging, an excellent booklet, and strong interviews. Highly recommended.

Daiei Gothic: Japanese Ghost Stories is out on Blu-ray October 29, 2024 from Radiance Films

Purchase Daiei Gothic: Japanese Ghost Stories on Amazon.com

• Rating Certificate: Unrated
• Studios & Distributors: Shintoho Film Distribution Committee | Daiei Studios | Daiei Kyoto | Radiance Films
• Directors: Nakagawa Nobuo (The Ghost of Yotsuya) | Tanaka Tokuzô (The Snow Woman) | The Bride from Hades (Yamamoto Satsuo)
• Written By: The Ghost of Yotsuya (Ônuki Masayoshi, Ishikawa Yoshihiro, Tsuruya Nanboku) | The Snow Woman ( Lafcadio Hearn, Yahiro Fuji) | The Bride from Hades (San’yûtei Enchô, Yoda Yoshikata)
• Run Time: 261 Mins.
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Video Format: AVC 1080p
• Primary Audio: Japanese LPCM 2.0 Mono
• Subtitles: English
• Street Date: 29 October 2024