Suiyô puremia: sekai saikyô J horâ SP Nihon no kowai yoru

"Dark Tales of Japan" was a DVD I found at Wal-Mart for $5.50, and that seemed like a reasonable deal. It has a few short films on it, and I will give a brief synopsis of them. Overall, the films aren't fantastic (they're made-for-TV quality, short, and have low-grade special effects) but I found them enjoyable just the same.

"Spiderwoman" is the tale of an urban legend about a -- surprise -- spiderwoman. The general story of a journalist tracking her down is pretty good, and it gets decent with the scenes of webbing. But the final reveal is a disappointment, and may have been better off not being in the movie at all.

"Crevices" was possibly the best film on here. It is about an apartment that has all the crevices (cracks, empty spaces) covered up because something or someone is trying to get in. This was enjoyable, and a full-length version of this would have been something like a better version of "Pulse".

"The Sacrifice" was mediocre. The only parts I really enjoyed were the ladies. These are some of the finest women Japan has to offer. The story itself (about a girl cursed because she won't accept a date) is just alright, with a scene involving a big head that I really didn't follow very well.

"Blonde Kwaidan" (Kwaidan means "ghost story") comes from Takashi Shimizu, the creator of "The Grudge", so you'd expect it to be one of the better ones on here. It's just okay. A Japanese man comes to America and is attracted to blonde women. Unfortunately for him, the house he is staying at is haunted by a blonde woman. The plot really made no sense.

"Presentiment" is the longest one on here, and probably second to "Crevices" in quality. A man steals sensitive data from his employer, and becomes trapped in an elevator with three other people only he can see. The basic twist you should catch on to in under 30 seconds, but the very end really makes the film worthwhile. I think it might be too long for what it is, but the suspense and mythology presented are interesting.

REVIEW: DARK TALES FROM JAPAN

Apparently this anthology of horror tales from Japan was "Made for TV"....and it shows. All five main stories (interspersed by a sixth story taking place on a late-night bus) could easily be called "Twilight Zone-esquire" and like that famous TV show, some stories hold up better than others.

"Spiderwoman" (KUMO-ONNA), directed by the writer of "Dark Water" centers on a tabloid reporter who is selling a lot of magazines by reporting on numerous, unconfirmed reports of a lady who is half-spider, who has been terrorizing suburban roads at night. It's pure cheese, and not particularly well-done, but it gets better as it goes along. ** 1/2.

"Crevices" (SUKIMA), by the director of "Ring 0" is much better. After a tenant disappears, the landlord calls the man's friend over to investigate. They find every nook and cranny of the apartment sealed up, along with a video camera of the tenant's final days....Short and to the point. *** 1/2

"Sacrifice" (ONAMAKUBI) is the most developed story of the five. A woman is being stalked by her co-worker, who's obsessed with black magic. At the same time, her mother falls ill...and memories of a giant disembodied head (!) from her childhood plague her memories. Not bad. ***

"Blonde Kaidan" (KINPATSU KAIDAN) is an embarrassment. By the same director as the Ju-on and Grudge films, it's about a Japanese guy visiting Hollywood. Pointless and pathetic. *

"Premonition" (YOKAN) is the only story that could rightfully be called a good movie. Well-done on all levels, it's a macabre story about a dishonest businessman who meets three unusual souls when he is trapped in an elevator. Good from start to finish. **** out of *****.

All in all, there's better Japanese horror out there, but this one is okay as a time-killer.

Dark Tales of Japan is a collection of made-for-TV J-Horror stories, shot by popular Japanese directors. The result is a Twilight Zone style anthology that aims to please those who can't get enough of Japanese ghost films, but unfortunately it fails due to rather cheap production values, poor effects and a lack of genuine scares.

In 'Would You Like To Hear A Scary Tale?' (directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura), which acts as a 'wraparound' story for the whole anthology, a creepy old lady boards a late-night bus and proceeds to tell a scary story to the driver (despite his not being too keen on hearing one). She's obviously a ghost, but isn't the slightest bit frightening.

The Spiderwoman (also by Nakamura), follows a couple of magazine reporters who are writing an article on a mysterious monster that has been repeatedly sighted in the town of Ibaraki. The intrepid investigators track down the creature... and soon wish that they hadn't! A couple of creepy moments and some rather fun dodgy CGI make this tale just about watchable.

Next up is 'Crevices' (directed by Norio 'Ring 0' Tsuruta), in which a young man finds out exactly why a missing friend has plastered his apartment with red tape: it's to keep out the creatures that lurk in the crevices! Lots of creepy atmosphere make this the best of the bunch.

The Sacrifice (directed by Koji Shiraishi) is the title of the third story, and although lacking in scares, it is made watchable by the presence of the gorgeous Yû Yamada who stars as a young woman cursed by a creepy workmate, but who is ultimately saved by her mother (who sacrifices herself to a giant disembodied head with strange eyes!).

Blonde Kwaidan, the low point of the whole film (despite being directed by perhaps the most well known of those involved—Takashi 'The Grudge' Shimizu), is a (mercifully) short story which features a Japanese businessman in Hollywood, who comes face-to-face with a blonde ghost. Yawn!

Before the film is rounded off with another 'scary' story from the ghostly bus-lady seen at the beginning of the film, Masayuki Ochiai (director of the upcoming Shutter remake) delivers the fairly enjoyable Presentiment, in which a trio of ghosts scare the hell out of a poor man trapped in a lift.

The version of this Film that I have is Called "Dark Tales of Japan" Which actually features 5 short horror flicks not 8, and they are all well over 5 minutes long. They include "The Spiderwoman (Kumo Onna) Directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura, "Crevices" (Sukima) Dir by Norio Tsuruta, "The Sacrifice" (Onamakubi) Dir by Koji Shiraishi, Blonde Kwaidan (Kinpatsu Kaidan)-Directed by Takashi Shimizu,& "Presentiment" (Yokan) Dir by Masayuki Ochiai I'm not sure what versions that have in Japan of this, but once again the American title out here is "Dark Tales of Japan. And if you bother to look at the list of directors on this movie, you will see that there are 5, who directed five episodes, so I feel the main review of this film is a bit inaccurate.

Either way, all of the films are very low budget, and silly for the most part. I actually found the last episode in this series "Presentiment" (Yokan) to be the best and most interesting. One thing the review does have right is, if you are looking for a genuine Japanese horror flick, look else where, this will only turn you off from the genre. Its almost as if the directors got together just to poke fun at some of these urban legends. Though there are still some scary parts, and a few jolts here and there.

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.