The Snow Woman

A wonderful story told so well in this adaptation. It is so much more than a horror story. It is a story of love and compassion but with great sadness. It captures the imagination in a way that the Japanese are true masters at.

I want more of these kind of movies!

Having found the perfect tree for their statue of goddess Kannon, master sculptor Shigetomo (Tatsuo Hananuno) and his young apprentice Yosaku (Akira Ishihama) shelter from a snowstorm in an abandoned shack. During the night, the evil snow woman enters the shack and freezes Shigetomo, but takes a fancy to to Yosaku, sparing his life on the condition that he never speaks of their encounter.

With his master dead, Yosaku is assigned the task of carving the statue of Kannon, but must first wait five years for the wood to be ready; during this time, he meets and falls for pretty Yuki (Shiho Fujimura). At the behest of Shigetomo's dying widow, Yuki agrees to marry Yosaku and the couple are blessed with a son, Tarô (Shin'ya Saitô). However, a jealous bailiff wants Yuki for himself, and threatens to have Yosaku arrested on a trumped up charge unless he can pay a fine. When Yuki is able to raise the money, the bailiff tries to rape the woman instead, unaware that she is, in reality, the snow woman.

Sound familiar? That could be because The Woman of the Snow's traditional ghost story was also used for the second tale in the classic 1964 Japanese horror anthology Kwaidan (although it was cut from the American version to reduce the film's 183 minute runtime to a more manageable 125 minutes). This feature length version of the same tale is very similar to the one in Kwaidan... a tragic, poetic, slow-burner with superb cinematography, excellent performances and decent special effects; however, even at just 80 minutes, it feels like it is stretched awfully thin.

If you have your heart set on watching just one film version of the story, I would fast-forward to the second tale in Kwaidan: it does the same job, and you'll save yourself twenty minutes or so.

Actually, no. I wouldn't call this a horror movie, but a good drama movie with a paranormal twist in it. Why?

The story is about a Snow woman, a ghost who falls in love with a living man, and this movie is the story about her and the man who are a sculpture-maker.

The story itself is a catching one, i myself ain't intro drama movies but the acting and dialogs, building of the story keeps me interested in what is happening in the movie.

It's good filmed, special effects are also very good and its in its whole a very good movie. But like said, i wouldn't call this a horror movie but a drama movie as first genre, then perhaps some horror elements but i wouldn't place this one under horror.

I recently watched the Japanese film Ghost Story of the Snow Witch (1968) on a streaming service. The plot follows a wood craftsman caught in a snowstorm while searching for the perfect tree. Seeking refuge in an abandoned home, they encounter a witch who kills the craftsman and strikes a deadly deal with the apprentice, promising a return if the pact is ever broken.

Directed by Tokuzô Tanaka (Zatoichi the Fugitive) and featuring performances from Shiho Fujimura (Zatoichi's Cane Sword), Akira Ishihama (Harakiri), Mizuho Suzuki (Akira), and Taketoshi Naitô (Lone Wolf and Cub: Sword of Vengeance).

The portrayal of the witch is remarkably impressive for its time, with intense and well-crafted eyes giving her an almost owl-like appearance at times. 🦉 The witch's allure is gorgeous, even surpassing human form flashback scenes, adds to the film's appeal. The unfolding backstory captivates, and the cinematography, particularly during the era, stands out. The depiction of the snowstorm and landscape shots left a lasting impression. The storyline weaves several intriguing twists until a satisfying conclusion.

In summary, Ghost Story of the Snow Witch offers a unique and engaging witch narrative well worth your time. I'd score this a 7.5-8/10 and strongly recommend it.

This is essentially the same Snow Witch story as told in the well-known Japanese ghost film anthology, "Kwaidan". Here it is extended out into a 75 minute excursion into the supernatural.

A master sculptor and his apprentice are trapped in a bad snow storm after finding a special tree for carving a statue for the local temple. Finding refuge in an abandoned hut they celebrate their luck n finding the tree but soon they are visited by the Snow Witch who freezes the sculptor to death but takes pity on the apprentice. He must promise to never speak of this or she'll return and kill him. Back in town, the apprentice is promoted and given the task of making the statue. A mysterious beautiful woman arrives during a torrential rain storm and quickly falls in love with the apprentice. Soon she comes under the lustful eye of the evil Baliff who controls the town. And so it goes....

While the painterly method this story is told in Kwaidan is well-known and appreciated, here the story is accomplished with very careful lighting effects and lens filters. In some ways this is a much more beautiful telling of the story. Akira Ikufube provides a familiar yet unique score. Aside from a couple of clumsy spots in the script and the actor playing the apprentice underplays his part, this is an excellent film.