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Ghost stories around the world, and international horror cinema has fed into this hunger with classics like Kwaidan and The Orphanage. If you want your supernatural horror icy and atmospheric, then look no further than Rift (Rökkur), waiting to haunt you on Tubi. It’s a 2017 Icelandic queer horror slow-burn that turns a stunning landscape into a place of danger for two exes. Along with some big influence the director took from a horror film of the 1970s, this 2017 supernatural film forces you to confront the horrors that a breakup can unleash.

The story around Isaiah Saxon’s feature debut, “The Legend of Ochi,” took a drastic turn, as so many Hollywood stories did, with this month’s Los Angeles fires. Saxon lost his home in the blaze, and the film’s theatrical release was pushed back. However, having spent years developing and working on the fantasy feature, Saxon is standing steadfastly behind his film and will be present for its Sundance world premiere.

“The Legend of Ochi” is a throwback. Its aesthetics, fantasy elements and a blend of practical and digital effects will be instantly endearing to audiences of a certain age but are modern enough and so well executed as to attract younger audiences weaned on the vfx-heavy fare of more recent decades.

The film tells the story of Yuri, a shy farm in a remote village on the island of Carpathia. Born as the only child to a father who yearned for a son,...

Japanese horror enjoyed an uncommonly strong period in the 1960s, as the country continued to psychologically process its defeat at the end of World War II. Innovative filmmakers drew heavily from traditional folklore, creating a number of horror masterpieces that continue to influence the genre today. Seeds of the J-horror resurgence of the 1990s were planted in that era, and fans of the likes of Ringu or Ju-On series can see shades of those movies in Kwaidan and Jigoku.

One particular film from the era has drawn attention in recent months, thanks to a recommendation from actor Willem Dafoe. Criterion used him in one of their "Closet Picks" promotional pieces, in which a noted performer selects favorite movies from the company's catalogue. Among his choices was the horror movie Onibaba, and the actor revealed that he had once secured the rights to it before deciding that a remake wasn't possible.

Each of the three films included in Radiance’s Daiei Gothic: Japanese Ghost Stories is based on a classic Japanese tale that’s been adapted to film various times over the past century. This speaks to the remarkably timeless and universal nature of the stories, evoking real-life experiences and themes that are common to humans across time and culture.

The earliest film in the set, Misumi Kenji’s Yotsuya Ghost Story, is based on perhaps the most popular kaidan, or ghost story, in Japan. It’s so popular, in fact, that it was also adapted in 1959 by another filmmaker, Nakagawa Nobuo. While that adaptation, The Ghost of Yotsuya, has been more widely available in the West until now, it’s Misumi’s film that veers more radically from the traditional beats of the kaidan, filling in a tale of good and evil with striking layers of ambiguity and feeling.

Where...

Japan has long been a hotbed of great horror, going back to at least the 1960s with classics like Onibaba and Kwaidan. It has evolved over the decades, with the late '90s and early 2000s being a particularly fertile period, seeing the rise of the 'J-horror' movement. This was the era of movies like Ring and Ju-on: The Grudge, which have since become iconic.

Get ready, horror fans! A new series is set to thrill genre enthusiasts later this month. Horror's Greatest, a Shudder Original series, premieres on August 27 and will be a deep dive into the best horror has to offer. From the creators of the hit series The 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments of All Time, Horror's Greatest brings together a gallery of the most knowledgeable and passionate figures from the industry to celebrate the films that have defined and redefined the genre.

The recently released trailer for Horror's Greatest gives us a sneak peek into the films that will be discussed. The lineup includes a diverse range of titles, like Ari Aster's Midsommar, Masaki Kobayashi's Kwaidan, Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, Karyn Kisama's Jennifer's Body, Edgar Wright's Shaun on the Dead, Jordan Peele's Nope and Takashi Miike's Audition. Wow, that is quite the lineup! This selection highlights the...

In 1929, the Academy Awards were established by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to celebrate global excellence in the film industry. While it had its fair share of detractors over the years, the Academy has managed to navigate through the mire of controversies, especially the touchy topic of racial and cultural representation (case in point: #OscarsSoWhite movement), to stay relevant throughout its illustrious history.

Asian Films have been honoured starting with the 19th edition of the Awards when they were first given as a special honorary prize for the Best Foreign Film released in the USA. Nine years later, the prize became a competitive one and a winner was chosen from within a pool of predominantly non-English nominees.

Seven illustrious motion pictures from within Asia have clinched this top honour but many others, some of which are amongst the most iconic of Asian cinema, have been nominated and acknowledged as well.

Fans of Solo Leveling's new anime adaptation may not realize that the series isn't actually based on a Japanese manga, but a Korean manhwa instead. Over the years, Korean comics have seen a boom in popularity, and as a result, there is a variety of different genres and stories making up some of the best manhwa of all time.

Solo Leveling has taken the world by storm, set in a world of hunters with supernatural abilities fighting deadly battles to save the human race. It also has an underdog hero who rises to power and is brave in the face of danger. Fans of Solo Leveling's gripping plot and lovable hero will find many other similar manhwa adaptations are well worth a watch, bringing some of Solo Leveling's best elements and putting their own unique spin on them.

Related The Differences Between Manga, Manhwa, & Manhua, Explained Manga,...

It has been argued that Japan has the world’s greatest cinema scene. It’d be hard to dispute that, given not only the country’s lengthy presence in the world of motion pictures, but also the sheer number of masterpieces that have hailed from this country. Seven Samurai, Shoplifters, The Woman in the Dunes, and Kwaidan are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the incredible slew of motion pictures that have hailed from Japanese filmmakers. When one considers not only the quality of those individual features but also the direct creative influence they had on subsequent masterpieces from all over the world, it truly becomes astonishing to see just how much Japan’s cinema has contributed to the world at large.

Asian horror films have a long history and cultural significance, originating as a creative outlet to comment on societal issues and traumas. The dominance of Japanese horror in the international market began with the success of Ring in 1998, leading to the popularization of other J-Horror films. Asian horror films can offer unique perspectives and storytelling and have the potential to continue influencing the global horror genre in the future.

As many reach the tail end of their Halloween movie marathons, ticking off one classic horror film after another, you would be pretty hard-pressed to find a list of thirty-one stellar scary movies without at least one title originating from Asia. You might even be able to create a list of thirty-one Asian horror films on its own. From Japan’s House (1977) and Ring (1998) to Korea’s A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) and India’s Tumbbad (2018), horror has long been one...

Though there had been earlier efforts, like Ealing Studios’s Dead of Night from 1945, the horror anthology film came into its own in the 1960s with titles like Kobayashi Masaki’s Kwaidan and the Poe-centric Spirits of the Dead from directors Roger Vadim, Louis Malle, and Federico Fellini. Hammer Films’s rival Amicus churned out no fewer than seven of them in a 10-year period starting with Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors. But the one that really got the omnibus rolling was Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath from 1963, an Italian-American co-production that resulted in two different versions of the film.

After the success of 1960’s Black Sunday, American International Pictures took a more active hand in producing several of Bava’s later films, altering them in the process to suit American audiences that tended to skew younger. The Aip cut of Black Sabbath rearranges its three segments, tones down some...

Unlike other genres like fantasy and sci-fi, horror films don't usually exceed a two-hour running time. This is great for someone like me who considers films that long a chore more than a viewing experience. Brevity is the soul of wit, after all, and that most certainly applies to horror movies too. In fact, many of the most spine-chilling stories come from short films, such as Lights Out, Backrooms, or any of Crypt TV's greatest hits. No explanations, no lore, and no need to draw things out any longer than necessary; just a strong concept, an unsettling vibe, and a big scare. That's not to say that all horror films are short, sharp, and to the point; in fact, many horror films that go over 120 minutes are considered some of the best of all time. Maybe it's adapting every part of an especially famous book, like The Shining or...

Kenneth Branagh looks all set to continue his love affair with the world of Agatha Christie this year, with the pending release of A Haunting in Venice, Branagh's third adaptation of Christie's Hercule Poirot detective novels. Christie's most famous crime-solving creation has been played on TV and in film by a host of world-famous actors over the years, including stars of House Hugh Laurie, Alfred Molina, and Albert Finney, who was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in the 1974 version of Murder on the Orient Express.

However, the most successful portrayal was that of David Suchet, who first took on the role for the British TV channel ITV in 1989 and proved so successful with audiences that he went on to play the part for the next quarter-century, retiring only in 2013 after filming 13 series and 70 episodes based on Christie's works, alongside such luminaries of stage and screen as two-time...

Many of the most terrifying and nightmare-inducing horror movies hail from Japan. Nearly every subgenre of horror owes a debt of gratitude to J-horror or Japanese horror films. From found-footage and analog horror to traditional ghost stories and body horror, these films have confronted global audiences with concepts and images that effortlessly bleed into their nightmares.

Most of the best Japanese horror films come from the '90s and the 2000s, which is when J-horror first attained worldwide notoriety through films like Ringu and Ju-on. However, old-school horror hounds who remember Tetsuo: The Iron Man and Kwaidan know that Japanese horror has been infecting nightmares since the mid-20th century. Indeed, while Japanese horror isn't as prominent today as it was in the 2000s, the foundations it laid gave way to contemporary horror concepts and sensibilities. For viewers curious about the history of J-horror - or just looking for their next mind-bending horror fix,...

Kenneth Branagh’s “Haunting in Venice” is a dark, moody ghost story that, no doubt, will draw comparisons to numerous haunted house movies, both classic and contemporary. The film, the third in Branagh’s series of Agatha Christie adaptations, tells the story of detective Hercule Poirot (Branagh) as he investigates the death of a young girl and the belief by her mother (Kelly Reilly) that angry spirits were involved.

For the film’s cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos, there were several classic film inspirations he and Branagh discussed for the film’s look. “We looked at ‘The Innocents’,” Zambarloukos told TheWrap, citing the 1961 feature film starring Deborah Kerr. “We also looked at ‘Kwaidan’, which is a Japanese ghost story,” he said. “They all had a certain eloquence.”

Another major reference, especially considering the belief from those in the movie that a murder has happened, was the 1967 true crime film “In Cold Blood.

Jizo statues are a fascinating part of Japanese folklore. Often sighted near Buddhist temples, graveyards and sometimes on roadsides, they provide protection to travelers and the souls of children and unborn babies. They can be small and unassuming, with friendly faces like a classic Buddha, but sculpted more in the shape of a garden gnome. One such statue can be found in Sayama City on a small modern-day intersection; the statue and adjoining temple have been there for over 300 years, standing as a preserved relic of the Edo era, but the world around it has changed drastically. It sits awkwardly in the road, like a chunky doorstop that wedges open a portal between the past and present; Sayama resident and director Mitsuo Kurihara has built a strange, whimsical story around that very idea with his extravagantly-titled micro-budget feature film, “The Haunted Jizo of Shimo-Mizuno, Sayama City”.

“The Haunted Jizo of Shimo-Mizuno,...

by Cláudio Alves

This month, in the Criterion Channel, there's a spotlight on Kwaidan, the Masaki Kobayashi classic that became the first significant example of Japanese horror to reach international audiences. You can find critic Grady Hendrix exploring the 1964 anthology on the streaming service, but that's far from the only reason you should check it out. Kwaidan collects four ghost stories that, together, form cinematic poetry of ravishing beauty. No wonder Kobayashi's film has entranced The Film Experience for years. Dancin' Dan once wrote about Kwaidan for the Oscar Horrors series, Nathaniel and Juan Carlos discussed it in podcast form, and I highlighted its costuming for an idealized Oscar ballot. 

Still, it's never a wrong time to re-consider Kwaidan, to get lost anew in its visual splendor...

The history of Japanese horror can be traced back hundreds of years. During the Edo period (1603-1868) and Meiji period (1868-1912), a tradition of strange, supernatural tales known as "kaidan" spread through word of mouth, and the countless folktales and urban legends that originated continue to be used as sources of inspiration for Japanese horror cinema. Japanese theater forms of Kabuki and Noh frequently had elements of horror in them and often shared narrative themes of supernaturalism and vengeance. Kabuki theatre was very interactive and theatrical, and Noh theatre was heavily stylized and more commonly included demons and spirits. Much of the imagery in Japanese horror has taken inspiration from kaidan and theatres.

Alena Lodkina’s first feature, “Strange Colours” (2017) took her deep into the Australian outback, to the rough-as-guts opal-mining town of Lightning Ridge, before bringing her to the Venice Film Festival, where the film premiered. It augured a distinctive new mood in Australian cinema – understated but keenly observed; a little sinister – as represented in recent editions of Rotterdam (David Easteal’s “The Plains”; James Vaughan’s “Friends & Strangers”) and Cannes (Thom Wright’s “The Stranger”).

Her second feature, produced by Kate Laurie at Arenamedia and funded by Screen Australia, VicScreen, the Melbourne International Film Festival Premiere Fund, Sbs, and Orange Entertainment, takes its bow at the 75th Locarno Film Festival.

In the evasively-titled “Petrol,” the Russian-born filmmaker turns her gaze towards the city she calls home: the film ascribes a certain kind of decadent mystique to Melbourne, where Lodkina has lived for the last 10 years. “You don’t see cities portrayed in Australia that much,...

H.P. Lovecraft's novella, "At the Mountains of Madness," is no stranger to rejection. Initially pitched to the sci-fi magazine "Weird Tales" in 1931, it was rejected by the publisher for being too long. Several decades later, filmmaker and horror auteur Guillermo del Toro has been trying to adapt this same story about an ambitious team of arctic explorers into a feature film, but he's long had troubles convincing major studios to back it. To some, it would seem that the big screen is just not in the cards for this particular Lovecraftian excursion, but del Toro hasn't given up hope just yet.

"At the Mountains...

The post Guillermo del Toro Has Been Fighting to Adapt This Book for 15 Years appeared first on /Film.

[Trigger warning: Q&a includes references to Sa.] A bold and powerful short film about using the powers of imagination and creativity to escape real-life horrors that no one should ever have to experience, Grummy is one of the most successfully funded short films in Kickstarter history. With Grummy now available to watch in its entirety for free on YouTube (trigger warning: video includes references to Sa), we caught up with the film's writers and directors, Micheline Pitt and R.H. Norman, in a new Q&a feature to discuss the importance of making Grummy to help other survivors of abuse, working with the movie's talented cast and crew, and the vital steps you can take to help support victims of abuse in real life.

Thank you for taking the time to answer questions for us, Micheline and R.H., and congratulations on your new short film, Grummy. Micheline, I understand that Grummy is a very personal story about...

Japanese horror, or J-horror, has been around for decades, with classics such as Onibaba and Kwaidan being released in the 1960s, and more modern examples such as Ring and Ju-On: The Grudge being released in 1998 and 2002 respectively. With the release of these Japanese horror classics came American remakes of both, and although there is much dispute over which is better, original or remake, there is no doubt that J-horror is truly terrifying.

Related: Every American Japanese Horror Remake, Ranked Worst To Best

J-horrors seem to be created in a very different way, usually adopting the less-is-more approach, and consistently prove that it's what the viewers don't see that is much scarier than what they do.

by Nathaniel R

Have you either of these classics of mid 60s international cinema? In one of the strangest timetables in Oscar history, both of these two film's leading ladies were honored with Best Actress Oscar nominations but neither in the year their film was honored:  Sophia Loren (Marriage Italian Style) was nominated for Best Actress in 1964; Ida Kaminska (The Shop on Main Street) was nominated for Best Actress in 1966; inbetween those Oscar years the films themselves were nominated for Best Foreign Language Film of 1965 (now called Best International Feature Film).  

I was thrilled to rejoin Juan Carlos Ojano on "One Inch Barrier" to discuss 1965's Best international race, a strong vintage, which also included the family drama Blood on the Land (Greece), the very horny Dear John (Sweden), and the supernatural Kwaidan (Japan). We discuss Best Actress, Oscar's resistance to Asian cinema, sex in cinema, and Sophia Loren's magnetism.

Probably the most “serious” film Miike has shot lately among the raving madness of productions like “The Mole Song” and “Yakuza Apocalypse”, “Over Your Dead Body” stands apart for two other reasons. The protagonist is the famous kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo XI, and the script is based on the quintessential Japanese horror tale of “The Ghost Story of Yotsuya” (Yotsuya Kaidan), although Miike’s style had a definite say in the final outcome.

The film follows a theatre troupe as they rehearse a play where a samurai seduces a woman and then murders her disapproving father, in order to inherit his estate. However, when he is offered the granddaughter of another wealthy man, his true colors are disclosed to his wife, who eventually returns as a ghost to hunt him. In actual life within the movie, the female star of the film named Miyuki Goto has pulled...

This article contains Mass Effect Legendary Edition spoilers.

BioWare has published an extensive report about player choices in Mass Effect Legendary Edition, and they reveal (among other things) that a lot of you really don’t like Kaidan and felt that he needed to be the one to die on Virmire.

Before we dive into that part of the report, though, it should be said that the entire infographic breakdown is actually quite interesting. For instance, this section reveals that the average player-created Shepard is a male soldier who was an Earthborn survivor. Based on what we’ve seen in other RPG character creation reports, none of that information is that surprising.

There are a few surprises found throughout the stat sheet, though. For instance, a shocking 93% of Mass Effect players chose to save the Rachni Queen and then ally themselves with the Rachni Queen in Mass Effect 3. It would...

Masaki Kobayashi’s six-part adaptation of the book by Jumpei Gomikawa may be the most ambitious, most truthful film about the big-picture reality of war. Idealist Tatsuya Nakadai thinks he can avoid complicity in human evil by volunteering as a civilian to manage a work camp in occupied Manchuria, only to find that he’s expected to starve and torture Chinese slave laborers. Resistance leads to his conscription in a brutal boot camp, and his deployment on the Northern front as the Russians invade leads to an extended struggle to survive amid mounting horrors. There’s no escape: the ‘human condition’ is that barbarity is a given, a constant. It’s nine hours of suffering that can change one’s world view.

The Human Condition

Blu-ray

The Criterion Collection 480

1959-61 / B&w / 2:39 anamorphic widescreen / 575 min. / Ningen no jôken / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date June 8, 2021 / 59.95

Starring: Tatsuya Nakadai,...

Masaki Kobayashi is one of the most internationally recognized Japanese directors of his era, with many of his films still receiving continued and undiminished critical acclaim. The ghost anthology “Kwaidan”, the samurai films “Samurai Rebellion” and “Harakiri” and the anti-war epic “The Human Condition” are some of his films to remain highly regarded. In 1956, Kobayashi tackled the businesslike nature of Japan’s sports industry in a film with an extremely provoking title: “I Will Buy You”.

Daisuke Kishimoto is a talent scout working for the professional baseball team Toyo Flowers. He is sharp, no-nonsense and relentless in his ways to acquire new players for the team. His latest target is a promising pitcher, but the assignment fails when he finds out that the promising talent is recovering from losing a finger in an accident at the factory he works in. Kishimoto’s character is revealed further when...

In the district of the Mino Mountains, the locals believe that there is a legendary female spirit who comes out at night and kills anyone who’s unfortunate enough to lay eyes on her. This horror folktale of the snow woman was also one of the four stories told in Masaki Kobayashi’s “Kwaidan” (StrangeTales) from 1965.

Yosaku is an orphan, an apprentice who works for master sculptor Shigetomo. The movie starts off with them looking for a suitable tree to carve a statue of the goddess of mercy for their temple. However, they’re caught in a snow storm on their back prompting them to take refuge in a rundown cabin. During the night, the evil snow spirit pays them a visit and freezes the old sculptor to death. Being enchanted by Yosaku’s innocence looks, she spares his life but on the promise that he has to keep the encounter a secret.

Since the last round up 6 more countries have announced Oscar submissions bringing the total of competing films to 43.

Belgium - Working Girls  A drama about three women from France crossing the border daily to Belgium for sex work Indonesia - Impetigore (previously discussed) Usually there's a random horror movie somewhere in the submission list but this year we have not one but two Asian horror movies (the other is Roh/Soul from Malaysia). The only horror movie we can think of to be successfully nominated in this category was a very long time ago with Japan's Kwaidan (1964).  Iran - Sun Children (previously discussed)  Kenya - The Letter This is the first time Kenya has submitted a documentary (the nomination for Honeyland last year seems to have embolded various countries to send docs as it looks like there will be more of them than usual this year) Lesotho -This is Not a Burial,...

Get ready for spooky season with HBO Max. The streamer launched "Halloween is Here," a spotlight page bringing together all your favorite spooky, scary, chilling and thrilling Halloween films and series for easy streaming. The "Halloween is Here" page will be available on HBO Max for the entire month of October, featuring a rotating roster of movies, series and Halloween-themed TV episodes, hand-picked by HBO Max's dedicated editorial team and grouped in themes like Terrifying TV, Scares for All Ages, Foreign Frights and Creepy Cult Classics. HBO Max will boast over 140 curated movies and episodes, coming to over 300 hours of Halloween related programming on any given day to keep you entertained all month long.

Hit horror movies you won't want to stream alone like The Invisible Man, Us, It: Chapter 2, and Doctor Sleep, creepy cult classics Night of the Living Dead, Eraserhead and Scanners, and psychological thrillers like The Haunting,...

Conan is making a comeback, this time on a streaming service. Netflix is currently developing a Conan the Barbarian TV show, which will center on the classic character created by Robert E. Howard in live-action. While details remain somewhat scarce at the moment, this series could be just the beginning of a new franchise at Netflix.

According to a new report, Fredrik Malmberg and Mark Wheeler's Pathfinder Media has made a deal with Netflix to produce the Conan the Barbarian TV series. It is also said to be the first in a deal with Conan Properties International. Under the deal, Netflix has the exclusive rights to obtain the rights to the entire Conan library. This would mean that the company could develop further movies and TV shows, both of the animated and live-action variety, should they so choose.

For now, they have this first project to focus on. No...

Exclusive: Netflix has put in development an epic live-action series based on Conan, the iconic sword-and-sorcery character created by writer Robert E. Howard, I have learned.

I hear the project, from Fredrik Malmberg and Mark Wheeler’s Pathfinder Media, is the first in a deal between Netflix and Conan Properties International, owned by Malmberg’s Cabinet Entertainment. The pact gives Netflix the exclusive option to acquire rights to the Conan literary library and develop works across TV and film, both live-action and animated.

The move would fit into Netflix’s strategy of acquiring globally recognizable IP to build an universe of films and TV series, including Roald Dahl’s novels, The Chronicles of Narnia books and comics publisher Millarworld.

A search is currently underway for a writer/showrunner to pen the Conan adaptation and director to helm the project. Malmberg and Wheeler will serve as executive producers on the potential series through their Pathfinder Media.

Based on four ghost stories from books of Lafcadio Hearn, Masaki Kobayashi’s first effort in the genre and in color film was a huge success, netting him the Special Jury Prize at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival and an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Eureka presents the film in its uncut, 183-minute-version, in a rather impressive 2K digital restoration.

The first part, titled “The Black Hair” revolves around an impoverished samurai, who, tired of being poor, abandons his wife who loved him passionately, for a woman of higher statute and wealth. However, soon he comes across his new wife’s cruelty and begins missing his first wife’s love. Alas, when he finally manages to return, he is met with the worst fate of all.

This part has a highly didactic tone, about the benefits of loyalty and the blights of blind ambition. However,...

Masaki Kobayashi’s striking collection of Japanese ghost tales, on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK, in a Limited Edition Set

Eureka Entertainment to release “Kwaidan,” Masaki Kobayashi’s ambitious anthology of Japanese ghost tales, on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK, presented from a 2K digital restoration. Available from 27 April 2020 as part of The Masters of Cinema Series in a Limited Edition Set of only 3000 copies, featuring a Hardbound Case and 100-page Collector’s Book.

Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes, “Kwaidan” features four nightmarish tales adapted from Lafcadio Hearn’s classic Japanese ghost stories about mortals caught up in forces beyond their comprehension when the supernatural world intervenes in their lives: “The Black Hair”, “The Woman of the Snow”, “Hoichi the Earless”, and “In a Cup of Tea”.

Breathtakingly photographed entirely on hand-painted sets, the film is an abstract...

A love letter to the classic genre films of the ’70s and ’80s, writer-director Jacob Perrett‘s horror anthology Weird Tales comes to DVD and VOD May 12 from Wild Eye Releasing. Don’t miss out on stories that will chill your bones. A group of teens go searching for a missing body, a babysitter is stalked …

The post Official Trailer** True Terror Awaits in Weird Fiction appeared first on Hnn | Horrornews.net.

Synopsis

Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes, Kwaidan features four nightmarish tales adapted from Lafcadio Hearn’s classic Japanese ghost stories about mortals caught up in forces beyond their comprehension when the supernatural world intervenes in their lives: “The Black Hair”, “The Woman of the Snow”, “Hoichi the Earless”, and “In a Cup of Tea”.

Breathtakingly photographed entirely on hand-painted sets, the film is an abstract wash of luminescent colours from another world. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present the complete 183-minute original Japanese cut of Masaki Kobayashi’s masterpiece on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK.

Special features

Limited Edition Hardbound Slipcase [3000 copies]

A 100-page Perfect Bound Illustrated Collector’s book featuring reprints of Lafcadio Hearn’s original ghost stories; a survey of the life and career of Masaki Kobayashi by Linda Hoaglund; and a wide ranging interview with the...

Baby Firefly, Otis Driftwood, and Captain Spaulding will be causing mayhem on Shudder just in time for Valentine's Day on Thursday, February 13th. Also in today's second Horror Highlights: details on Pixel Elixir's Weird Tales from Little China shirt and art print, as well as release details for Verotika and Atomic Apocalypse.

3 From Hell's Shudder Premiere Details: "Shudder, AMC Networks’ premium streaming service for horror, thriller and the supernatural, announced today that 3 from Hell, the blood-soaked new chapter in director Rob Zombie’s vicious “Rejects” trilogy, will premiere on the service Thursday, February 13. Shudder is the exclusive streaming home to the latest in Zombie’s popular film series which began with 2003’s House of 1000 Corpses and continued with The Devil’s Rejects in 2005.

A firestorm of murder, madness, and mayhem will be released in this terror ride to Hell and back. After barely surviving a furious shootout with the police,...

“Daimajin” by Kimiyoshi Yasuda stretches the genre borders and creates a well-aged drama about a big boy.

Being the first installment of a trilogy of which all movies have been shot at the same time, but were released a year apart, “Daimajin” resembles the trend of telling a Kaiju story in an Edo setting. The Japanese production company Diaei combines classic elements of the chanbara genre with the equally popular monster category.

Getting into the first 60 minutes of the plot, the movie goes into a totally different direction and does not feel like a monster movie at all. We are introduced to a political drama about a royal family that is torn apart by a coup. The heirs and their guardian have to flee to the mountains, where they hide for 10 years before they return to their home to free the people from a barbaric tyrant. That’s it for the sword fighting aspect.

Released in 2000 and celebrated by international-horror nerds via videotapes passed around like viruses, Takashi Shimizu’s Ju-on helped usher in a wave of modern Japanese creepfests that slowly made their way west. The title translated as something like “The Curse”; it would eventually be better known as The Grudge. Along with 1998’s The Ring, the film (and the numerous related series, sequels, quasi-remakes, and brand-name bastardizations) was the most recognizable ambassador for a genre folks dubbed J-Horror. By the time Sam Raimi and producer Roy Lee enlisted Shimizu and noted...

With early films like Ugetsu and Kwaidan, the state of modern Japanese horror was foreshadowed decades ago. By that, horror in Japan was set out to scare through tales that revere the past. This is why so many of the genre's films have to do with ghosts and folklore.

Related: The 10 Best Asian Horror Movies

Culturally speaking, what scares the average Japanese person might not be the same thing that frightens a Western viewer. Regardless, fear is universal. And through the lens of Japanese culture, we can better understand what unnerves its citizens. Taking all this information into account, there are Japanese horror movies that will leave everyone terrified.

Updated on August 10th, 2020: The scariest in J-horror cannot be limited to only ten movies, though, so an additional five have been added to this creepy collection of terror tales from Japan.

With early films like Ugetsu and Kwaidan, the state of modern Japanese horror was foreshadowed decades ago. By that, horror in Japan was set out to scare through tales that revere the past. This is why so many of the genre's films have to do with ghosts and folklore.

Related: The 10 Best Asian Horror Movies

Culturally speaking, what scares the average Japanese person might not be the same thing that frightens a Western viewer. Regardless, fear is universal. And through the lens of Japanese culture, we can better understand what unnerves its citizens. Taking all this information into account, here are ten Japanese horror movies that will terrify you.

Tomorrow sees the release of Kwaidan, the sophomore release from electronic band Alone in the Woods. This is a group we’ve spoken about previously on Dread Central and we’re thrilled to help announce their new album, which we’ve heard and absolutely love. For those unaware, Alone in the Woods is the brainchild of Tiger Labs […]

The post Alone In The Woods New Album Kwaidan Comes Out Tomorrow appeared first on Dread Central.

[Editor’s Note: The following article contains spoilers from “The Terror: Infamy” Episode 2, “All the Demons Are Still in Hell.”]

Jordan Peele’s groundbreaking 2017 film “Get Out” uses horror tropes to highlight the real-life gruesomeness of racism in America. And although “The Terror: Infamy” wasn’t directly inspired by that film, showrunner Alexander Woo acknowledges that viewers might deem the projects similar.

“I think it’s not an unfair comparison. ‘Get Out’ is a terrific movie… I think it does make you feel — if you are not — like someone who is a black person surrounded by a bunch of white people,” said Woo. “For only two hours, you get a sense of the isolation and the alienation you might feel.”

AMC’s “The Terror: Infamy” is a period drama that tells the WWII story of Japanese American internment through the lens of Japanese horror, specifically, the Japanese ghost stories known as kaidan.

“We’re hopefully trying to accomplish something very similar: that you’re inside the shoes or inside the...

While “Hereditary” introduced Ari Aster as one seriously brilliant and twisted genre auteur, “Midsommar” had some fans concerned for his mental health. During a candid and often funny Reddit Ama (Ask Me Anything), the new reigning king of “elevated horror” (along with “Get Out” director Jordan Peele) hinted at some potential themes for his next projects, and his answer may come as a surprise to anyone familiar with his work. When asked whether Aster would ever consider making a comedy, the director replied with an enthusiastic: “Yes. And hopefully very soon.”

“Next one will either be a zonky nightmare comedy or a big, sickly domestic melodrama,” he added. “It might take me a few movies before I wind back around to [horror], but I love horror and I’m sure I’ll be back.”

Whether zonky comedy or sickly melodrama, Aster did promise to continue with at least one recurring theme:...

Jack Reynor, who recently starred in A24’s “Midsommar,” makes his directorial debut with the short film “Bainne.”

The film’s trailer, which debuted Thursday, shares a brief glimpse into Reynor’s vision, featuring black and white footage of actor Will Poulter in ominous conditions, set in the Irish countryside during the great famine.

“I’m really proud of it, you know. It was my first opportunity to really get on the camera and to design my own shot list, to think about the composition of a frame and everything that I could use within it to say something,” Reynor recently told Variety’s Marc Malkin on the “The Big Ticket” podcast.

“Right off the back of ‘Midsommar,’ I came home and then went into production,” the actor recalled, saying that the film was a “personal one” for him.

Reynor also wrote the film, which was inspired by his love of Japanese cinema,...

Dead of Night

Blu ray

Kino Lorber

1945 / 1.33 : 1 / 102 Min.

Starring Mervyn Johns, Michael Redgrave, Googie Withers

Cinematography by Douglas Slocombe

Directed by Basil Dearden, Alberto Cavalcant, Charles Chrichton, Robert Hamer

Anthology films have been a reliable Hollywood staple since D.W. Griffith’s time-traveling Intolerance and Paramount’s depression-era dramedy If I Had a Million. The short story format has proved especially popular with horror movie fans who prefer their thrills lean, mean and straight to the point.

That humble subgenre contains multitudes – from Masaki Kobayashi‘s elegant Kwaidan to the comic book stylings of Freddie Francis’s Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors to the state of the art shocker Nightmare Cinema – but the great-granddaddy of them all is surely the 1945 classic from Britain’s Ealing Studios – Dead of Night.

Mervyn Johns, the eternal Everyman, plays Walter Craig, a restoration expert whose newest project – a provincial manor called “Pilgrim’s...

Masaki Kobayashi’s 1965 anthology of spooky Japanese folk tales could be considered the Nipponese answer to Ealing’s Dead of Night. Shot in scope with a ravishing color scheme, the movie is more lyrical than frightening though the third segment, Hoichi the Earless, manages to be both nerve wracking and sardonically funny.

The post Kwaidan appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

(Welcome to Now Stream This, a column dedicated to the best movies streaming on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and every other streaming service out there.) There’s a long holiday weekend coming up. You know what that means? If you answered “It’s time to go outside and spend time with friends and family!”, get the hell out of […]

The post Now Stream This: ‘Barton Fink’, ‘Halloween’, ‘The Perfection’, ‘Kwaidan’, ‘Three Days of the Condor’ and More appeared first on /Film.

BAMcinématek is hosting a 10-film series exploring Japanese art and folklore post World War II called Ghosts and Monsters: Postwar Japanese Horror starting this Friday, October 26th through November 1st. Also in today's Highlights: Dermot Mulroney joins the cast of Trick and an interview with Ted Welch and Chris Blake from All Light Will End.

Ghosts and Monsters: Postwar Japanese Horror Screening Details: "From Friday, October 26 through Thursday, November 1, BAMcinématek presents Ghosts and Monsters: Postwar Japanese Horror, a series of 10 films showcasing two strands of Japanese horror films that developed after World War II: kaiju monster movies and beautifully stylized ghost stories from Japanese folklore.

The series includes three classic kaiju films by director Ishirô Honda, beginning with the granddaddy of all nuclear warfare anxiety films, the original Godzilla (1954—Oct 26). The kaiju creature features continue with Mothra (1961—Oct 27), a psychedelic tale of a gigantic prehistoric and long dormant moth larvae...

Both a landmark and a source of much controversy, “Hiroshima” is one of those films where the background is as significant as the picture itself. Let us take things from the beginning, by quoting Joseph Anderson and Donald Richie’s “The Japanese Film”. “In 1953, the Japan Teachers Union decided to go in with Kaneto Shindo and make a film version of the bestselling “Children of the Atom Bomb” (Genbaku no Ko) by Arata Osada. Shindo made a faithful film version, using the name of the book, and showed the aftermath of the bomb without any vicious polemic. (…) The Union was not at all satisfied, saying that he had “made [the story] into a tear-jerker and destroyed its political orintation.” They decided to back another version which would this time “genuinely to help to fight to preserve peace.” They found their man in Hideo Sekigawa, who turned out “Hiroshima”. (…) The picture was financially...