Yôkai hyakumonogatari

THE HUNDRED MONSTERS is a very bizarre little Japanese film and the first part of a 'YOKAI MONSTERS' trilogy. These films were remembered in the new millennium when none other than Takashi Miike directed his own version of the story (THE GREAT YOKAI WAR). Like other period monster flicks from Japan in the 1960s such as DAIMAJIN, THE HUNDRED MONSTERS feels very much like a traditional samurai movie with added monster action.

The story is a simple and familiar one about some ruthless property developers kicking a bunch of worthwhiles out of their homes. Even worse, they destroy a sacred shrine in the process. This storyline could be told in any country or era, but at least the characters are sufficiently interesting to keep viewers watching. And then we have the monsters, which are among the most bizarre ever filmed. I can't really describe them here, but there's stuff that'll have your jaw dropping, particularly the umbrella monster. A mix of practical and visual effects combine very well to create some fantastic scenes that certainly stick in the mind.

Definitely a movie of quite noticeable ups and downs.

To start with the cons/get through the negatives first, it's a bit of a slog at times thanks to pacing issues, the story is unfocused, and there's not enough monster shenanigans.

The pros are that when the monsters do appear on screen, they're a lot of fun, and the effects are quite creative. It's also anti-landlord, which is always good to see, and there are a few very visually appealing and eerie shots here and there.

Plus, the final 15 minutes does admittedly go pretty hard. Just feels a little slow-going to get there at times.

100 MONSTERS?! What a great film title, bringing to mind one hundred yokai (traditional Japanese monsters and spirits) wreaking havoc on an Edo-period village. The real film doesn't quite live up to that promise, but it's a fun entry into the '60s Japanese popcorn horror canon.

As is the case in many Japanese flicks from this time, the bad guys are powerful landowners who push around the good guys and take their land, their women and even their lives. But after the lords fail to complete a ritual after a "hyaku monogatari" (monster story-telling) event, they are haunted and hunted down by bloodthirsty monsters.

I love yokai to death, so any cinematic representation is fun for me. And what monster action we get here is fittingly awesome; we get a long-necked woman (rokurokubi), long-tongued umbrella monsters (kasa-obake) and faceless humans (noppera-bo), all of which look fantastic. The special effects are surprisingly good and hold up perfectly after 50+ years. Whenever the creatures are the focus of the camera, the film is fun as hell.

The problem is they are not the focus very often. Instead, we're treated to a pretty basic "samurai vs. landlords" plot that proceeds in a rather cliche fashion. It makes for passable watching, but it's not too exciting and not what anybody started watching a movie called 100 MONSTERS for. This is to be expected from a budget flick from the '60s, but it does affect the enjoyment factor of the film.

Overall, though, it's an easy, fun watch with wonderful creature design and delightfully odd moments. Recommended for yokai fans or monster movie lovers, even if it won't become one of your favorites.

This is the first movie in the Yokai Monsters Trilogy, currently all 3 movies are now on Shudder Canada as of August 22nd 2022 (I do not know about other regions)

This is a fun movie, the movie functions similarly to Kaiju movies like Godzilla & Gamera but it's a bit different than those movies as well.

The human story is kinda dominant & generic but the monsters are still very entertaining when they come in.

The effects are primitive by today's standards but it's the 60s & they might not have had the highest budget but personally I'm okay with that but I'd say lower your expectations just in case,so you don't walk away disappointed.

It takes place in Fuedal Japan which is a good setting for the movie & brings a strong cultural feel to the film.

The yokai are really fun & also at times genuinely creepy,this movie has some great atmosphere at some points.

If I'm not mistaken,this movie actually unsettled me enough to have some weird nightmares the night I watched it.

Overall,lower expectations & have fun with it. It has subtitles so forewarning but it's a pretty fair 80 minutes.

Unscrupulous magistrate Tajimaya (Takashi Kanda) uses theft, coercion, violence, and ultimately murder to take over a tenement house and a shrine with the intent of tearing them down. He also uses his leverage to force Ôkubi (Keiko Koyanagi), the beautiful daughter of the tenement's owner (Tatsuo Hanabu) to become his mistress. Tajimaya's actions and disrespect angers the local spirits, the Yôkai, and soon he and his minions find themselves cursed and harassed by monsters. The film, first in a Yokai trilogy from Daiei Film, is an imaginative fantasy with odd imagery (the 'umbrella monster' features prominently in the advertising) superimposed on a typical Japanese samurai adventure. The monsters (a mix of animation, puppets and costumes) are frequently quite bizarre. I am not familiar with Japanese folklore, but I gather that many of the diverse creatures represent traditional tropes (for example: the umbrella monster ('Kasa-obake') and the long-necked woman (Rokurokubi). 'Yokai: 100 Monsters' ('Yôkai hyaku monogatari') is entertaining and offbeat (at least from a 'Western perspective'), and likely a good introduction to yet another fanciful Japanese film genre. Note: I watched an English-subtitled version that, judging from some of the idioms, seems to have been made several years after the original film was released.