Suiyô puremia: sekai saikyô J horâ SP Nihon no kowai yoru (2004)

Dark Tales of Japan is a collection of five short horror films that are directed by five notable Japanese film directors.

Directors:

Yoshihiro Nakamura, Masayuki Ochiai

Writers:

Yoshihiro Nakamura (teleplays), Masayuki Ochiai (teleplay)

Stars:

Kayoko Shiraishi, Shôzô Endô, Yoshinori Okada

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kayoko Shiraishi	...	Old Lady in Kimono (story "Kowai hanashi, kikitai desu ka?")
Shôzô Endô	...	Yamazaki (story "Spiderwoman")
Yoshinori Okada	...	Hasegawa (story "Spiderwoman")
Kanako Fukaura	...	Tomoko (story "Spiderwoman")
Anri Sugihara	...	Akemi (story "Spiderwoman")
Yôko Maki	...	Akemi's classmate (story "Spiderwoman")
Miyako Yamaguchi
Shunsuke Nakamura	...	Kodera (story "Sukima")
Shigenori Yamazaki	...	Shimizu
Yû Yamada	...	Mayu Ooki (story "Sacrifice")
Moro Morooka	...	Toshinori Ooki (story "Sacrifice")
Megumi Asaoka	...	Shizuko Ooki (story "Sacrifice")
Tetta Sugimoto	...	Yoshio Ishiguro (story "Blonde Kwaidan")
Teruyuki Kagawa	...	Shigenori Fukawa (story "Premonition")
Hijiri Kojima	...	Young woman with hat (story "Premonition")

Storyline

Dark Tales of Japan is a collection of five short horror films that are directed by five notable Japanese film directors.

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Plot Keywords:

anthology | 

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Genres:

Horror

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Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

22 September 2004 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Dark Tales of Japan

Filming Locations:

Japan

Company Credits

Production Co:

@Movie Japan K.K., Oz Company, Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

A Collection of Decent Stories From Japan

"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.