Classic Japanese Cinema Discussion Thread

Classic Japanese Cinema Discussion Thread Jul 12, 2018 22:17:15 GMT petrolino and manfromplanetx like this

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Post by Aj_June on Jul 12, 2018 22:17:15 GMT

Jul 12, 2018 5:44:40 GMT manfromplanetx said:

Over the centuries in Japan the supernatural cat creature bakeneko has inspired countless classic kaidan stories, based on the creatures unnerving ability to shapeshift into human form, to curse and possess humans. Filmmakers of the 20 century adapted traditional legends and folktales, producing many splendid horror/supernatural themed films dedicated to creepy tales of the mysterious revengeful feline.

Some highly atmospheric, genuinely creepy tales come to mind...

Kaibyô ômagatsuji , The Ghost Cat of Ouma Crossing (1954) Bin Kado Excellent !!

Hiroku kaibyô-den , Chronicle of the Ghost Cat AKA The Haunted Castle (1969) Tokuzô Tanaka. An outstanding atmospheric tale, loosely based on a 17th century legend, an eerie dark tale of revenge, bakeneko style .

Bôrei kaibyô yashiki , The Mansion of the Ghost Cat (1958) Nobuo Nakagawa , Wonderfully dark and creepy

Kaibyô Otama-ga-ike , The Ghost Cat of Otama Pond (1960) Yoshihiro Ishikawa Super Stylish classic

Kaibyô nori no numa , Bakeneko: A Vengeful Spirit . (1968) Yoshihiro Ishikawa
Creepy, highly atmospheric with an outstanding haunting soundtrack

Yabu no naka no kuroneko , A Black Cat in a Bamboo Grove (1968) Kaneto Shindô , spellbinding masterwork

Thanks...Just when I thought I was running out of good horror movies you came up with ones that definitely seem very good. I have seen only kuroneko from the ones you listed. I like the fact that Japanese horrors of pre 80s were based on Japanese folklore. I am not a fan of romantic movies but I like the fact that many of the Japanese horror movies are based on the concept of eternal love. Sometimes lovers are willing to even fall to the lowest states of hell for their love. All these elements make for extremely humanistic horror movies, which is not the case with plain horror movies where you see mindless killings (though to be honest I even love those Zombie horrors).