Daiei Gothic is a Blu-ray box set bringing together three classic Japanese ghost story films. The pictures date from between the late 1950s and mid-1960s- moving from a samurai drama/ supernatural crossbreed, snow-bound witch meets romantic drama, and a ghostly love story.

The set is presented in a thick black card slipcase, featuring a haunting still from the second film in the set The Snow Woman. Each film gets its own presented in its own cases- with reversible cover artwork. The set is topped off with an eighty-page book. All of the films have received a new 4k scan- these truly are things of beauty- with wonderful clarity and depth, with nice bold English subtitles. Each film gets a fair selection of new extras, as well as a trailer for each film. 

First on the set is The Ghost of Yotsuya- this late 1950s film is best described as a blend of samurai drama & supernatural horror.  The creepier/ horror-fed elements do not appear in the last quarter of this one-hour twenty-three-minute picture.

The film is from the year 1959 and was directed by Kyoto, Japan-born Nobuo Nakagawa- been based on an 18th-century play by Nanboku Tsuruya. Between the mid-1930s and the early 80’s Nakagawa had an impressive ninety-eight features to his name. These went from the fairy tale Enoken No Tobisuke Bôken Ryokô (1949), Comedy-drama Shishun no Izumi (1953), swamp-bound horror The Depths (1957), Surrealist & camp horror The Sinners of Hell (1960), and heartbreak led horror Snake Woman's Curse(1968).

The film is set during the  Edo era- having a decidedly stage quality to it, though we do get use of some outside locations. It focuses on Lemon Tamiya (Shigeru Amachi) a ronin samurai who is unable to find work/ or a master. He’s married to Oiwa (Katsuko Wakasugi) who has recently lost a baby and is often talked down to/belittled by her husband.

Lemon makes paper umbrellas during the day- but more often than not he goes off fishing. Though from time to time he is called to help out, in one such situation he helps two women who are been harassed- one of the women turns out to be the daughter of high ranking samurai- who becomes besotted with Lemon, and wants his hand in marriage- will he remain loyal to his wife, or will he let his greed/ want for improvement overtake him.

The first three-quarters of the film very much focuses on the historical drama side of things- with our lead plot with Lemon, mixed with a subplot line regarding his servant. This part of the film roles at a fair pace, and is engaging enough at points nicely twisted drama.

As for the horror elements, we get a face-altering poisoning, rising from the dead deformed-headed ghost, and a great scene with body-less grabbing hands coming out of a squat washing tub.  With a good sense of uneasiness/ creepiness in place.

The Ghost of Yotsuya is a good enough blend of drama & supernatural horror- though do be aware that it’s mainly a drama, and you are kept waiting for the creepy elements.

New extras wise on this disc we get the following:  Interview with filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa regarding the film (19.33) He talks about why this version of the film works so well- the effective make-up effects, creepy scenes in the film, and how favourite scenes work.  The Endless Curse Of Oiwa (22.03) A visual by author Kyoko Hirano. We find out the first appearance of the story dates to 1825- with film versions appearing since 1910. She touches on the various versions of the picture, mentions key scenes in the film, and discusses the characters in the film.  She also talks about how ghost story films are always released in the summer. 

The second film here is 1968’s The Snow Woman (aka Kaidan Yukijorô). This an engaging, creepy, and at points rather emotionally fraught/ moving mix of drifting ‘n’ freezing witch horror and romantic drama.

It was directed by Osaka-born Tokuzô Tanaka. Between the late 1950’s and the early 1990’s, he had fifty-two feature-length credits to his name. These go from duelling drama Scars Of Honor (1960), Killer Whale ( 1962) a Japanese re-telling of Moby Dick. Action- drama Sleepy Eyes of Death: Hell Is a Woman(1968), horror The Haunted Castle, and action comedy Useless Handcuffs- both from 1969.

The period set film opens with us seeing two men moving through a very deep snow-bound forest- they are seemingly looking for a perfect tree, and in time find it bathed in hazy sunlight. The dusk comes in and the weather worsens- so the pair take refuge in an isolated hut, as the pair sleep we see the snow gather & form into a female-like form- this is the title character who is all dressed in white, with the palest skin, black hair and gold with black pinprick pupils. She freezes the room, and the older of the two men- the younger is told by the Snow Woman, that she won’t take his life- if swears to never tell anyone of what has happened.

The younger man heads back to his village, and we find out this is Yosaku( Akira Ishihama) the apprentice of the older man who was frozen to death- a master wood sculptor. He is living with the elderly wife of his master.
The tree they found is chopped down & brought into the village, and Yosaku is told he has the great honour of caving the tree into a statue for one of the main temples. One day while a heavy rainstorm is going on a timid young woman stops outside Yosaku’s house- the  master's wife asks her in- this is Yuki(Shiho Fujimura)

We find out Yuki is the daughter of a Doctor- as she helps the master's wife back to health after she falls ill, and during this time a romance between Yosaku & Yuki starts to flourish …and here I’ll end my plot breakdown, as not spoil it’s unfold

The film is a good/ even balance of creepiness, drama, and believable romance- with some effective emotional punches here & there. The Snow Woman effects/ her looks are great- with her eerier drifting presence, creepy golden pupiled stare, and flowing frost powers. The two leads Ishihama & Fujimura are very effective- he sells the good/ decent man- who moves from fearful to thankful, and she is a timid mystery.

The Snow Woman was a true pleasure to watch- it’s filmed with such clarity and grace. It's well-acted, and creepy/ rather moving when it needs to be.

On this disc, we have the following new extras. Interview with filmmaker Masayuki Ochiai regarding the film(15.50) He starts by talking about supernatural beings who can change into humans. He talks about the film's themes & key elements. We find out that amazingly the snow-bound scenes were shot on sound stage- and how this created another world, as well as controlling the snow element perfectly.  Lafcadio Hearn ( 7.00) a visual essay from Paul Murray looking at the writer who wrote the story the film is based on, with a great selection of pictures of the author.

The third and final film is 1968’s The Bride from Hades ( aka Botan-Dôrô, Peony Lantern, Ghost Beauty). This is more of a straight ghost story- with a few nudges of comedy, a fair bit of creepiness, a few moments of effective fear, and a fairly downbeat/ brutal resolve.

It was directed by Kagoshima-born Satsuo Yamamoto. He had fifty-three feature credits to his name. These went from war drama Tsubasa No Gaika(1942) industrialist-focused drama Kizudarake No Sanga (1964),crime action film The Bogus Policeman (1967), and 1900's set drama Oh! The Nomugi Pass(1979).

The film is another period-set affair- it focuses on Hagiwara Shinzaburô (Kôjirô Hongô) a good-doing samurai, who helps teach the children in his village. On the night of the summer Obon festival, Shinzaburô is helping push out fire lanterns stuck in the weeds into the local pound- and along comes beautiful and timid courtesan Otsuyu (Miyoko Akaza), and her older/ more talkative lady-in-waiting Omine (Mayumi Ogawa)- who thank him for pushing theirs out….they seem pleasant enough, though there is something slightly off about them.

Shinzaburô heads home- to receive a knock on his house door – it’s Otsuyu and Omine, wanting to thank him again. And as the next few nights come & go- he’s visited by the woman again, as a romance is seemingly blossoming between Shinzaburô  &  Otsuyu – but while passing the samurai’s bedroom widow his manservant Banzô( Kô Nishimura) notices that the timid courtesan is not quite what she seems.

The film nicely moves from a subtle feel of disquiet, through to some great chilling/ creepy atmospherics/ unfolding mystery- which are darted ever so often with moments of true dread & terror. Added to this we have a few touches of humour/ bumbling comedy from Nishimura as Banzô Shinzaburô servant.

Acting wise Hongô has a great character arc as our samurai lead- moving from a noble and kind, to obsessed and hunted, to a man truly on the edge. The rest of the cast is good/ well picked too.

The Bride from Hades is a wonderful end to the set, being a more true-blue ghost story- with horror and light humour undercurrents.

New extras on this last disc are a commentary from author/ Asian film expert Jasper Sharp.  We find out the film was released in Japan on the 15th of June 1968, being on a double bill with the horror film The Pit Of Death/ The Ghostly Trap- which was a present-day set film. He talks about how the film is a meticulously made period film, that’s more unnerving than a jump terror-bound affair. We find out the story was first written down in 1914, and he quotes lines from the original story.  He touches on the other film versions of the story- many of these were silent. He points out notable actors, and the literal/cultural history of the film. Later on, he discusses the work of the director, the way ghost films are released in the summer, and more. It’s a fine enough track- though from time to time he’s a little dry in his presentation.

We get an interview with filmmaker Hiroshi Takahashi regarding the film(17.49) he talks about the origin of the story. He talks about when he first saw the film, and talks about the wonderful use of wires in the picture. The use of practical effects, the period setting, and the wonderful use of light and colour.

The set is finished off with an eighty-page perfect bound booklet.  This takes in a mix of new writing from the likes of Tom Mes, Zack Davisson and Paul Murray. With newly translated archival reviews and ghost stories by Lafcadio Hearn. It also features colour stills and old ghost story illustrations throughout. So a great companion to the set.

Daiei Gothic is a wonderful look back at these three classic film adaptations of Japanese ghost stories - with the 4K prints being full of clarity, depth, and definition. We get a good enough selection of extras, as well as an excellent companion book…another great box set from the fine folks at Radiance!