Plots(1)
This eerie supernatural fantasy from Japan -- a poor man's Kwaidan -- is equal parts samurai adventure film and surreal ghost story. Tatsuya Nakadai stars as a desperate, unbalanced ex-samurai who turns to crime to make ends meet. Forced to commit murder during a robbery, he later kills several members of his wife's family after they discover his crimes. Seeking refuge from the law, he hides out in a Buddhist temple, where the ghosts of his murdered in-laws return to avenge themselves -- and the film shifts into horror mode. Though not as visually commanding as the classic which inspired it, this film still has its share of nightmarish imagery and cultural richness (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Tatsuya Nakadai
Japan
Best movies:
Zatoichi at the Fire Festival (1970)
The Human Bullet (1968)
Seven Samurai (1954)
Mariko Okada
Japan
Best movies:
A Story Written with Water (1965)
Late Autumn (1960)
Samurai III: Duel on Ganryu Island (1956)
Eijirō Tōno
Japan
Best movies:
Revenge (1963)
Seven Samurai (1954)
Bushido, Samurai Saga (1963)
平幹二朗
Japan
Best movies:
Three Outlaw Samurai (1964)
Sword of the Beast (1965)
The Christian Lord (1962)
Eitarô Ozawa
Japan
Best movies:
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)
Zatoichi Challenged (1967)
Steel Edge of Revenge (1969) - narrator
中村勘三郎
Japan
Best movies:
Samurai Banners (1969)
The River Fuefuki (1960)
A Heartful of Love (2005)
淡路恵子
Japan
Best movies:
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960)
47 Ronin (1962)
Stray Dog (1949)
Yasushi Nagata
Japan
Best movies:
Immortal Love (1961)
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love (1959)
Sword of the Beast (1965)