Review – Kwaidan

Nobody does ghost stories like the Japanese. This 1964 classic of production values from director Masaki Kobayashi is one of the quintessential examples of the country’s approach to the supernatural. The art direction is very theatrical, as is a lot of the lighting. But the editing is pure cinema. Further, the key descriptor here is “subtle.” The production makes use of few special effects and no gore. And compared to Hollywood horror pictures – at least a couple of which have borrowed from this quartet of short tales – the pace is downright laconic. But the quiet, drawn-out nature of the storytelling only serve to make it all the eerier. Worth seeing