Part of Shocktober
After more than a decade of sober political dramas and socially minded period pieces, the great Japanese director Masaki Kobayashi (HARAKIRI, THE HUMAN CONDITION) shifted gears dramatically for this rapturously stylized quartet of ghost stories. Featuring colorfully surreal sets and luminous cinematography, these haunting tales of demonic comeuppance and spiritual trials, adapted from writer Lafcadio Hearn’s collections of Japanese folklore, are existentially frightening and meticulously crafted.
"A fairy tale that is both incredibly scary and incredibly beautiful." —Guillermo del Toro
“A horror picture with an extraordinarily delicate and sensuous quality…. KWAIDAN is a symphony of color and sound that is truly past compare…. A film that commends itself mainly to those viewers who can appreciate rare subtlety and grace.” —Bosley Crowther, New York Times (Nov 23, 1965)
“One of the peaks of the Japanese cinema during its golden era, and one of the most superbly atmospheric supernatural films ever produced in any country…. A stunning visual experience, best seen in a theater for full impact…. KWAIDAN is one of the treasures of supernatural cinema, existing in a world all its own, which beckons to us, even as we sit in the theater, transfixed by the images we see on the screen.” —Gwendolyn Audrey Foster, Senses of Cinema