(1957)
Overall: MEH
Equipped with the usual themes of ghosts out for revenge, infidelity, murdered parents, hot-headed samurai, and the spirit's usual trick of momentarily possessing the same space occupied by a living person, Kaidan Kasane-ga-fuchi, (Ghost Story of Kasane Swamp, The Depths, The Ghost of Kasane), is a very typical and mostly decent supernatural horror entry from Nobuo Nakagawa. It was adapted from the story Shinkei Kasanegafuchi by Encho Sanyutei and was remade twice more in a thirteen-year period under the direction of Kimiyoshi Yasuda. Kasane's plot is a bit convoluted and melodramatic, only slightly to a fault. As usual, many of the ancient customs of the period on display here seem a bit unnecessary in making these people's lives miserable. Though stylistically a bit theatrical, Nakagawa delivers a few spooky moments and some of the make-up effects are rather nasty for their day even if the gore is minimal as none of the stabbing deaths are shown in any detail. It is a tad more bold than atmospheric, but this is not a problem in the slightest.
(1958)
Overall: GOOD
Possibly Nobuo Nakagawa's most well-liked film, Black Cat Mansion (Bōrei kaibyō yashiki, Mansion of the Ghost Cat), is noticeably more ambitious than his usual haunting period pieces. With flashbacks within flashbacks, (and half of them in color while the others are in blue-tinted black and white), Nakagawa is still making a movie about angry ghosts cursing their enemy's decedents. The formula is tweaked successfully though to make it stand out far more than it otherwise would. Always a fan of long, occasionally elaborate takes, Nakagawa has a field day with a number of them here and they are especially moody during the beginning. Black Cat Mansion is not without some faux pas though. Several of the characters have a moment or two where they either contradict each other or behave illogically. A doctor repeatedly only tells his wife that she is imagining things even when other people see the same things, the woman sighs with relief that a cat is spared during a near-car accident only to recoil in horror at seeing a live feline in the very next scene, and of course overtly angry samurai refuse to let people marry who they want during the Sengoku period section. There are some unintentionally funny moments during the final act where a creepy cat lady sports ears and pounces around like a ballerina, but it still lends itself well to the overall strange and spooky presentation.
(1959)
Overall: GOOD
Another of Nobuo Nakagawa's rightfully renowned horror works was Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan, (The Ghost of Yotsuya), which sees more vengeful spirits doing what they do best. Whether intentionally or not, the movie does get a bit comedic in how Shigeru Amachi's lemon Tamiya gets duped by his tormenting specters and goes on a frantic, borderline slapsticky killing spree, but the entire final act of the film delivers wildly where memorable horror imagery is concerned. While it does take some time to get to these excellent moments and the pieces are set up as predictably as you could imagine for such a familiar styled tale, (this one based off the 19th century kabuki play Yotsuya Kaidan), the film never drags all that much and there are enough vile deeds committed to warrant your rooting for the revenge -seeking ghosts by the awesome finale. Yotsuya Kaidan is also notable for its gore, but Nakagawa wisely does not rely on it as the film is bountifully atmospheric and creepy with just the occasional shots of severed limbs or mutilated faces here or there.
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