(1961)
Dir - Tai Katô
Overall: MEH
Yet another cinematic retelling of the "Yotsuya Kaidan" ghost fable, The Ghost Story of Oiwa's Spirit, (Ghost of Oiwa, Kaidan Oiwa no borei), adheres more closely to the original kabuki play by Tsuruya Nanboku IV. This mostly come down to narrative details such as who provides the poison that dooms the title character and her subsequent murder by her own hands. Considering that so many versions of this were done in seemingly rapid succession of each other in Japan, (with
arguably the most famous and well-regarded being Nobuo Nakagawa Ghost of Yotsuya which came out only two years earlier and was the first to be in color), it all unfortunately makes this one painfully redundant. The aforementioned variations are both minor and inconsequential, plus it is only within the final twenty-odd minutes that any supernatural components are introduced at all. With material so familiar, it is bizarre to comprehend why this was even made in the first place. Though competently done and as melodramatic as any such production, it is mostly just the same ole series of miserable events, plodded out with no flair or proper atmospherics.
(1967)
Dir - Jun Fukuda
Overall: MEHWhile Toho's eighth entry in the series was not the first to have deliberate comedic elements, Son of Godzilla, (Kaijū-tō no Kessen: Gojira no Musuko, Monster Island's Decisive Battle: Godzilla's Son), is definitely the first to put an emphasis on cutsey hi-jinks. This provides the franchise with a much needed variation to the tired formula, it is also one that is laughably stupid. Similar to the previous film Ebirah, Horror of the Deep, the "giant monster destroys a densely populated urban area while the military shoots useless missiles at it" framework is jettisoned for an isolated island setting. The human characters are all as boring as ever and barely worth even paying attention to, but the giant spider Kumonga and preying mantises Kamacuras are wonderful editions, expertly designed and puppeteered by Sadamasa Arikawa and his crew. With his saucer-like eyes, adorable coos, and humanoid face, (not to mention the doofy cartoon music that frequently accompanies his appearances), Baby Godzilla of the title is a hopelessly ridiculous creation though, even if he is performed well enough by Marchan the Dwarf. It all furthered the trajectory of de-emphasizing Godzilla's menace and turning him into a more heroic presence, though whether or not it is more fun to watch him fist fight other enormous creatures as opposed to teaching his toddler how to blow atomic breath is up to individual tastes.
(1969)
Dir - Teruo Ishii
Overall: MEHThe second euro guro film from Teruo Ishii, Orgies of Edo, (Zankoku Ijo Gyakutai Monogatari Genroku Jokeizu, Brutality, Abnormality and Abuse: A Genealogy of Genraku Women), still delivers some shocks by contemporary standards. Though it has a main narrative through-line involving Teruo Yoshida's doctor intermingling with various characters, it is also an anthology in structure, telling three different stories of depraved cruelty. The nudity is incessant and exploitative in nature as opposed to arousing, primarily because it is often accompanied by sadistic acts which provide the film with its primary theme. Set during the Genroku era which is perhaps deliberately ironic in that it was a time historically recognized as peaceful and prosperous, all of the women are victimized by rapists and murderous men, such women in turn becoming brutalizing human monsters themselves. Certainly pessimistic in purpose and not particularly engaging because of it, the movie is still gorgeously decorated and shot with some avant-garde imagery thrown in to further enhance its bizarrely unpleasant trajectory. It may fail to enthrall as much as Ishii's other notable, boundary-pushing works in the horror genre, but it has some evocative unpleasantness that is worth seeing.
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