Based on Japanese folk tales collected by Greek-born author Lafcadio Hearn (who was so fascinated by the culture of Japan that he acquired Japanese citizenship and became known as Koizumi Yakumo), "Kwaidan" is a brilliant omnibus film that, four-and-a-half decades after its initial release, continues to stun audiences the world over. All four of the tales are memorably creepy, but the first--which stars Rentaro Mikuni as a poor man who rejects his devoted wife in favor of wealth and social standing--has always struck me as particularly spine-chilling. The second story, based on Hearn's oft-anthologized 'Yuki-Onna', features Tatsuya Nakadai (who also starred in director Masaki Kobayashi's "The Human Condition" and "Harakiri") as a young woodcutter who, while trapped in a snowstorm, encounters a female spirit. The third tale involves a blind musician (Katsuo Nakamura) who performs the Tale of the Heike, an account of the tragic fall of the 81st emperor of Japan. In the final tale, a samurai sees a ghost in a cup of tea. The film is shot almost entirely on eerily artificial indoor sets, and Kobayashi uses color to the greatest possible advantage. While "Kwaidan" is definitely a horror film, it is unlike any other horror film that I know of. It won't appeal to those who crave blood and guts, but if you have a more finely-honed aesthetic sense, these stories will remain with you long after the film has ended.
