As much as I love Horror stories from around the world, I’ll still admit that I’ve always had a bit of a struggle with traditional Japanese ghost stories.
It isn’t that I dislike them because that’s about as far from the truth as one could get. Still, I’ve had issues with a good many of the ones I’ve seen over the years for many reasons. In some cases, ghosts steal too much of the focus, so I get to learn very little about the fleshy folks who encounter them. At other times, the background and/or mythology of just how these ghosts came to be is a bit elusive if not downright vague; and, thus, I struggle to understand the significance of this particular story or that particular spectral ability. In their defense, I’ve always remarked that they’re usually very stylish, and their producers go to great lengths to depict this bridging between two realities in wonderfully visual ways: but if I can’t relate to the characters in any meaningful way then it devolves into a great deal of pomp and circumstance that, frankly, I could do without. They’re good … but they’re not good enough.
This being October – that famed time of year with ghosts and goblins and ghouls take center stage – I do have a good number of releases on tap for my and your enjoyment; and I’m particularly thrilled that the fine folks at Radiance Films have provided me with a complimentary screening copy of their forthcoming Daiei Gothic: Japanese Ghost Stories. This set – which is advertised to release to the consumer marketplace on October 29, 2024 – showcases three films that I’ve heard of but never had the pleasure to watch much less review; and that’s about to change. I’ll be spending some time with it in the days ahead, so I encourage readers to watch this space for what promises to be some wonderfully spooky content to help set the mood for the forthcoming Halloween silly season.
Last up: 1968’s The Bride From Hades – aka The Bride From Hell or Peony Lantern – was directed by Satsuo Yamamoto from a script attributed to Enchô San'yûtei and Yoshikata Yoda. The Horror/Fantasy starred Kôjirô Hongô, Miyoko Akaza, Mayumi Ogawa, Kô Nishimura, and Takashi Shimura in prominent roles. As for the story, it’s another one of those tragic love stories that J-Horror loves to explore, this time going for a bit more narrative scope as the folks of a small town actively try to subvert the powers of doomed love to save a noble man who has left fame and fortune in order to live a better life amongst the little folk. And – for the record – it’s really quite good.
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“On the night of the summer Obon festival, Hagiwara Shinzaburo meets a beautiful courtesan named Otsuyu. Not knowing she's a ghost, he becomes infatuated by her.”
As can often happen with IMDB.com plot synopses, there’s a bit more to this one and yet that services just fine. What gets left out – more often than not – is some important character context; and I’m more than able to provide.
Hagiwara Shinzaburo (played by Hongô) is a man from a noble family. As such, he’s been expected to kinda/sorta ‘follow in the footsteps’ of his great ancestors and current relations by pursuing a life amongst society’s elite. In fact, we’re shown that this requirement even means he might have to wed a woman he doesn’t love just so that the household can save face when confronted with a bit of unexpected tragedy. The problem, however, is that Hagiwara has seen what those cultural betters are like, and he’s having none of it. In fact, he’s largely abandoned the old homestead and left all of that familial balderdash behind, instead choosing to pursue a career teaching children in a small and poor village nearby. As a consequence, he’s been embraced by the locals, and they’re all perfectly willing to do anything this good man asks.
At the Obon festival lantern launch, Hagiwara comes to the aid of a small boy whose lantern has gotten caught in the weeds; and, shortly thereafter, he does the same for another small boat captured nearby. From the darkness, two ladies – Otsuyu (Akaza) and Oyone (Michiko Ôtsuka) – step forward to thank him for his efforts and eventually follow him home that evening. In private, Oyone confesses to the man that her mistress, Otsuya, is smitten with him; and she encourages him to agree to spend the remainder of the festival in her charms, clearly hoping that the two will inevitably find love. It’s a curious matchmaking, indeed, but it works just fine for the purposes of the narrative.
What slowly emerges in part through Hagiwara’s investigation as well as that of his somewhat scheming assistant Banzô is that Otsuyu and Oyone are actually recent victims of tragic circumstances who’ve yet to pass into the beyond (mostly owed to the start of the festival). Never having experienced authentic love, Otsuyu seeks a union with the teacher even though all become aware that – in the process – the consummation will drain his life force in our world so that he can join her in the next. Naturally, the townsfolk have something to say about this union, and they’re willing to stop at nothing to save him from such a disastrous fate.
Like the best fairy tales, The Bride From Hades stays true to talking about true love – its truths, its gambles, and its consequences – and never strays from that path once it’s clear where all is heading. There’s an almost Shakespearean slant to much of it, even including a bit of skullduggery by those who don’t exactly have everyone’s best interests at heart. The script even pairs up Hagiwara and Otsuyu’s matching with Banzô and his wife Omine (Ogawa) to present a loose parallel for how manipulation might spell certain doom for both parties. Sadly, the Banzô/Omine union gets a bit dark in the final reel – I suppose it had to in order to be an authentic comparison – leaving the actors’ work a bit schlocky and overwrought in places early on. Still, the picture maintains a wonderful tone throughout, and it achieves tugging on the heartstrings of the audience with its depiction of love that might cost more than its benefits.
- Audio commentary by author Jasper Sharp
- New interview with filmmaker Hiroshi Takahashi
- Trailers
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista
- New 4K restoration
- High-Definition digital transfer of The Ghost of Yotsuya
- Uncompressed mono PCM audio for each film
- Optional English subtitles for all films
- Newly designed box and booklet artwork by Time Tomorrow
- Six postcards featuring original archive imagery from the films
- Limited edition 80-page perfect bound book featuring new writing by authors Tom Mes and Zack Davisson, newly translated archival reviews and ghost stories by Lafcadio Hearn
As I was provided with an industry copy, I always remind readers that I’m not typically provided the physical inserts, booklets, and artwork. As such, I can’t speak about the efficacy of those items.
Strongly Recommended.
While I could’ve used a bit more character development on the two ill-fated leads, The Bride From Hades remains one of the finer J-Horror entries I’ve had the good fortune to watch and review. The fairy tale structure holds true – even with a bit of darkness in the middle segments wherein the audience gets treated to what Otsuyu and Oyone look like in their spectral forms – and it was refreshing to see a story wherein the little folk saw goodness in one man so exceptional that they were willing to fight for it. In the end, the heart wants what the heart wants … but that’s part and parcel of why true love retains that bittersweet component few of us can live without.
In the interest of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Radiance Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray copy of The Bride From Hades (aka Peony Lantern) (1968) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ