The Tale of Oiwa’s Ghost 07/15/25

The Japanese horror tale ‘Yotsuya Kaidan’ has been re-interpreted many ways on film; Tai Katô’s 1961 version dials the macabre meter higher with a complex storyline and creepy disfigurement effects. Loyal wives suffer horribly in these things — Oiwa has the misfortune to marry an unscrupulous ronin who’ll seemingly commit any crime to get what he wants. Ghostly revenge evens the score. The nasty husband is played by Tomisaburo Wakayama of the later ‘Lone Wolf and Cub’ series. Director Katô really knows how to wind up the tension, in rich B&W ToeiScope!  On Blu-ray from Radiance.
07/15/25