Hey Cat!

 

 (imdb)

DARK CAT-1991-In this slight anime, 2 brothers Ryoi & Hyoi, are actually shape shifting cats battling their former master Jukokobu, a green faced demon at their high school. Tentacled monsters attack and two students are caught in the middle. Generally dissed by anime smarties because of it's dubbing, I kind of liked it. Director Iku Suzuki is also known for URUSEI YATSURA and RANMA ½.

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Japan Ghosts

 THE LIVING SKELETON-1968-Eerie, atmospheric ghost story from Japan. A group of pirates board a ship to steal it's cargo of gold bullion. They kill the crew and all the passengers. However one passenger Yoriko (Kikko Matsuoka) has a twin sister Saeko (also Matsuoka) and they have a kind of symbiotic connection. Through her sister Yoriko conducts her revenge. Or does she? Could it just be the killers' imagination? 

THE LIVING SKELETON starts off like a moody art film but becomes a full fledged horror story with a sea full of skeletons, a mad scientist and a powerful acid that can disintegrate anything. It's a little confusing plot wise but I liked it. This one of only two films directed by Hiroki Matsuno. Too bad!

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Japan Dino

LEGENDS OF DINOSAURS AND MONSTER BIRDS-1977-In a lengthy pre-credits intro a woman hiking in “The Sea of Trees” forest stumbles upon an underground cave and sees a giant egg hatching. She's helped by some lumberjacks when they find her running and yelling incoherently. Later a geologist named Arizawa (Tsunehiko Watase) cancels his trip to Mexico to investigate the incident when he hears about it on TV. While exploring there he meets his late father's old friend Sho (Shotaro Hayashi). Some people disappear and livestock becomes deadstock. At a festival, a guy in a cowboy hat sings. The stage falls apart and everybody sees a monster in the water but it's a prank Then 2 of the pranksters are killed by a real monster but nobody believes the 3rd guy’s story until some tourist backs him up. “It's super big news!”. Arizawa’s ex-lover Ahiko (Nobiko Sawa) and her friend Junko are scuba diving in the area until Junko is bitten in half by the monster. Later while they are trapped in a cave, a prehistoric flying bird shows up and the mayor and the army blow everyone up shooting at the creature.

Arizawa and Ahiko escape to the forest but the long necked dinosaur is there to terrorize them. Then the flying creature shows up. They fight and a volcano erupts on the mountain. I think the couple survive...? Ahiko’s pathetic screaming in the finale really annoying. Pretty cheap Japanese production directed by Junji Kurata. It was a big hit in Russia.

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From Japan

HOUSE-1977-This whacky story from Japan begins with two school girls, Gorgeous and Fantasy who are best of friends. Gorgeous plans to spend her summer vacation with her father until she meets dad's new wife. She gets mad and decides to go and stay at her aunt's house in the country. She brings along Fantasy and 5 equally unusual named friends: Mac (who likes to eat), Professor (a nerd), Sweet (who likes cleaning), Kung-Fu (who likes martial arts) and Melody (who plays the piano).

The happy group meets the lonely wheel chair bound aunt but it's obvious this is no ordinary old lady. She actually likes to eat unmarried girls! This is a very bizarre but entertaining horror-comedy (with touches of fantasy) with wild special effects, a possessed cat, a killer piano, Shaw Bros. like fights, animation, a laughing skeleton and severed limbs. And unlike most "teens in a haunted house" outings I really felt bad seeing the cute little girls being terrorized! The music is great too!

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Hell!

THE SINNERS OF HELL (aka JINOGU; HELL)-1960- A young student Shiro is out driving with his very evil friend Tamura when they kill a drunk Yakuza member in a hit and run. The victim's mother and girlfriend vow revenge but even without their interference Shiro begins to see his life deteriorate little by little. There's a lot of talk until Shiro (and the rest of the characters) goes to hell and meets Enma, The King of Hell! There he gets a tour where he finds out everyone he knew are not want they seem to be and get punished for their Earthly sins in incredible early gore scenes. A negligent doctor is sawed into pieces, a corrupt police man has his hands cut off, another "sinner" is flayed alive, there's a river of blood and a burning wheel. The bizarre lighting, colors and symbolism make me believe Coffin Joe saw this before making any of his own. "Hell! This is hell!".

Director Nobuo Nakagawa scores with this one!

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The Black Cat

THE BLACK CAT-1968-Cool Japanese ghost story! Two women are raped and killed by roving samurai. They come back to take revenge as cat ghosts (called “Bakeneko”) that drink blood. A successful warrior is sent to destroy them but comes to realize that “the ghost vampires” are actually his mother and wife! Excellent eerie work from director Kaneto Shindo.


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