Overview: Japan’s classic ghost stories are brought to the screen by masters of the genre, Tokuzo Tanaka (The Snow Woman) and Kimiyoshi Yasuda (Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare).

In The Demon of Mount Oe, a group of mighty warriors is sent to eliminate a demon who steals women from the imperial capital of Kyoto. On the way, they face a satanic bull, a giant spider and a diabolical witch, but the closer they come to their goal, the more they realize that the demon they’ve been ordered to kill is far more human than they were led to believe.

In The Haunted Castle, a blind monk is killed in a cowardly manner by a samurai lord. When the monk’s sister is ordered to become the lord’s concubine, she commits suicide and transfers her grudge to their black cat, who assumes the human form of one of the lord’s ladies-in-waiting and begins to wreak havoc around the castle court. The lord’s Machiavellian right-hand man (Rokko Toura, Kuroneko) and a young swordsman (Kojiro Hongo, The Bride from Hades) combine forces to solve the mystery and stop the supernatural menace.

In The Ghost of Kasane Swamp a samurai’s wife tries to repay her husband’s debt with her body but is caught in bed with the money lender and they are both murdered by her husband who dumps their bodies in a nearby swamp. Shingoro and Oshiga, the money lender and samurai’s children, find a curse has been passed to them as they each try to recover the money.

Newly restored in 4K, three more stories from the Daiei studio represent the Japanese ghost film at its most lavish and chilling.

Blu-ray Verdict: First up is THE DEMON OF MOUNT OE (1962). Forces loyal to the Mikado are under assault from an army assembled by a demon who lives atop Mount Oe. There is chaos in the streets of the capital, and loyal samurai Shintarô Katsu has been attacked by the demon and cut off its arm ... only for it to show up in the guise of his aunt and take it back. Three women seem to be key to the demon’s downfall: Katsu’s sister, who insists on spying on the demon herself, a disgraced woman passed around like a bottle of wine, and the women who is the demon.

At first, I thought this was going to be another fantasy with swordplay, special effects that called attention to themselves and suitable for children. Well, the special effects were there: the clumsy camera halts for teleportation or the transformation of giant spiders into dead men and rolls of streamers to turn into webs. It certainly had those, but it also had a fairly complicated plot as good guys struggled to remain good despite the worst their allies could do, and some lovely camerawork under the supervision of cinematographer Hiroshi Imai.

I was particularly taken with his graceful, panning group shots, even if the mountain sites seemed to be set in abandoned quarries, like Doctor Who. While the cheap special effects may put off the high-browed, it’s a well written, directed and shot samurai movie.

Then we get THE HAUNTED CASTLE (1969). There are only a handful of old school Japanese horror films that I consider lost classics – films that are difficult to find but are nonetheless essential to watch for any fan of classic horror: Ghost Story of the Snow Witch (1968), Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees (1975), Kuroneko (1968), The Ghost-Cat Cursed Pond (1968), Demon Pond (1979) and so forth.

Well, it’s time to add another one to this list: The Haunted Castle (1969)!

This starts off in a very similar fashion to many other Japanese horror films from the 1950’s and 1960’s. It’s set in the samurai era with a scumbag landlord who unjustifiably murders someone. Lord Tangonokami Nabeshime of Saga Prefecture takes interest in a blind monk’s sister (Sayo), who he wishes to be his concubine. After the monk kindly refuses his request, the Lord invites him to play a game of Go, which they’ve done in the past, but this time the Lord murders the monk after coercing a minor discord between the two.

A chamberlain is then sent to Sayo, delivering a message that her land is forfeit and that she is banished. The girl is not pleased, so she feeds her blood to a black cat and transforms it into a murderous ghost cat that reaps vengeance upon the murderer’s family.

Hot damn this movie rocks! First and foremost, it’s much darker and briskly paced than most of the J-horror flicks that I’ve seen from the 50’s and 60’s. Virtually the entire film takes place at night and the hauntings are practically non-stop. This provides for some thrilling viewing, especially when the chamberlain attempts to take defensive strategies against the supernatural threat.

The ghost cat’s human form is surprisingly nasty and vicious, and the execution of the horror sequences is top notch (at times body doubles are used to transport the ghost from one side of the screen to another, causing panic to its victims). The atmosphere and tone are eerie from start to finish. This is a lost classic, and a must watch for fans of old school horror.

Finally comes THE GHOST OF KASANE SWAMP (1957). Celebrated director of vintage Japanese horror, Nobuo Nakagawa helmed this gloomy, intricately plotted tale of bad karma and revenge, based on a famous play written in 1859 by ghost story specialist Sanyutei Encho. Exceptionally well made and boasting some strong performances and a few horrific moments, this oft-filmed tale bears similarities to another classic story of Nipponese horror, Yotsuya Kaidan. A formulaic, yet effective 66 minutes of traditional ghostly vengeance, Japanese style.

LIMITED EDITION BOX-SET SPECIAL FEATURES:
New 4K restorations of each film by Radiance Films
Uncompressed mono PCM audio for each film
Optional English subtitles for all films
Newly designed box and booklet artwork by Time Tomorrow
Limited edition 80-page perfect bound book featuring new writing by Amber T, Jasper Sharp, and Tom Mes, plus archival writing by Daniel O’Neill and original ghost stories The Goblin of Oeyama and The Vampire Cat
Limited Edition of 4,000 copies presented in a rigid box with full-height Scanavo cases for each film and removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings

THE DEMON OF MOUNT OE:
New interview with period film historian Taichi Kasuga (2025)
Blade of the Demon Slayer: a visual essay by Tom Mes (2025)
Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista

THE HAUNTED CASTLE:
New interview with J-horror filmmaker Mari Asato (2025)
A visual essay by ghost story scholar Zack Davisson (2025)
Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista

THE GHOST OF KASANE SWAMP:
New interview with J-horror filmmaker Norio Tsuruta (2025)
Select-scene audio commentary by horror film scholar Lindsay Nelson (2025) Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista

www.radiancefilms.co.uk