Review of Kwaidan (1965) by Pierluigi P — 08 Aug 2011

I would not change a thing about this film. Kaidan is a series of four ghost stories taken from the Japanese tradition. These are type of ghost stories that I like and they are filmed with precision to heighten the tension. It is possible to be frightened without having a lot of gore on the screen. The stories are eerie and the performances are careful and stylized.

My only problem with this film is trying to decide which story is my favorite. All of the stories are very different and the way in which they are shot make it appear as if a different director had filmed each one. The pacing is slow, and the third story is super slow, but after watchiing it, I fully realized just how beautiful that third one is. There is nothing wrong in taking time to meditate on a scene as if it were a painting. A lot of thought went into the composition of the scenes, and it makes me jealous that someone could be that good. It also makes me wish there was more out there like this.