Kaidan chibusa enoki – an old horror story in which the ghost of a murdered painter returns to protect his baby from the killer, a wandering Samurai who fell in love with his wife while he was away painting.
The young Ronin Hanimei is intent on becoming the apprentice of famed painter Shigenobu - not so much because he respects his talent, but because he admires his wife Kise. He ultimately manages to get the job, and when the master is gone, Hanimei forces Kise to have sex with him. When a maid witnesses the scene, he kills her. This in turn is witnessed by Takeroku though, who starts blackmailing Hanimei.
After that first night together, Hanimei becomes more and more possessed with Kise - so much so that he sets out and kills her husband. However, both the maid and Shigenobu return from the grave to haunt Hanimei, and eventually they scare him into killing the treacherous Takeroku and more.
An extremely atmospheric piece of horror cinema that somehow manages to combine its artificial sets, basic special effects, theatrical acting and stagey direction to a great mood piece that's definitely more than just the sum of its elements.
Director: GORO KADONO
Stars: ASAO MATSUMOTO, KATSUKO WAKASUGI, HIROSHI HAYASHI
1958 – JAPANESE with ENGLISH SUBTITLES - B&W – FULLSCREEN – 48 MINUTES
