Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Inugami Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 23, 2024

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the J-Horror Rising set from Arrow Video.

When a set like J-Horror Rising offers someone like the venerable Tom Mes freely detailing how at least some elements that combined to create what is commonly called J-Horror (at least vis a vis J-Horror as it's about to be defined, below) might be likened to American B movies or even direct to video or made for television efforts, there may be a bit of a subliminal warning to be gleaned, all of which is to say, perhaps expectations need to be reasonably set when approaching some and potentially all of the films in this set. Mes unabashedly lists Ringu (the original Japanese Ring film, for the uninitiated) as a defining J-Horror landmark, at least within the context of the films offered here, in that none of these films probably could be imagined and almost certainly wouldn't have been made without the influence of the celebrated Hideo Nakata outing. It's also salient to note that several of the films in this collection were first exhibited as the "down ticket" item on "double features", sometimes not so coincidentally under main attractions like Ringu 2 and/or Ringu 0. As Mes overtly mentions in his overview of J-Horror included in this set, the wake left by Ringu was wide, but it wasn't particularly deep, at least as evidenced by how quickly this particular "rage" ebbed, and so as such even the Rising part of the title of this collection might be slightly misleading, since as Mes describes, by the time these offerings came along, things may have already been fading.

Note: Those interested in this release may want to also check out Daiei Gothic: Japanese Ghost Stories, from Radiance, which is streeting the same day as this collection.

Inugami may be one of the more interesting films in the J-Horror Rising collection for fans of native folklore, and especially those who may have been fans of everything from the anime effort InuYasha to more recent fare like a series filmed in my hometown of Portland, Oregon, Grimm, since those two are among many global properties to feature plots that include what amounts to being possessed by a dog spirit. That said, this is arguably another "slow burn" effort that may not provide enough of a visceral "fear factor" to satisfy diehard adrenaline junkies.

Instead, there's a steady development of a relationship between local female paper maker Miki (Yuki Amami) and Akira (Atsuro Watabe), a man from a neighboring town. These two kind of jump headlong into an intimacy, which is when the strange stuff starts happening. It's already been hinted that Miki's family has long been responsible for "handling" any pesky inugami, and unsurprisingly Akira's own family history may play into that situation, though perhaps not from the same "side". The plot here is evanescent at best, and the film probably tries a bit too hard to be (to borrow a phrase from another Asian society) "one from Column A, one from Column B" in terms of mixing a star-crossed love affair into a folkloristic context that ends up also having an almost Curious Case of Benjamin Button aspect to it, as odd as that may sound.

This is nonetheless one of the moodier films in the set, and it benefits from some gorgeous outdoor cinematography which helps suggest that the Japanese woods are full of all sorts of potentially dangerous spirits.

Inugami Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Inugami is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's insert booklet contains the following minimal information on the transfer:

The films in this collection were remastered in high definition and supplied by Kadokawa.

Inugami is presented in 1.85:1 with 5.1 and stereo sound. Additional remastering work was completed at R3Store Studios, London.

This film has some deliberate presentational quirks, including a late sequence in black and white, but on the whole detail levels are generally very good, if occasionally hobbled by location work that tends to be framed in either wide or midrange shots, leading to variances in observable fine detail. There's a kind of curious slightly yellow-greenish cast to a lot of the color material which tends to give things a slightly alien look, but which may help to promote the subliminal "woodsiness" of the story, but which tends to at least occasionally make things like flesh tones look unnatural.

Inugami Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Inugami features DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 or LPCM 2.0 options in the original Japanese. This is another film in the J-Horror Rising collection that benefits from quite a bit of outdoor material, which is where the surround track on this disc probably differentiates itself most noticeably from the stereo track. Ambient environmental sounds, including occasionally spooky dog howls, are nicely placed around the soundstage. I wasn't a particular fan of this film's score, but it, too, resides quite comfortably in the side and rear channels. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Inugami Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Jonathan Clements


• Dog Days (HD; 29:50) is an interview with director Masato Harada.


• Image Gallery (HD)

Inugami Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is another ostensible "J-Horror" outing that may simply not provide enough traditional horror for fans of the genre. Still, this is often a fascinating, if maybe slightly gonzo, combo platter of ideas and interwoven subplots, with a generous dash of folkoristic elements thrown in for good measure. Technical merits are generally solid aside from some passing caveats mentioned above, and both the commentary track and interview with Harada are worthwhile, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.