Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

The Bride from Hades Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 24, 2024

Fans of what might be termed some of the "designer labels" of the home video market may know that there are some interesting tethers between Arrow Video and Radiance Films, and either due to commingling or just shared interests, both labels are offering fans spooky collections of Japanese fare as the Halloween season is getting underway. Arrow is out with J-Horror Rising, a compendium of efforts that appeared in the wake of Ringu, and Radiance is offering this trio of somewhat earlier films that the label is touting as "three of Japan's most famous ghost stories that have haunted people for centuries".

Is there any substantial difference between a "bride from hell" and a "bride from Hades"? Well, in this particular instance, the "bride" in question may be a ghost, so there's that. Kind of interestingly, and following in a long if not exactly venerable tradition, The Bride from Hades actually has been known by an inordinate number of alternate titles, something which may have played into its general lack of renown, as the interesting commentary by Jasper Sharp included on this disc gets into. The film was evidently originally released as Peony Lantern, a title which is rather evocative in its own way and which is apparently an accurate translation of Botan Dōrō, the name of the original Japanese ghost story which gave rise to the film (among many other adaptations through the years), but which still probably gives little indication of the spectral influences of the plot.

As much as The Bride from Hades is a ghost story, it also really revolves around ideas of societal norms and strictures imposed on various strata of Japanese society. Hagiwara Shinzaburô (Kôjirô Hongô) has a perceived "career" in front of him as a vaunted samurai, but instead he has chosen to help the less fortunate by becoming a teacher, something which irritates his family. His family is also trying to deal with the recent death of Shinzaburô's brother, a death which has left the brother's widow Kiku (Atsumi Uda) needing a new husband, which Shinzaburô's family wants to be Shinzaburô, something Shinzaburô is loathe to do. Already external expectations are clashing with internal desires, something that will continue to suffuse the plot, including with regard to both the (former) lives and the afterlives of two ghosts who soon enter the tale.

When Shinzaburô attends a "lantern festival" to honor the departed, he meets two mysterious women, and that's when the ghost aspect starts infiltrating the story. Somewhat like The Snow Woman , the film documents a quasi-"interspecies" partnering, this time between human Shinzaburô and ghost Otsuyu (Miyoko Akaza). The film has an unavoidably bittersweet and elegiac tone, but that tone is perhaps hobbled at times by some needless interjections of supposed "comedy relief" courtesy of some supporting characters, and also arguably by a finale that is both ambiguous and rather unexpectedly calamitous climax.

The Bride from Hades Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Bride from Hades is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Radiance Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. Radiance's insert booklet lumps all three films in this set together in one relatively brief blurb about the transfers, as follows:

The Ghost of Yotsuya, The Snow Woman and The Bride from Hades were restored in 4K by Kadokawa Corporation. Each film is presented in its original aspect ratio with original mono audio.

I'd rate this transfer as the "middle ground" between some of the less felicitous aspects of The Ghost of Yotsuya and the at times rather resplendent look of The Snow Woman. While there are none of the gradual shifts in color timing that can be spotted in The Ghost of Yotsuya, and the palette is generally very nicely suffused and accurate looking, there are a few moments where blue tinges can be spotted, especially in some of the darkest scenes, where blacks can have a just ever so slightly purplish hue. Due perhaps partly to production design, things can also look a bit brown on occasion. All of this said, densities are healthy and suffusion is generally excellent. Detail levels are typically great throughout this presentation, and fine detail also tends to be commendably precise on everything from some of the gorgeously designed sets and costumes to more mundane items like flyaway hairs on some of untrimmed eyebrows of the men. Grain resolves naturally throughout.

The Bride from Hades Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Bride from Hades features LPCM 2.0 Mono audio in the original Japanese. This is another pretty talk heavy film, though there are any number of either actual outdoor scenes or supposed outdoor scenes (obviously set bound) where there are smatterings of ambient environmental sounds dotting the track. Shigeru Ikeno's score also is presented with a nice full bodied sound. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Bride from Hades Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary by Jasper Sharp


• Hiroshi Takahashi (HD; 17:39) features the writer of Ring discussing The Bride from Hades. Subtitled in English.


• Trailer (HD; 2:24)

The Bride from Hades Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A kind of odd shift in tone and even focus on characters happens rather late in the film and perhaps slightly hobbles the mood of The Bride from Hades. Still, this is a mostly extremely moody piece, one that's elevated by some really lustrous cinematography by Chishi Makiura, which receives good support from this high definition presentation. Technical merits are solid, and both of the main supplements very worthwhile. Recommended.