The Ghost of Yotsuya Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Ghost of Yotsuya Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 24, 2024

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of the Daiei Gothic: Japanese Ghost Stories set from Radiance Films.

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".

If some of the films in the Arrow set linked to above offer what might jokingly be referred to as a "new, improved" form of Japanese ghost, modeled after tropes either created or highlighted by Ringu, The Ghost of Yotsuya is part of a much longer historical tradition, one which began as a stage play called Yotsuya Kaidan in 1825. A supplement on this disc suggests perhaps certain ideas in the play were already a part of Japanese folklore, but rather interestingly, at least given what I assume is a general ignorance of the play over here in the boneheaded West, the property has been repeatedly adapted in a rather large number of Japanese (and even global) film versions.

As is also discussed in some of the supplements on this disc, of all the many cinematic adaptations of the basic story, many have placed this 1959 version by Nobuo Nakagawa at or near the top of the list. That may be especially notable since rather interestingly the whole "ghost story" aspect doesn't even really get going until the last half hour or so of the film. Instead, there's a slow burn set up that posits the treacherous world focal female Oiwa (Katsuko Wakasugi) finds herself in, almost from the get go, as the virtual pawn of a number of forces, including some nefarious and murderous behavior on the part of the man who ends up marrying her, Iemon Tamiya (Shigeru Amachi).

One of the equally fascinating things that this disc's supplements get into is how widely variant the many versions of the story have been, and how this version also can depart from the original kabuki play and certainly from other film adaptations. Without getting into spoiler material, there are some manifest differences here as described in these supplements about not just the relationship between Iemon and Oiwa and how it develops (or devolves, as the case may be), but even some salient aspects that play into Oiwa's fate and eventual "transformation" into an avenging spirit.

Given the fact that the ghost side of things makes a relatively late entrance, that might suggest that this isn't much of a perceived "horror" film, and yet there are certainly really viscerally effective moments of terror before the actual "hauntings" start taking place, notably when Oiwa first becomes aware that she's become disfigured. There's a strange, hypnotic quality to this film that creates a very sinister undertone without really wallowing in traditional scare tactics.

The Ghost of Yotsuya Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Ghost of Yotsuya 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 frankly would have loved to have known a bit more about the restoration process here, and relatedly what element or elements might have been utilized, as there are some curious color timing anomalies in particular that really stuck out to me. You can actually see the timing change, albeit admittedly slightly, in "static" shots with the camera firmly placed and no edits, where things can kind of segue from the blue side of things to the yellow and then back again. Some moments tend to be more firmly in blue territory, with others in yellow, as can perhaps be gleaned in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review. That strangeness aside, detail levels throughout are typically commendable, and some of the fine detail on the nice sets and costumes is especially precise looking. There is still some minor but observable age related wear and tear that has made it through the restoration gauntlet, mostly in the form of very small nicks or white flecks. Grain resolves without any issues.

The Ghost of Yotsuya Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Ghost of Yotsuya features an LPCM 2.0 Mono track in the original Japanese. A spooky score is a highlight, and both some of the growling low end reeds and strings and high end cymbal crashes sound reasonably full bodied, if maybe just slightly thin on the high end. Dialogue and sound effects are all rendered without any issues. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Ghost of Yotsuya Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Kiyoshi Kurosawa (HD; 19:33) features the J-Horror pioneer discussing the film and its legacy. Subtitled in English.


• The Endless Curse of Oiwa (HD; 22:08) is a really interesting visual essay by Japanese film historian Kyoko Hirano which gets into some of the history of the property.


• Trailer (HD; 1:43)

The Ghost of Yotsuya Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One of the creepiest things about this presentation is the historic practice of what was called Ohaguro, namely the blackening of teeth, as Oiwa does. That alone makes her something of a scary character even before she turns into a ghost. Joking aside, this is a really interesting film that manages to ratchet up anxiety quite significantly even before Oiwa meets her ghostly fate. Technical merits are generally solid, though I found the color timing of this transfer to be odd looking at times. The supplements are very worthwhile. Recommended.