Wow, did I have fun with this one. I had never heard of it, but I do love a lot of J-horror, and this one definitely had an interesting sound to it, a Japanese monster movie with practical effects, costumes and a touch of animation, what’s not to like?

The monsters are allowed to show up in the story because a ritual wasn’t completed, but they only seem intent on serving justice, and vengeance, on those who have wronged the innocent, whether by murder or betrayal.

And the baddies in this story have done both. Tajimaya (Takashi Kanda) works for Buzen (Ryutaro Gomi) who has seized some land that holds a shrine, and a tenement house. He’s ordered for both to be struck down immediately so that he may build a brothel in its place, something that will make him more money.

That means countless people, including a ronin named Yasutaro (Jun Fujimaki) will be homeless.

One evening, as stories are shared to entertain the slumlord, a candle isn’t put out, a candle which would close the ritual, and this allows the monsters to cross over, and target the villainous slumlord.

This was a pure delight, from the monster designs to their presentation on screen. I don’t think there were one hundred of them, but there were definitely a few, each one unique and frightening in their own way, including a one-eyed fan that hops about on one foot and makes friends with Tajimaya’s challenged son, Skinkichi (Rookie Shin-ichi).

It’s a fairly simple story, but you throw in the ronin, who is quick with his sword and his mind, some wonderful practical effects and designs, and what you get is a fairly light-hearted piece of monster entertainment, that is just absolutely charming.

I loved this one.

It’s got a couple of action beats, it’s got some fun scares and presents to Western audiences a different type of ghost/monster/scare. I think if I had seen this as a child, it may have freaked me out a bit. The climax features all the monsters driving Buzen insane as he attempts to cut them down with his sword, and that would have caused me some trouble as a youngster. Now, I can watch it, enjoy the performances, costumes and effects and see a measure of justice served.

I love the way this one is shot, and how it makes use of its special effects and monster creations. They always seem to be in service to the story and help move the narrative along. The image looks great, the performances are fun, and I’m absolutely delighted to know that there are two more films in this series, Spook Warfare and Along With Ghosts.

This could facilitate a welcome return of J-horror to my viewing habits.