Kwaidan

Kwaidan (1964)

Rating: 2.5/5.0

Watched: February 2, 2026

The Plot: The first movie on the docket for my month long challenge (AKA Febru-Eerie) is 1964's Kwaidan.

Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results. A man stranded in a blizzard is saved by Yuki the Snow Maiden, but his rescue comes at a cost. Blind musician Hoichi is forced to perform for an audience of ghosts. An author relates the story of a samurai who sees another warrior's reflection in his teacup.

The Good: The Black Hair was a great story of pride, regret and sorrow, and I can't help but feel that it'd make a great possibility for a full feature length body horror in 2026/2027.

The Woman of the Snow was pretty okay in terms of the story, but the set pieces and backdrops were utterly gorgeous. This one was about a man who's life was spared by The Woman of the Snow during a blizzard, with one caveat. He could never tell anyone about what happened or she'd come back and kill him. I won't say anything else, but throughout this tale, the sky is various forms of eye, watching the young man. Truly inspiring set piece design.

The Bad: I couldn't get into it, partially because the harsh jangly musical score did nothing for my sensory issues but also because none of the tales, to me, were all that eerie OR scary.

The Ugly: There wasn't anything 'ugly' about this one, but Kwaidan just couldn't hold me interest enough to let the sensory issues slide

The Alternative: Creepshow 1 springs immediately to mind.

The Last Word: For me, this one's a miss. You might enjoy it, especially if you're a fan of high cinema