The final film in the Daiei Gothic boxset is The Bride from Hades, based off another tale from Lafcadio Hearn titled “A Passional Karma” which is itself inspired by an older Chinese myth. Here director Satsuo Yamamoto loosely adapts the idea of a ghostly woman and her maidservant visiting a young man during Bon to form an unlikely courtship and infuses it with a number of new ideas not present in the original story. Main character Shinzaburo (Kojiro Hongo) is a schoolteacher in a village of row-houses who has opted out of the hierarchical expectations of his family and decides not to be forced into an arranged marriage; instead, he lives a life of relative penury dedicating himself to the community. Eventually during Bon he is visited by Omine (Mayumi Ogawa) and Otsuyu (Miyoko Akaza), who at first seem like fairly ordinary women until Shinzaburo realizes that they’re both dead and aim to finish out the Omine’s marriage proposal before the end of the spiritual holiday.
Yamamoto infuses The Bride from Hades with a fairly pointed criticism of societal expectations, especially considering the film’s main conceit involves Shinzaburo agreeing to marry Omine due to life events that force her into prostitution. This variation from Hearn’s story (in that one, the origin of the ghastly marriage is simply out of earthly love) is intentional and lends a weightier motif to the tale, made even more critical as Yamamoto points his lens at the community surrounding Shinzaburo, who all band together to perform an all-nighter trying to pray away the ghosts looking to snatch Shinzaburo out of the realm of the living. Interestingly, though, The Bride from Hades refrains from divulging exactly why the spirits are so interested in Shinzaburo specifically, or the end goal of the marriage.
Besides the sociopolitical commentary, though, Yamamoto’s film features a number of good haunting elements. Wire work, composites, and some interesting makeup effects all aid in the hauntings, and The Bride from Hades has a couple of key supernatural moments that capitalize on the eeriness of the set designs. However, the film does take a unique turn into comic relief in its third act, shifting focus away from Shinzaburo to his neighbor and assistant Banzo (Ko Nishimura), who is influenced by his wife to ask the ghosts for money in favor of taking down a warding spell to allow Omine access to Shinzaburo’s home. Their silly banter and over-the-top theatrics do derail some of the Gothic chills, but Yamamoto brings it back to his theme of feudal corruption and greed when they are both murdered in gruesome fashion by bandits looking for their stolen money; it’s a bloody, shocking twist to the film’s conclusion that moralizes the more religious-oriented Hearn story.
Overall, this is another pleasing Gothic in the collection – it starts slow but builds to a satisfying portrayal of community, responsibility, and ultimately karma as well.
Blu-ray
The Bride from Hades also receives a new 4K restoration from Kadokawa Corporation for Radiance Films’ Daiei Gothic boxset. Like The Snow Woman, this is a fairly strong transfer that features a medium-bodied grain presence without any clumping. Skin tones and clothing textures are consistently detailed, though there are one or two scenes that almost seem to be taken from a different source, where the quality is noticeably inferior. Other than these fleeting moments, though, The Bride from Hades is visually appealing and remains consistent in its lush color grading, showcasing the pleasant communal set design of the film. Of note, there is one instance late in the film where Banzo’s and his wife’s wires can be seen.
The film’s audio is an LPCM 2.0 mono Japanese track with default English subtitles. Dialogue is clean and clear, and overall sound design is quite good with a strong interplay of eerie percussive score and more traditional religious songs and chanting. The ghosts’ presence is preceded by the sound of their geta, which is a nice touch mirroring the original story. English subtitles are included and defaulted on.
Radiance Films assembles a few new extras for this release. The first is a new audio commentary with Jasper Sharp, which delves into the original Hearn story and its adaptation within The Bride from Hades, the players and the crew, and references for various other Japanese contextual elements that show up in the film. It’s an enlightening listen and certainly recommended for those looking for a deep-dive on The Bride from Hades. There is also a new interview with Hiroshi Takahashi, the director of Ringu, who explores the origins of the tale “Peony Lantern”, reflects on the impact of the film on contemporary J-horror, and an overall appreciation of Daiei’s mastery of Edo period design.
The Daiei Gothic boxset includes an essay booklet featuring writing from Tom Mes on the history of Japanese gothic, a rundown of yokai by Zack Davisson, archival film reviews of the three films in the collection, and two Lafcadio Hearn stories reprinted (including “A Passional Karma” as mentioned above). Also included is reversible cover artwork.
Extra Features
- NEW 4K restoration from Kadokawa Corporation
- NEW Audio commentary by author Jasper Sharp
- NEW interview with filmmaker Hiroshi Takahashi (1080p; 17:39)
- Trailer (1080p; 2:24)
- NEW Reversible sleeve featuring original and commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista
Verdict
The Bride from Hades features a unique take on the original story of the ghost with the peony lantern, and Radiance Films’ release in the Daiei Gothic boxset presents a quality transfer and extras that aid in the appreciation of this relatively forgotten film.
