Hiruko the Goblin is director Shinya Tsukamoto’s follow-up to his retroactively-acclaimed Testuo: The Iron Man. Despite the latter’s relatively low-budget indie production, Tsukamoto received a big studio budget in order to adapt a few chapters from the popular manga Yokai Hunter by Daijirou Morohoshi; Hiruko the Goblin draws from this as source material, thus making it a slightly more straightforward film than his first cyberpunk offering. Still, Tsukamoto’s aspirations and inspirations are clear in his work, here drawing from John Carpenter’s The Thing, Evil Dead, and a smattering of others to create a body horror comedy with a decidedly Japanese flair for weirdness.
The film follows a schoolboy named Masao (Masaki Kudou) on the search for his father and classmate Tsukishima (Megumi Ueno) after they disappear near his school. The archaelogist and Yokai Hunter Hieda (Kenji Sawada) has also come to town due to a letter he received about the presence of Hiruko, a mythological yokai that is rumored to have a portal to his realm somewhere by the school. Unfortunately for everyone, Hiruko certainly is around, since he possesses a number of Masao’s schoolmates, beheading them and turning their heads into walking crab-like creatures. Hieda and Masao must close the realm portal or, you know, bad stuff will happen.
Hiruko the Goblin has a pretty straightforward approach to the outlandish material, quickly exploring the mythology of Hiruko, his realm, and the crown of horns that has historically been used in the past by Masao’s ancestors. Tsukamoto’s direction boils down to a buddy comedy about two unlikely protagonists working together through various supernaturally-comedic antics. Here, Tsukamoto uses a lot of familiar techniques, most prominently the Raimi flying camera shots to signify Hiruko’s demonic approach. And Hiruko the Goblin is much more focused on the over-the-top, almost slapstick comedic elements, often ditching tension for Sawada’s brand of expressive humor.
For the most part, this works, but some criticisms of Hiruko the Goblin implied that Tsukamoto had lost his artistic touch by selling out to a studio. In a way, that is the case with Hiruko the Goblin, but the creative special effects – heavily implying homage to Carpenter’s Thing creature visuals even if unintended – still bring uniqueness to the film that Tsukamoto makes great use of in the film’s conclusion. That’s where things really get crazy as Masao and Hieda enter Hiruko’s realm, encountering hundreds of crab-like creatures that cause the two to hallucinate their past. If Hiruko the Goblin kept up the off-kilter approach of its conclusion, it would be an even stronger film. Unfortunately, there are too often lulls in the action that cause some pacing issues during the second half.
But Tsukamoto’s film has just enough zaniness and creativity, along with combination practical and stop-motion effects, to keep the viewer watching throughout its runtime. While it may not hit the heights of Tetsuo, the larger budget and more restrictive adaptation demands allow for more mainstream appreciation for the work as well. And of course horror fans will enjoy the smattering of inspirations that have compelled Hiruko the Goblin forth.
Blu-ray
Hiruko the Goblin gets a new Blu-ray release for North America by Mondo Macabro, in partnership with Nikkatsu who completed a new 2K remaster from the original negative for its 3oth anniversary. The movie is also getting various releases in other parts of the world, including a Blu-ray from Third Window for the UK and a 2021 Shojiku release as well. Presumably these are all using the same remaster.
Video quality is quite good on this release. There is a medium-bodied grain scale that does not impede fine details, and Hiruko the Goblin features strong performance in most areas including low lighting. Occasional softness in particular shots does appear, but overall this is a well-done transfer with an obviously faithfully-preserved negative, since there is almost no damage to be found throughout the entire film. For those who have been clamoring for an HD representation of Hiruko the Goblin, this transfer will definitely appease.
Audio is presented with a DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono Japanese track with included English subtitles. This sounds strong with no drops or dialogue volume issues; the score and sound effects are well represented as well in this dual-channel mono offering.
Extra features include a new interview with director Shinya Tsukamoto in Japanese with English subtitles; the director talks for about 30 minutes about the feature, his feelings about how different Hiruko the Goblin feels from his Tetsuo work, and more. Also included is a new introduction with the director. An archival interview with Tsukamoto, and another with special effects creator Takashi Oda, are included in 720p from a previous release. An audio commentary with Tom Mes provides lots of context about Tsukamoto’s works as well as analysis of Hiruko the Goblin. Finally, a trailer and vintage SFX featurette round out the release.
Extra Features
- NEW 2k restoration from original negative
- NEW interview with director Shinya Tsukamoto (1080p; 27:32)
- Archival interview with director Shinya Tsukamoto (720p; 8:00)
- NEW Intro to the film by director Shinya Tsukamoto (1080p; 2:50)
- Archival inteview with the Special Effects Creator Takashi Oda (720p; 4:05)
- SFX featurette (720p; 2:31)
- Audio commentary from author Tom Mes
- Trailer (1080p; 1:43)
- Mondo Macabro previews
Verdict
Hiruko the Goblin is an enjoyable foray into Japanese mythology with obvious inspirations. Mondo Macabro’s Blu-ray release is perfect for those looking to own an excellent HD version of the movie without having to spend an arm and a leg to import, utilizing Nikkatsu’s new 2K restoration.
