The Past Refuses to Stay Buried

Read Time:5 Minute, 46 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Daiei Gothic Vol 2: Japanese Ghost Stories

Genre: Horror, Folklore, Anthology
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 4h 38m
Director(s): Tokuzō Tanaka / Kimiyoshi Yasuda / Kimiyoshi Yasuda
Writer(s): Fuji Yahiro / Tetsuro Yoshida / Yoshikata Yoda
Cast: Kazuo Hasegawa, Shintarō Katsu, Raizō Ichikawa / Kōjirō Hongo, Rokkō Tōra, Chieko Murata / Takashi Shimura, Hikaru Hoshi, Yatsuko Tanami
Where to Watch: available now, order your copy here: www.radiancefilms.co.uk, www.mvdshop.com, or www.amazon.com

RAVING REVIEW: DAIEI GOTHIC VOL. 2 hands us the quiet authority of films that treated ghost stories as grand morality plays rather than pulp diversions. There’s no need for spectacle or cheap thrills here — the unease comes from atmosphere, consequence, and the persistence of guilt. The collection of three restorations — THE DEMON OF MOUNT OE, THE HAUNTED CASTLE, and THE GHOST OF KASANE SWAMP — this second volume continues the mission of exploring Japan’s kaidan tradition with grace and gravity. These are stories of haunting, but also of humanity, where the supernatural acts as both punishment and mirror.

From the first moments, you can feel the intention. The set’s presentation is immaculate — restorations that preserve texture and grain, uncompressed mono tracks that breathe naturally, and an 80-page companion book that anchors each film within its historical and cultural lineage. The collection is designed to immerse. You’re meant to sit in the quiet, where every breath, every echo, and every reflection carries moral weight.

THE DEMON OF MOUNT OE begins like an epic of valor and ends as a parable about perception. What looks like a heroic quest to vanquish evil slowly dissolves into something more ambiguous, even tragic. The armored warriors, their trials, and the mountain’s mythic beasts initially evoke the adventurous spirit of Japanese folklore, but Tokuzō Tanaka guides the tale toward something more introspective. The “monsters” reveal themselves as casualties of human cruelty, and “demon” becomes a word that hides as much as it defines. Lanterns glow against misted hills, light carving through the darkness as if illuminating hidden truths. Tanaka doesn’t moralize the story — he lets the realization settle naturally, until what once looked like triumph begins to feel like regret.

Kimiyoshi Yasuda’s THE HAUNTED CASTLE takes that empathy and threads it through revenge. It’s a bakeneko tale, yes, but handled with the restraint of a courtroom drama. The murder of a monk and the tragic fate of his sister unleash a curse that slithers back into the castle. Yasuda’s direction turns architecture into tension — the sliding doors, corridors, and flickering candles become extensions of guilt. When the supernatural appears, it’s less a disruption than an inevitability. The ghosts are metaphors for corruption that has been hiding in plain sight. There’s elegance in how Yasuda stages retribution — slow, poised, and cruelly symmetrical.

Then comes THE GHOST OF KASANE SWAMP, the emotional anchor of the set. Where the first film examines perception and the second examines power, this one mourns inheritance — the sins passed down, the debts that rot into destiny. The story begins with betrayal and murder, but refuses to sensationalize either. Instead, it dwells on the residue: how pain echoes through families, how love becomes a kind of haunting when rooted in guilt. Yasuda’s palette turns pale and damp, the landscapes heavy with remorse. The swamp itself becomes a living presence — not a setting, but a memory that refuses to be buried.

Taken together, the set functions as more than an anthology — it’s a meditation on moral consequence. Every ghost, curse, and apparition feels earned. The horrors aren’t arbitrary; they’re the inevitable balancing of a cosmic ledger. When the dead return, it’s not because they can’t rest, but because the living haven’t learned. These stories see vengeance as less an act of violence and more an act of equilibrium. The result is haunting — less fear of the unknown, more fear of what justice might require.

From a visual standpoint, the set also reaffirms how Daiei weaponized space. Architecture becomes morality — walls, gates, and gardens shape human choices as much as characters do. The use of thresholds, whether literal or spiritual, defines the genre. Doors slide open to reveal not monsters, but the consequences of betrayal. The camera often lingers at the edge of rooms, observing rather than pushing in, allowing the audience to act as witnesses.

As a physical package, Radiance Film’s release shows deep respect for its material. Every element — from the chapter breakdowns to the on-disc menus — radiates care. This is how preservation should feel: reverent without being precious, accessible without compromise.

What ultimately sets DAIEI GOTHIC VOL. 2 apart is its consistency. Each film converses with the others, forming a connection about the moral afterlife of violence. THE DEMON OF MOUNT OE questions the human need for monsters. THE HAUNTED CASTLE exposes how social order disguises rot. THE GHOST OF KASANE SWAMP mourns the weight of inherited sin. Together, they chart the journey from confrontation to corruption to consequence.

In the end, what lingers isn’t fear — it’s sorrow. The ghosts of Daiei aren’t here to scare; they’re here to remind. They inhabit a world where justice costs everyone something, and where the living and the dead are bound by shared regret. Watching these films in such pristine form is less like revisiting old horror and more like attending a ritual. You leave moved, unsettled, and oddly grateful — as if the films have granted you not catharsis, but perspective.

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[photo courtesy of RADIANCE FILMS, MVD ENTERTAINMENT]

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