Illusion of Blood

Illusion of Blood (四谷怪談, Yotsuya kaidan, lit. "Yotsuya ghost story") is a 1965 Japanese drama and horror film directed by Shirō Toyoda.[1][2][3]

Illusion of Blood
Directed byShirō Toyoda
Screenplay byToshio Yasumi
Based onTokaido Yotsuya kaidan
by Nanboku Tsuruya
Produced by
  • Ichiro Sato
  • Hideyuki Shiino
Starring
CinematographyHiroshi Murai
Music byToru Takemitsu
Production
company
Tokyo Eiga
Distributed byToho
Release date
  • 25 July 1965 (1965-07-25) (Japan)[1][2]
Running time
105 minutes[2][3]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese

Cast

Production

Illusion of Blood was based on the kabuki play Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan by Nanboku Tsuruya, which had already been adapted to film before, including The Yotsuya Ghost Story I & II and The Yotsuya Ghost Story. This version of the film focuses on the increasing madness of the character of Iuemon Tamiya.[1]

Release

Illusion of Blood was distributed theatrically in Japan by Toho on 25 July 1965 and in the United States as Illusion of Blood with English subtitles in March 1966.[1]

Reception

In a contemporary review, "Dool." of Variety referred to the film as a "blood-curdling Japanese ghost story", noting that the cast was "uniformly fine" and that "technical aspects, except for some abrupt cuts are first rate."[4] A second review by "Mosk." of Variety compared the film to Kwaidan and Ugetsu, noting that Illusion of Blood lacked "classical rigor" or ""human insight and observation" that the other films had respectively.[5] Mosk. added that the film did have "style, and good acting, excellent color and avoids violence and horror for its own sake."[5]

A retrospective review by Cavett Binion of AllMovie found the film to be an inferior version of the film Kwaidan, opining that it was "not as visually commanding" but that it "has its share of nightmarish imagery and cultural richness."[6]

References
  1. Galbraith IV, Stuart (2008). The Toho Studios Story: A History and Complete Filmography. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-1461673743.
  2. "四谷怪談(1965)". Kinenote (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  3. "四谷怪談". Japanese Movie Database (in Japanese). Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  4. Variety's Film Reviews 1964-1967. Vol. 11. R. R. Bowker. 1983. There are no page numbers in this book. This entry is found under the header March 9, 1966. ISBN 0-8352-2790-1.
  5. Variety's Film Reviews 1964-1967. Vol. 11. R. R. Bowker. 1983. There are no page numbers in this book. This entry is found under the header "Locarno Fest". ISBN 0-8352-2790-1.
  6. Binion, Cavett. "Yotuya Kaidan". AllMovie. Retrieved 29 August 2018.


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