Totally caught off guard by the Kikuchi score. What if the Gokemidoro took a few minutes to charge their ki before opening their forehead yoni?

Totally caught off guard by the Kikuchi score. What if the Gokemidoro took a few minutes to charge their ki before opening their forehead yoni?

Goo body snatching alien vampires

Goo body snatching alien vampires

I loved this film. I was pleasantly surprised to see it on Criterion this evening and thought I would see what all the talk I had heard about this film was about. Safe to say, it did not disappoint.

The colors in this film are just beautiful; the reds in particular pop off the screen and reminded me of some of Bava’s Giallos. Along with this, the orange color of the ufo is just perfect— flawslessy providing that other worldly feeling that they were going for. Many of the effects in the film look great for the time too, especially the whole “disintegrating” thing that occurs multiple times throughout the film.

The concept of the film was extremely interesting too. Surviving an unknown alien threat while completely isolated and out of resources isn’t a new concept, but in 1968, it very much was, and even then, this film pulls this concept off better than most that attempt it. I sometimes find myself enjoying older films but feeling that the plot hasn’t aged very well. However, I feel the exact opposite way about this film, as the plot and pacing still holds up.

I have to mention the sound design and score as well, as they were both phenomenal. The addition of the screeches and sounds of machinery when the blood red screened scenes occurred was a great addition. The sound design for the ufo itself and the score when the Hijacker approaches it is fantastic.

The older Japanese horror films that I have seen so far have been great and I can’t wait to continue watching more and more from the region. Overall, this is a great film and I need to look into adding it to my collection.

I loved this film. I was pleasantly surprised to see it on Criterion this evening and thought I would see what all the talk I had heard about this film was about. Safe to say, it did not disappoint.

The colors in this film are just beautiful; the reds in particular pop off the screen and reminded me of some of Bava’s Giallos. Along with this, the orange color of the ufo is just perfect— flawslessy providing that other worldly feeling that they were going for. Many of the effects in the film look great for the time too, especially the whole “disintegrating” thing that occurs multiple times throughout the film.

The concept of the film was extremely interesting too. Surviving an unknown alien threat while completely isolated and out of resources isn’t a new concept, but in 1968, it very much was, and even then, this film pulls this concept off better than most that attempt it. I sometimes find myself enjoying older films but feeling that the plot hasn’t aged very well. However, I feel the exact opposite way about this film, as the plot and pacing still holds up.

I have to mention the sound design and score as well, as they were both phenomenal. The addition of the screeches and sounds of machinery when the blood red screened scenes occurred was a great addition. The sound design for the ufo itself and the score when the Hijacker approaches it is fantastic.

The older Japanese horror films that I have seen so far have been great and I can’t wait to continue watching more and more from the region. Overall, this is a great film and I need to look into adding it to my collection.

Starts off wonderfully silly with a different kind of premise; plane crash survivors dealing with a body snatchin' alien, allegedly from hell. A Japanese movie made in 1968, there’s an interesting, albeit clunky, anti-war throughline, usually revolving around the one American in the cast whose husband was recently killed in Vietnam. In the end, however, war wins.

Starts off wonderfully silly with a different kind of premise; plane crash survivors dealing with a body snatchin' alien, allegedly from hell. A Japanese movie made in 1968, there’s an interesting, albeit clunky, anti-war throughline, usually revolving around the one American in the cast whose husband was recently killed in Vietnam. In the end, however, war wins.

The second feature film from Criterion’s Eclipse Box set “When Horror Came to Shochiku”, after “The X from Outer Space”, this seems like a masterpiece of horror in comparison.  LOL.  Well not really. The usual campiness and roughness of 60’s Japan Horror is still here, but also with it some decent practical effects, and some surprises in the storyline such as a strong anti-war, anti-nuclear weapon sentiment, some socioeconomic commentary, and a sad dystopian ending elevated this movie above “The X from Outer Space”.

The second feature film from Criterion’s Eclipse Box set “When Horror Came to Shochiku”, after “The X from Outer Space”, this seems like a masterpiece of horror in comparison.  LOL.  Well not really. The usual campiness and roughness of 60’s Japan Horror is still here, but also with it some decent practical effects, and some surprises in the storyline such as a strong anti-war, anti-nuclear weapon sentiment, some socioeconomic commentary, and a sad dystopian ending elevated this movie above “The X from Outer Space”.