Starring Kayo Matsuo, Akira Nakao, Atsuo Nakamura, Yukiko Kobayashi, Yoko Minakaze
Directed by Michio Yamamoto
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A young man is shocked to find his girlfriend was killed in an accident after visiting her home, but he soon sees her haunting the grounds, before he himself disappears, leading his sister to investigate.
The first of a trio of vampire films made by Japanese studio Toho in the 1970s, dubbed "The Bloodthirsty Trilogy," this opening outing is very stylish and creepy, with sumptuous color cinematography and an eerie musical score. The acting is very accomplished as well, with Kobayashi very beautiful but very menacing as the undead girl, displaying evil via a haunting expression and toothy smile. Also very good is Minakaze as her mother, serene and stoic, revealing no secrets until she has a memorable emotional breakdown late in the picture. Director Yamamoto manipulates his audience in an almost Hitchcockian manner, leading us to believe what we want to believe, until surprising revelations are sprung on us at the film's climax. It's a very accomplished picture and one I very much enjoyed.
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