Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Fine adaption of four tales from Lafcadio Hearn, this film exudes a heavy atmosphere of eerieness and mystery rarely experienced. The sets, the background paintings, music and even the sound effects contribute to a fine overall effect.
The tales are "Hoichi the Earless," "Yuki no Onna" ("The Woman of the Snow"), "Black Hair" (a.k.a "The Reconciliation"), and "In a Cup of Tea." Of these, only the first two are from the book, Kwaidan. "In a Cup of Tea" is missing from some editions of the film.
LIke the original tales, the film is more full of strangeness and than horror. The only true shocks are the twisted ending of "Black Hair" and the Demon attack in "Hoichi". There are many degrees and subgenres of horror and few terms exist to categorize theses. They are ghost stories more or less, and they will not satisfy the gore hounds. Those with a finer sense of horror will be left with a set of unusual impressions.