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Tesuro Toshido’s trilogy of 1960s Yokai movies joins Takashi Miike’s 2005 remake in this fine collection of monster mayhem.

I must confess to not being well-versed in Yokai movies, though their influence can be seen in everything from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Pokemon. These are tales of ghosts and monsters from Japanese folklore, creatures of myths and legends, created on screen through puppetry, animation and people in suits.

Available together in the UK for the first time on Blu-ray, these movies are an eclectic bunch, featuring essentially the same storyline each time (the little guy is oppressed by evil landowners and calls on mystical spirits to defend him). They’re so popular that a further movie – The Great Yokai War: Guardians – was released in Japan in August 2021.

In 100 Monsters a greedy slumlord’s attempts to forcefully evict his tenants to create a brothel and invites the wrath of the titular spirits when a cleansing ritual is botched, with terrifying results. A traveller is attacked by a cyclopean beast and we meet Jass-obake (umbrella creature) for the first time, as well as the long-necked woman Rokurokubi. This disc includes the 41-minute A brief history of Yokai, which is a great introduction to the mythology, as well as trailers and a gallery.

Spook Warfare tells the tale of an evil Babylonian vampire inadvertently awoken by treasure hunters, and a brave samurai that teams with the yokai to defeat the bloodthirsty demon. In Along with Ghosts (released only 12 months after 100 Monsters), the yokai are roused to defend a young girl on the run from deadly yakuza. These two movies are joined by trailers and and image galleries

Decades later, Takashi Miike (Audition) directs 2005’s The Great Yokai War, using digital effects in its tale of a young boy banding together with a group of yokai to defend humanity against a vengeful and powerful demon that has sworn retribution against modern-day Japan. Featuring some unsettling body horror prosthetics, there’s also an audio commentary, interviews with cast and crew, footage from the 2005 World Yokai Conference, and 27 minutes with actor Ryunosuke Kamiki’s at the Venice International Film Festival.

Verdict: A great entry point to this inventive, Japanese phenomenon. These movies are an acquired taste, but if you’re up for something a little different, they’re great fun. 7/10

Nick Joy