kyouki
07-02-2005, 02:35 PM
I watched this one a little while ago and never got the chance to post my thoughts. I haven't noticed this movie getting a lot of attention, which is a shame.
Hiruko the Goblin (aka Youkai Hunter Hiruko) is a modern take on the old Japanese Youkai legends. Youkai are those weird little spirit monster things you see in Japanese folk tales... like that one legged umbrella looking thing. If you've seen them you know what I'm talking about. It is also directed by Shinya Tsukamoto, the man who brought us the awesome and legendary Tetsuo: The Iron Man.
Quite unlike Tetsuo this movie could be considered a more "studio" film. Tsukamoto himself acknowledges this but mentions that it's closer to the types of movies he made before the experimental Tetsuo which he is famous for. There are very few of the crazy camera tricks performed in Tetsuo, although there are some nice POV shots ala Evil Dead.
The plot involves an archaeologist investigating Youkai, which he believes are real. A friend goes missing and he and that friend's son investigate the area around a school attempting to track down the friend and possibly piece together the various scraps of occult information the friend had uncovered. Watching it, it struck me as the kind of story Lovecraft might write so if you enjoy his writing you may get a kick out of this film.
Although the story is interesting the highlight of the film is the special effects! There are some nice stop-motion effects and some great animatronics. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was watching a really great 80s movie (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) instead of a movie made in 1990.
As for extras, you've got a pretty interesting (but very short) special effects explanation where they show off some animatronics. There is also an interview with the director I believe. Then there are some previews for other movies that are totally unrelated!
The picture quality was alright. I didn't leap out at me as amazing but I didn't notice any grain or artifacts. A perfectly acceptable disc here.
Audio was fine... clear, but nothing special.
If you enjoyed Uzumaki or really like old school special effects, I recommend giving this film a view.
Hiruko the Goblin (aka Youkai Hunter Hiruko) is a modern take on the old Japanese Youkai legends. Youkai are those weird little spirit monster things you see in Japanese folk tales... like that one legged umbrella looking thing. If you've seen them you know what I'm talking about. It is also directed by Shinya Tsukamoto, the man who brought us the awesome and legendary Tetsuo: The Iron Man.
Quite unlike Tetsuo this movie could be considered a more "studio" film. Tsukamoto himself acknowledges this but mentions that it's closer to the types of movies he made before the experimental Tetsuo which he is famous for. There are very few of the crazy camera tricks performed in Tetsuo, although there are some nice POV shots ala Evil Dead.
The plot involves an archaeologist investigating Youkai, which he believes are real. A friend goes missing and he and that friend's son investigate the area around a school attempting to track down the friend and possibly piece together the various scraps of occult information the friend had uncovered. Watching it, it struck me as the kind of story Lovecraft might write so if you enjoy his writing you may get a kick out of this film.
Although the story is interesting the highlight of the film is the special effects! There are some nice stop-motion effects and some great animatronics. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was watching a really great 80s movie (which isn't necessarily a bad thing) instead of a movie made in 1990.
As for extras, you've got a pretty interesting (but very short) special effects explanation where they show off some animatronics. There is also an interview with the director I believe. Then there are some previews for other movies that are totally unrelated!
The picture quality was alright. I didn't leap out at me as amazing but I didn't notice any grain or artifacts. A perfectly acceptable disc here.
Audio was fine... clear, but nothing special.
If you enjoyed Uzumaki or really like old school special effects, I recommend giving this film a view.