As a fan of world mythology and Japanese monsters/legends, this film was right up my alley. The monsters look exactly like they do in the old woodblock prints and watercolor paintings that depict them, and kids will totally dig this (if they have the patience for subtitles).

Strangely, the monsters that I'm familiar with from the old stories seem to be pretty friendly in this film. For example, the water demon-a kappa as he's known in Japan-is rather nice, but his type of demon are known for preying on people and horses. They love to eat fresh livers, which they obtain by reaching up the victim's anus and ripping out the tasty organ. Now THAT would have been interesting to see done

A Japanese horror movie that mixes bloody neck biting and comedy-relief ghosts represented by acrobats and little people - reminiscent of the inhabitants of the sixties TV series H.R. PUFNSTUF. I believe this is a sequel to HUNDRED GHOST STORIES as it features many of the same ghosts (e.g. the snake-necked woman and the umbrella ghost). A marvellous vulture-like vampire arrives in ancient Japan and hides in the body of an important land-owner and starts to put the bite on his subjects. The local ghosts are the only ones who know what is truly going on and try to oust the demon. Their efforts lead to a spectacular climax as the demon grows to giant proportions... While the ghosts costumes are unconvincing, one gets used to them, especially when you know they are based on old Japanese legends. The scenes featuring the bad-guy are both fierce and atmospheric - the lighting effects are quite remarkable - and the blood-letting is far too explicit to be aimed at a juvenile audience. But it's well made, fast-moving and a fascinating trip into the mythologies of a different culture than the usual western ghosts and vampires.

A zucchini-headed vampire from Europe comes to Japan, kills and then possesses the body of a good and noble lord. The local demons aren't too pleased by the idea of a foreigner moving in on their territory and decide to battle the monster. Thus, a horde of boogeymen assemble - a water demon who looks like a flatheaded Woody Woodpecker, a woman with two faces; one lovely and one hideous, a demonic umbrella with a tongue that Gene Simmons would envy, a tiny little dude with a round head who bears a freaky resemblance to Aunt Jemima and a woman with a deadly python-like neck. As the vampire claims more victims and literally begins to reproduce himself, the villagers and the demons band together and go to war.

This is a hilariously funny and visually beautiful film. The special effects are outstanding, considering the year was 1968. Simple camera tricks turn the battle at films end (and the ensuing victory "parade' of the Japanese ghosts and demons) into something resembling a weird ballet as transparent ghouls and projected monsters jump, spin, fly and fight in slow motion. Despite some unexpected (and hysterical) light expletives and a few splashes of ketchup-y blood, this is a great film for kids as well as adults. It's really very funny, oddly sweet and a lot of fun. HIGHLY recommended!

Yokai Daisenso is a peculiar funny movie about an old vampire and the brave Japanese monsters. The vampire is woken up by treasure hunters, goes to Japan, kills a wealthy man and takes his form. But he needs fresh blood regularly and the Japanese monsters who live peacefully there, not disturbing the people, unite forces and fight the vampire. This movie is recommended for the lovers of the weird, funny movies and everybody who likes the old horror movies. Yokai Daisenso is not entirely a horror movie, because it's not only funny because it's old but it also contains ironic elements, for example the Japanese monsters look up the existence of a vampire (who came from Afrika) in a picture book which contains every ordinary Japanese monster/ghost. I give it 9 points out of 10 with the comment that people who - after reading this - know that they wouldn't like this movie, shouldn't watch and vote it.

When the Babylonian evil known as Daimon (Daemon) is unearthed from his underground crypt, he begins his reign of terror by traveling to feudal Japan to conquer its people. Standing in his way is a veritable army of strange and bizarre Japanese "Yokai" (ghosts) each with unique personalities and supernatural powers. While I liked much of the creature effects for this film, I wasn't too thrilled with the story. Unlike Daiei's "Majin" movies, "Yokai Daisensou" is a bit too comical and goofy for my tastes. There were some genuinely creepy scenes and the gyokaih costumes are inventive and interesting.

In this sequel of sorts to 1968's 'Yokai: 100 Monsters' ('Yôkai hyaku monogatari'), scavengers digging in Babylonia disturb that which should not be disturbed and release Daimon (Chikara Hashimoto), a murderous, shape-changing, blood-sucking demon. The fiend flies to feudal Japan, where it kills, then takes the form of, local lord Hyogo Isobe (Takashi Kanda), and begins to spread terror. Affronted, the local yôkai ('spirits', referred to 'apparitions' in the English subtitles) challenge the malignant creature and a phantasmagorical war begins. Despite a few gory moments, the film is a children's fantasy with monsters that are more funny than scary. Many of the yôkai are drawn from Japanese folklore (including among others: a Kappa (water sprite), a Futakuchi-onna (two-faced women), a Rokurokubi (a women with a long, snake like neck) and a Kasa-obake (an animate umbrella creature (in this case, with a tongue like Gene Simmons!)). The monster costumes (and the Kasa-obake puppet) are a bit silly looking but surprisingly endearing and the story of yôkai's battle with the iniquitous Daimon is fun and engaging. The human characters, including Isobe's pretty daughter Lady Chie (Akane Kawasaki) and samurai Shinpachiro (Yoshihiko Aoyama), are secondary to the 'apparitions' but are well played (considering the genre and the material). The final scene, where the army of 'apparitions' dance off into the clouds is oddly affecting. For a children's film, there was some strong language (e.g. 'pissed') in the English-subtitled version I watched. As well, there were a number of translation errors ('kit's' for 'kids' occurred a number of times). After years of movies about elves, trolls, gnomes etc., I found watching a fantasy that embodied mythological beings from a non-Western-European culture both entertaining and fascinating and am looking forward to watching the third film in the trilogy: 'Yokai Monsters: Along With Ghosts' (1969). As of this writing, all three films are available on You-tube.

I would like to preface the following statement by saying this; I in no way endorse the usage of illegal drugs BUT unless you've been high on mushrooms before you won't truly appreciate this movie to it's fullest.

I found this movie on the shelf at Austin's Vulcan Video and was immediately attracted to the Sid and Marty Krofft type costumes on the cover. This was back when my wife was still my girlfriend and we both were drinkers of a particularly noxious potion known as Steel Reserve. We settled in at home on our select-comfort bed in our underwear, with two 24 ounce cans each. Now, before we could even catch a buzz we were floored by the intensity of the color, which was the first mushroom-like similarity. Secondly, the frenetic action and pace of this film was also familiar. But what really set this theory in stone is the completely hallucinogenic overall mix of disparate elements. I was laughing my ass off the entire time, but underneath there was a warm nostalgic feeling because this film took me back to the days of Spectreman and War of the Gargantuas. I felt like I was a little kid watching the most wonderful thing in the world. In fact, I purchased this DVD off ebay earlier today, brand new for 7.98 total. If you are a 30-something with similar memories, I strongly suggest you purchase this film, or at very least rent it.

This is weird. It is about the releasing of 100 ghosts. Among them are killer umbrellas with long tongues and a witch with a snake neck who wraps it around maidens necks and chokes them. Interesting photography and a fast pace are it's good attributes.