Hebi musume to hakuhatsuma (1968) Online

Extremely fun Daiei adaptation of two Kazuo Umezu shojo horror manga into a single, crazily fx-laden story. Directed by Noriaki Yuasa, who directed all the classic Gamera films, & many ep's of Ultraman, Casshern, etc. - this has loads of classic, in-camera effects, double exposures, genuinely excellent makeup, and crude but effective wriggly beast props.

It follows the fairy tale formula of an adorable pixie taken from a benevolent nun's care into a terrifying home seemingly haunted by not only a malevolent silver-haired witch, but also a curiously disfigured and hostile stepsister. The innocent child is named Sayuri, played well by Yachie Matsui as a very genuine and resourceful heroine.

Fans of Hollywood's more fantastic cinema such as Night of the Hunter, any Lewton/Tourneur, or Curse of the Cat People will find this an easily accessible entry point. The story is very simple, but has a level of weirdness and simulated child endangerment still effective for fans of contemporary horror.

**************SPOILER***************AHEAD****************** There are many wild dream sequences, and increasingly graphic reveals that there is something very wrong with the stepsister beyond a mere skin condition. The finale is not appropriate for small children, as it features one villainess wielding a two by four against the dangling heroine's tiny, clinging hands. Insane.

After a long stay in a children's home, Sayuri Nanjo (Yachie Matsui) returns to her parents where she finds that she has an older sister Tamami (Mayumi Takahashi), who immediately treats her with disdain. Sharing a bed with Tamami, Sayuri finds reptile scales on the sheets, and comes to believe that her sister is a snake. Moved to the attic, Sayuri suffers from nightmares involving snakes, spiders and a hideous witch with detachable arms, and, thanks to a spy-hole above Tamami's room, discovers why her sister is so cruel to her. But who is the witch woman who clearly means to do Sayuri harm and why is she doing so?

While the ending does clear up the matter of the witch's true identity, I haven't the foggiest what her motives are, but that doesn't matter because the film is so atmospheric, downright freaky and full of crazy visuals that it proves entertaining regardless of the somewhat confusing plot. Matsui, as Sayuri, puts in a strong performance as the girl caught up in a strangely frightening situation, Takahashi is great as the mean sister whose face has a rather unusual sheen, and director Noriaki Yuasa keeps the pace brisk while providing plenty of kaleidoscopic psychedelia and surreality during Sayori's dream sequences, and a couple of surprisingly nasty moments: a nun stabbed in the chest and Sayuri having her hands mashed to a bloody pulp while hanging from some scaffolding. Fans of classic Japanese horror and Asian weirdness will find plenty to enjoy here.

With a poll coming up on ICM for the best films of 1968,I started checking on '68 titles that were waiting to be watched. Picking it up over Halloween due to the eye-catching title,I decided it was time to meet the snake girl.

View on the film:

Embracing the name of the film, director Noriaki Yuasa & cinematographer Akira Uehara cast a psychedelia atmosphere in sequences that explore Sayuri nightmares with trippy lights that gives sword fights with snakes and floating masked heads an incredibly off-beat vibe. Whilst the title itself is pure pulp,Yuasa wisely limits kitsch for the dream sequences, to instead craft a psychological chiller, with Uehara silky black and white close-ups chipping at the fractured relationship between Sayuri and Tamimi. Wrapping the terror round Sayuri with gruelling smashes against her tiny hands, Yuasa and Uehara gives the family home a claustrophobic appearance with coiled tracking shots revealing Sayuri has nowhere to escape from the snake girl and the witch.

Putting two of Kazuo Kozu's Manga's together,Kimiyuki Hasegawa makes the matching up look seamless, with the stark screams of the dream sequences being painted with the vibrancy of Manga. Unveiling in the beginning that the father is away abroad at work, Hasegawa makes the unsettling horror grounded,with excellently-written dialogue reflecting Tamimi's psychodrama desire to be the lone sister to get attention from mum, and Sayuri's nightmare of all the adults treating her concerns about Tamimi's as fairy tale jealousy.

A classic shoujo manga come to life!

While I can understand why this film wouldn't be for everyone, those who do fall into it's niche will love this film. A rather campy film about a girl who get's adopted back in to her birth family, only to find out something's not quite right. A great film with trippy, & surreal visuals,along side fun, & crazy props. if you walk into this film looking to get scared you'll probably be disappointed, but if you love campy vintage films with horror motif's then you will be satisfied. If you're a fan of Nobuhiko Obayashi's "house" (Hausu) then this film will fit right in.